Hi everyone,

I was wondering if any of the India experts here could tell me about the weather in Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi in late September. I am thinking of a honeymoon there, but I am concerned that it might still be too hot to make touring enjoyable.

We would most likely be doing a fairly standard "first time" tourist circuit: starting in Delhi, then to Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, and back to Delhi.

Also, any suggestions as to how many days to spend in each place? Since we would be traveling on frequent flier tickets, we are limited to 12 nights total, and our flight times would require at least a night in Delhi at each end. I was thinking 2 nights Delhi, 2 nights Agra, 4 nights Jaipur, 3 nights Udaipur. Since this is our honeymoon and we don't mind splurging a bit, we would probably stay at Oberois pretty much throughout.

Many thanks in advance--I appreciate your help!

September will be warm, but better than the spring or summer. The monsoon will have broken so you won't have the 100 F plus temps which happen before the monsoon arrives. Temps will be in upper 80s F to low 90Fs. The later you go in September will mean a drop in temp by a few degrees. It will still be hot, so don't try to do too much in a given day. September has some rain as it is the tail end of the monsoon, but should not be anything to ruin a holiday.

You might include a trip to the cool hills of Shimla (about ? hours by train from Delhi) for a break from the heat either at the end or beginning of your tirp. Temps would be in the mid 60s. Two Oberoi properties there, including Wildflower Hall; which made Conde Nast's top 100 hotels in 2003 list, take a look at http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi/I...ecil/index.htm. If you like active vcations with hiking, biking, etc you might enjou this in lieu of Udaipur or take one day less in Jaipur.

Good sites for historical weather info are worldclimate.com and weatherbase.com

Your proposed itinerary looks good to me, as noted above you might want to add Shimla in lieu of Udaipur, or shorten time in Jaipur.

With regard to the 2 nights in Delhi, if you are coming from the US, most fights arrive sometime between 11 pm and about 2 am in morning. IMO, this makes it difficult to spend only 1 night in Delhi and then head out after one day, as you won't really get a chance to see the city and the jet lag can crash in. What you might consider is having a car service pick you up at Delhi airport and drive you directly to Agra, about 3-4 hours. You can sleep a bit in the car, and will arrive in the early morning in Agra and can see sunrise at the Taj, truly a stunning sight. You can then relax in the slower pace of Agra for 2 nights/3 days, and adjust your clock a bit more easily than only having 24 hours in Delhi before you change cities. You can leave Delhi until the end and spend 2 full nights there. Just something to think about. Your Delhi hotel could arrange for a car service (esp if you stay at the Delhi Oberoi, although I am partial to the Imperial), or others on this sight might have suggestions.

I would also do your best to get a half day rate or a very late check-out from your Delhi hotel so you will have a place to change, etc before heading to the airport for your international flight, as they generally depart after midnight. September is not prime tourist season, so if the hotel is not full, they may agree to let you stay until 10pm or so with only a half day charge or even for free. (Again if you are staying at all Oberois, try to work on a package rate that includes this.)

Cicerone has hot the nail on the head - the destinations you have chosen are likely to be hot. U can consider Kerala (which gets monsoon a bit earlier) or Ladakh or the hills of Himachal Pradesh (the Ananda Spa is supposed to be gorgeous). Check out www.neemranahotels.com - they have some fabulos properties incl one en route Del-Jaipur. In Del agree with Cicerone Imperial is a better choice than Oberoi - the latter is the ideal business hotel but maybe not leisure.

Another suggestion would be Kullu Manali - fly to Kullu and its about 40 km to Manali, where you would stay. I found it really beautiful. I have been to Shimla, but unlike Cicerone I didn't like it - it has been overbuilt and too many people as a lot of Delhiites go there for the summer. Also, if you feel good, one night in Agra may be enough. Leave Delhi early - see Red Fort, Itimad-ud-daula, and see Taj Mahal for sunset,next morning drive to Jaipur early and see Fatehpur Sikri in the morning sun, excellent.

But then everything sounds too busy for a honeymoon holiday? Ha ha

Thanks so much for the prompt and informative responses.

