jai mahal palace-jaipur jaypee palace-agra
Jul 10th, 2003 | 03:20 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
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The Jai Mahal is operated by the Taj group, go to Tajhotels.com for information. I have not stayed there, but have been in the public areas and one restaurant, and they seemed very nice.
The Taj group also runs the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, which I would recommend you take a look at. The grounds and ambience of the Rambagh are better, IMO, than the Jai Mahal. You get the feeling you are really in a palace (which you are), and can have fun trying to figure out where the women's quarter was, etc. It is also outside the congestion of the city. You have to take taxis more than you would at the Jai Mahal, but I think it is worth it. There is a small but nice shopping arcade as part of the hotel. There are many types of rooms at the hotel, so old some new, some good some bad, so ask about different room types and sizes. I would avoid rooms in the basement. The hotel as recently been added to the Leading Small Hotels of the World Group, which signals to me that they have done renovations since I was last there about 3 years ago. Their main competition is the Rajvilas, which is truly a luxury hotel (oberoihotels.com), so they have tried to catch up.
On the Rants and Raves page here, the Jai Mahal got a 4 and the Rambagh got a 4.9. Click on Hotels above, then scroll down and choose Jaipur. Another source for reviews is asia-hotels.com, although I think the reviews are written by travel writers and not necessarily people who have stayed there.
The Jaypee Palace is run by the Jaypee Group, go to jaypeehotels.com. There are not quite of the standard of the Taj or the Oberoi groups. I am not familiar with this particular hotel, but from the map I would say that its location is a bit out of town (2 miles or so from the Taj), and it seems to be out toward the Sheraton. Not a huge drawback, as you can take bicycle rickshaws into town easily. You should know that expressions like "5 star luxury deluxe" have a wide variety of meaning in the Indian context, and may not in fact indicate the quality of the hotel. As you have done here, you are better off getting opinions from people who have stayed there.
The Taj group also runs the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, which I would recommend you take a look at. The grounds and ambience of the Rambagh are better, IMO, than the Jai Mahal. You get the feeling you are really in a palace (which you are), and can have fun trying to figure out where the women's quarter was, etc. It is also outside the congestion of the city. You have to take taxis more than you would at the Jai Mahal, but I think it is worth it. There is a small but nice shopping arcade as part of the hotel. There are many types of rooms at the hotel, so old some new, some good some bad, so ask about different room types and sizes. I would avoid rooms in the basement. The hotel as recently been added to the Leading Small Hotels of the World Group, which signals to me that they have done renovations since I was last there about 3 years ago. Their main competition is the Rajvilas, which is truly a luxury hotel (oberoihotels.com), so they have tried to catch up.
On the Rants and Raves page here, the Jai Mahal got a 4 and the Rambagh got a 4.9. Click on Hotels above, then scroll down and choose Jaipur. Another source for reviews is asia-hotels.com, although I think the reviews are written by travel writers and not necessarily people who have stayed there.
The Jaypee Palace is run by the Jaypee Group, go to jaypeehotels.com. There are not quite of the standard of the Taj or the Oberoi groups. I am not familiar with this particular hotel, but from the map I would say that its location is a bit out of town (2 miles or so from the Taj), and it seems to be out toward the Sheraton. Not a huge drawback, as you can take bicycle rickshaws into town easily. You should know that expressions like "5 star luxury deluxe" have a wide variety of meaning in the Indian context, and may not in fact indicate the quality of the hotel. As you have done here, you are better off getting opinions from people who have stayed there.
Jul 10th, 2003 | 11:34 PM
#4
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Ranthambore is one of my favorite places in the world! Hope you see tigers, we were very lucky and saw two tigers, including a female and two cubs, unbelievable. Even if you don't see tigers, the wildlife in the park is varied and amazing, from crocodiles to incredible bird life.
I am not familiar with Tiger Moon, and just looked at some websites for it. It seems to be about one mile from the park, which is nice. The pictures of the rooms look basic but fine. Please also take a look at the Sawai Madhopur Lodge, run by the Taj Group. The website for Taj hotels is "tajhotels.com". The hotel is the former hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Jaipur, built in the 1930's and in art deco/Indian style. The main lodge house has all the art deco furniture, and a big verandah for late breakfast, tea and watching people play cricket on the big lawn. Ask for one of their tents which they put up in the cooler months. These are tents built on concrete platforms with attached baths. They are lots of fun and I think nicer than the regular rooms at the hotel. (They do have some suites in the main lodge that are very nice, with the origianl 1930 bathroom fixtures and balconies, if you want to splurge.) The only place I wouldn't want to stay on the property are the motel-like rooms in a row at the back of the property. They are small and have no charm.
The hotel will arrange jeep rides for you. Take the small 4 person jeep and not the larger 20 person open jitney van, as you will be able to get into smaller viewing spots with the jeep. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the park entrance. There are two rides a day, one at about sunrise and one in the afternoon. Go as often as you can. If you are there between December and early March, bring a hat, gloves and a warm jacket for the morning rides, as it is quite cool until the sun has been up for an hour or so.
