lcuy

Having a hard time with this decision- we'll be staying two nights in Jaipur. Rambagh Palace would be $165 US per night, Samode Haveli (inside the walled city) is a bit less.
We'll be in Agra the night before at Amarvilas and then 4 nights at the imperial in Delhi, so do not need total luxury here, more looking for an indian experience and convenience to historic sites and shops. Being inside the walled city sounds convenient, or is it?.

I understand the food at Rambagh is not much, and would probably go looking for more local spots anyway.

Also, Compass is quoting me $300 for car& driver: Delhi-Agra, 1 day in Agra, Agra-Jaipur, and 4 days around Delhi. (We'll take the train Jaipur to Delhi at $15 pp). Does this sound right for 6 days? Seemed a bit high, but maybe I misunderstood.

Thanks!

Lucy

Craig

Sounds like $50 per day. Make sure you are getting an air conditioned Toyota Qualis for that price. Don't forget that your driver is available to take you to dinner at night (important in Delhi) at no additional charge. I don't think you really need to stay right in Jaipur. You will spend one day in town to see the sights there and another 1/2 day+ to do Amber Fort. I would highly recommend Rajvilas over anything else in the Jaipur area. We saw Rambagh and you should go see it as well - just don't stay there - and more importantly, don't eat there!

hobbes

Assume Raj Vilas is considerably more than Rambagh? I think you will be fine with Samode - if you would like to economize a bit Jaipur is prob the place to do it. Agra nothing compares with Amar Vilas and Delhi the Imperial while Jaipur you can have a haveli experience which is decent and save some money. Raj Vilas is gorgeous, clearly the best but location and hotel a bit resorty so not sure in limited time how much you will be able to enjoy it. Does the Compass quote include guides?

lcuy

I'm not sure if it include guides. I just emailed and asked for clarification. Also realized it is only 2 days of car in Dalhi, so 4 days total= $75 per day. says A/C, driver, petrol and tolls included....Seems high, yeah?

Rajvilas are around $400 per night, so I'm thinking the other two are a much better deal, considering we'll be totally impressed with our other Indida hotels.

The Rough guide and some other reviews seem to like Samode Haveli, but of course I trust Fodorites a lot more than them... ;-)

Lyndie

Check out www.jasvilas.com-brilliant food, lovely hosts, beautiful, well appointed rooms and first-hand information on where to shop for the best Jaipur has to offer. These people know what hospitality entails! Good luck!

Craig

If you are looking to save money on transportation, book a driver through your hotel. If you e-mail the hotels directly, they will quote you a price. We ultimately decided it was preferable to have a driver "on call" and also someone whom we would get to know. Compass provided us with a cell phone so that when we were done with a certain activity (shopping, museum) we could call the driver - very convenient.

The daily price for a guide is nominal - they will quote you for a half day but generally the guides were with us from morning to mid-afternoon or longer.

Rambagh is not in the same league as Rajvilas - nothing in Jaipur is. Rajvilas is even "better" than Amarvilas in my opinion. We thought it was worth the extra money since it was probably the only time we would ever visit Jaipur.

Lisa1224

Have you looked on Oberoi's website? They have an awesome deal..Pay for 5 nights and get 7 free for $2400 double, or pay for 4 nights and get 4 free for $2000 double. The rates are valid from 4-1 to 9-30. You have to spend at least one night in Delhi or Mumbai but the rest you can split up how ever you want. Check it out, hope this helps.

Rajhelp50

An air-con Qualis from Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi for four days in all should cost you around USD 200/-. Delhi local should be about USD 30/- per day. For more opinions on rates, post in www.indiamike.com.

Raj Vilas is a great hotel but there is just one Rambagh in the whole world just as there is one Lake Palace, and coincidentally Taj runs both fo them. If you want international flavour, go for the Raj Vilas but if you are visiting to see the best of life as it was, there is no competition for the Rambagh.