Cicerone, we would be flying from NY on Virgin Atlantic, which as you may know has very different schedules from the other airlines. We would arrive in Delhi at 11:15 am and depart at 1:30 pm. So, my plan was to arrive midday, take a nap and maybe sightsee a bit, then spend the whole next day sightseeing/shopping, and then move on to Agra on the third day. At the end of the trip, we would take the afternoon Jet Airways flight from Udaipur to Delhi, then head to the airport at a leisurely hour the next morning for our flight back to London.

Thanks to both of you for the recommendations of the Imperial vs. the Oberoi in Delhi--I hadn't done much research into Delhi hotels yet. I did read that the Radisson was decent and very convenient to the airport, so we might consider that for the one night at the end of the trip--any thoughts?

Shimla sounds beautiful, especially at that time of year, but from my brief research it seems like a bit of a schlep (~8 hour drive from Delhi), especially if just for a couple of days. I can't seem to find any flights on Jet Airways or Indian Airlines. How easy is it to get there by train?

Sameera, Kerala also sounds very appealing but we were afraid that it would be a bit rainy. Would the monsoon have passed completely by then, or would there still be lingering showers? Also, are there any luxury hotels/resorts of the caliber of Rajvilas, Amarvilas, etc.? While we normally don't mind roughing it a bit, and I know there are perfectly nice hotels all over India, we are looking for something a bit cushier than average for our honeymoon.

Finally, how is the weather in Goa at that time of year? I have heard good things about the Park Hyatt there, but I'm not sure if it would be sunny and pleasant enough to justify, for example, replacing our visit to Udaipur with a few days on the beach down there.

More generally speaking, my fiancee and I are still weighing the pros and cons of a "sightseeing" trip for our honeymoon (I think Fenno hit the nail on the head in that respect). But even if we don't end up going in September, we still hope to get to Rajasthan (and other parts of India) within the next year or two, and I am always filing away trip suggestions in the back of my mind, so I do appreciate everyone's responses! This message board really is a great resource.

As an alt to the Radisson u could consider the new Oberoi property in Gurgaon - the Trident Hilton. Not as close to the airport but a hotel with much more character and still conv located just off the highway - I stayed there a few days ago and found it gorgeous. Kerala has an amazing hotel chain, Casino Group, www.cghearth.com - I have stayed at many of their hotels and you cannot go wrong. U could also consider the Green Magic Nature Resort in Kerala (www.ecoclub.com/tourindia) - rated by Vogue as one of the most romantic destinations in India. I would strongly reco u consider Kerala instead of Rajasthan - better weather and more resorty rather than sights oriented.

hi,

wahtever said and done i would definately recommed you Rajasthan for a honeymoon.
North Hills is definately not the destinations for it. Kerala may be considered but does not have luxurious hotels like what you are looking for.

You have mentioned you are visiting delhi, agra, jaipur, udaipur but you are not visiting the deserts of rajasthan try adding in jaisalmer or khimsar

may be 2 nights in delhi, 2 in agra, 3 in jaipur, 2 in khimsar and 2 in udaipur.

dont just go in for the oberoi properties.

try
In delhi : Imperial or ITC Maurya Sheraton
In Agra : Oberoir Amar Vilas
In Jaipur : Rambagh Palace or Oberoi Rajvillas
In Khimsar : Khimsar Fort and Dunes
In Udaipur : Taj Lake Place or Oberoi Udai Villas

But Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur is definately suggested over Udaivillas in Udaipur.

Actually i dont think you would feel the heat. only afternoons are a bit hot but Most of the time you are in Airconditioned hotels, vehicles etc so dont worry about heat.

i think you should consider rajasthan as a priority option for your honeymoon

in case you need more information on anything about these destination like hotels, travel agents, shopping etc just write back to me on this post or mail me on my mail [email protected]

Goa will be a bit rainy as it is the end of the rainy season there in Sept/Oct; it would really be hit or miss as to whether you get days of rain or clear days. Temperatures are nice, in the high 70s to low 80s F.