I am not familiar with Tiger Moon, and just looked at some websites for it. It seems to be about one mile from the park, which is nice. The pictures of the rooms look basic but fine. Please also take a look at the Sawai Madhopur Lodge, run by the Taj Group. The website for Taj hotels is "tajhotels.com". The hotel is the former hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Jaipur, built in the 1930's and in art deco/Indian style. The main lodge house has all the art deco furniture, and a big verandah for late breakfast, tea and watching people play cricket on the big lawn. Ask for one of their tents which they put up in the cooler months. These are tents built on concrete platforms with attached baths. They are lots of fun and I think nicer than the regular rooms at the hotel. (They do have some suites in the main lodge that are very nice, with the origianl 1930 bathroom fixtures and balconies, if you want to splurge.) The only place I wouldn't want to stay on the property are the motel-like rooms in a row at the back of the property. They are small and have no charm.
The hotel will arrange jeep rides for you. Take the small 4 person jeep and not the larger 20 person open jitney van, as you will be able to get into smaller viewing spots with the jeep. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the park entrance. There are two rides a day, one at about sunrise and one in the afternoon. Go as often as you can. If you are there between December and early March, bring a hat, gloves and a warm jacket for the morning rides, as it is quite cool until the sun has been up for an hour or so.
Jul 11th, 2003 | 05:53 AM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
I have looked into the Sawai lodge..you are of course correct that it looks unbelievable..I will ask the agent to price, but think that it might be out of our range at $375 a night..but maybe they can do better.. I have not been able to locate a website with a picture of the tiger moon..do you recall where you saw it?
By the way, thank you for your input, it has been very helpful.
By the way, thank you for your input, it has been very helpful.
Jul 11th, 2003 | 06:18 AM
#6
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Are you sure the agent was looking at the Sawai Modhopur Lodge operated by the Taj group? I just looked on expedia (not always the cheapest) and got a quote of US$155 for a standard room including all meals. I also looked at www.travelmasti.com and got a quote of $80 for a standard room, can't tell if that included meals. It sounds like you might have been quoted a price for a suite. I last stayed in the tents there about 2 years ago and did not pay near that amount, I think we paid just over $100 for all meals and two jeep rides a day, and that was in the winter high season.
Go onto the Taj's website and get your own price. Better yet, fax the hotel directly and get quotes. I have a card at home with the fax number and I will write back over the weekend with it. (I'll check, at my employer's cost, to make sure it is still correct. . .)
I haven't ever used an agent for booking hotels, even in India, and don't see any need for an agent. If you have been using agents for bookings, I suggest you also get quotes yourself just to make sure.
Websites showing pictures of the Tiger Moon are at
http://www.indianadventures.com/TigerMoon.htm. If you can't pull it up, just go to indianadventures.com and scroll through choices until you get to the hotel.
http://www.nivalink.com/tigermoon/contactus.html
Go onto the Taj's website and get your own price. Better yet, fax the hotel directly and get quotes. I have a card at home with the fax number and I will write back over the weekend with it. (I'll check, at my employer's cost, to make sure it is still correct. . .)
I haven't ever used an agent for booking hotels, even in India, and don't see any need for an agent. If you have been using agents for bookings, I suggest you also get quotes yourself just to make sure.
Websites showing pictures of the Tiger Moon are at
http://www.indianadventures.com/TigerMoon.htm. If you can't pull it up, just go to indianadventures.com and scroll through choices until you get to the hotel.
http://www.nivalink.com/tigermoon/contactus.html
Jul 11th, 2003 | 10:39 AM
#7
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
OK, the contact information for the Sawai Madhopur is:
E-Mail: [email protected]
tel: 91-07462-220541
Fax: 91-07462-220781
You may not need to dial the zero in front of the second set of each number. From the US, you will need to dial 011 first.
I got this info of the Taj website, after some hunting. (On the main page, look to the left and click "Reserve an Itinerary". From the "Select Cities" box on the left, scroll down and click on Sawai Madopur. When the page comes up, click on the underlined name of the hotel. A black background screen will come up, with information and photos and a line of choices at the bottom. Choose "contact us" on the far right, and a small box will come up with all the info.) I could not get through on the phone or fax lines (network was busy), so I would suggest you e-mail first, and if you get no response, then try to send a fax.
FYI the e-mail and fax of the Rambagh and the Jai Mahal are:
[email protected]
fax: 91-01410238-1098
(you may not need to dial the zero in front of the second set of numbers)
[email protected]
fax: 91-0141-2220707
If you are interested in fiction and non-fiction about India, let me know. I responded to a thread on this recently and have saved it somewhere.
E-Mail: [email protected]
tel: 91-07462-220541
Fax: 91-07462-220781
You may not need to dial the zero in front of the second set of each number. From the US, you will need to dial 011 first.
I got this info of the Taj website, after some hunting. (On the main page, look to the left and click "Reserve an Itinerary". From the "Select Cities" box on the left, scroll down and click on Sawai Madopur. When the page comes up, click on the underlined name of the hotel. A black background screen will come up, with information and photos and a line of choices at the bottom. Choose "contact us" on the far right, and a small box will come up with all the info.) I could not get through on the phone or fax lines (network was busy), so I would suggest you e-mail first, and if you get no response, then try to send a fax.
FYI the e-mail and fax of the Rambagh and the Jai Mahal are:
[email protected]
fax: 91-01410238-1098
(you may not need to dial the zero in front of the second set of numbers)
[email protected]
fax: 91-0141-2220707
If you are interested in fiction and non-fiction about India, let me know. I responded to a thread on this recently and have saved it somewhere.