I believe it would be a bit rainier in Kerala, esp towards the end of Sept and into October; others may have other more specific experience with those months. One of the main things to do in Kerala is to cruise on the inland waterways by houseboat, and I would note that the Oberoi group have their own luxury cruise boat, the M.V. Vrinda, which tours Kerala backwaters. This would be a great way to see this part of India. I also found a hotel in Kerala which is a member of the Small Luxury Hotel group, which is usually an indication of a very good hotel. I don't know it personally, but would have confidence in the SLH membership. The hotel is called the Kumarakom Lake Resort and is in Backwaters. Take a look at slh.com for details, including a map.

I believe Shimla would be at least 8-10 hours by train, but would include the "toy" train going up the mountains which is really something. As far as I know, Indian Airlines flies into Shimla from both Delhi and Jaipur, but I can't find any information on this on their website (which is so hard to use!), maybe a travel agent could get specific details. I don't think Jet Airways has service, although you could fly to Chandigarh and drive from there. Given all this, I am beginning to agree with you that it all might be a bit ambitious for a few days.

In Delhi, the Radisson is nice (although I haven't see the rooms only the public areas) and literally about 5 minutes from the airport. However, even driving from the Imperial would not take more than about an hour, so it might be nice to spend a last afternoon and night in Delhi rather than an airport hotel. Webiste for the Imperial is
www.theimperialindia.com.

With regard to the Mughal Sheraton in Delhi, my main objection to it is the location, there are no attractions within walking distance. The Imperial is much better located, IMO, for shopping and going down to the Rajpath area. There is an annex at the Sheraton called ITC One which is much newer, more luxurious and more 5-star than the rest of the Sheraton, which is a pretty ordinary hotel with average rooms in my view. If you are considering the Sheraton, ask about ITC One, they don't always mention it at reservations and it is not specifically listed on their website. Their website is http://www.itccorporate.com/sets/hotel_frames. Also, there is a great north Indian restaurant in the Sheraton called Bukhara. Even if you don't stay at the Sheraton, it is worth a trip. The hotel has a very good shopping arcade, with an especially good bookstore and rug shop.

Great international flight times you have, so civilized, and you will not be in with the mass of international departures and arrivals that really make for chaos at Delhi airport.

Finally, if you are debating alternative locations for a honeymoon in September, I can suggest you consider Bali, as September/October are great months there weather-wise, very little rain and nice temperatures. It would be a much more relaxed place for a honeymoon, IMO, as you would not have to move so much. You could stay at a beach location for some time, and then move to the mountains, all within a 1-2 hour drive. Just something to confuse you more. It might be better to save India for a better month weather-wise.

Wow, thanks again to everyone for all the advice. Cicerone, you are quite a font of information!

With regard to Kerala, in the course of my research I did come across the Vrinda, and it looks fantastic. However, it only seems to run from November to April, which tends to confirm my suspicions about the weather.

Although the Virgin Atlantic flight schedules were tempting (and we could have had free Upper Class tickets, no less!), we are now leaning away from India for the honeymoon for a variety of reasons, including the heat. I have also spoken with a family friend who has traveled extensively in India, and her immediate reaction ("Well, it'll be a bit hot...&quot, though not outright negative, was in line with everything else I have heard so far. But in any event, like I said, India is pretty close to the top of my wishlist, so even if I don't get there this year I do hope to visit in the near future. And when I do, I will definitely seek help from these message boards!

As for Bali, you're preaching to the choir! I have been there and had a great time. In fact, I stayed at the wonderful Oberoi there and loved it, which is one reason why I am so sure that the Oberois in Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur must really be something special. However, although Bali/Southeast Asia is still a possibility, my fiancee and I are still trying to find a honeymoon destination that, ideally, neither she nor I have visited before.

One place we are considering is Tanzania (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Mnemba, off Zanzibar). It's definitely in season then, and the lodges would be very romantic for a honeymoon. I know there is a separate board for Africa, and I have already been perusing the messages over there, but if anyone here has any experience with Tanzania, feel free to drop me a note at <[email protected]>. Many thanks!