Thanks Bob! Your plans look great and you have lots of time to enjoy each place. I am taking notes.

one of our newish rules is that we should try to stay in each location for a minimum of 3 days.... you get to know it better for one thing and i move slowly for another...

we have our fingers crossed about the driver.... the one we had last time MADE the trip for us.... he now lives in dubai..

Jaya, thank you for info about the jewelry and saris. Although it was for Bob, i'm "borrowing" the knowledge, adding it to my "future India trip" file.

Bob, we almost stayed in Thikana last June, as it's highly recommended, bsed on staying there, by the brother of the travel planner we use . The only reason we changed was b/c of the great deal at ITC Maurya using Starwood Points/cash.

I recall Thikana had 95% great reviews on Tripadvisor, with one of the few exceptions being that during their stay, it reeked of marijuana! A good place for r and r, no doubt! (-:

Re; stay in Jaisalmer, perhaps check Desert Moon (as above for dgunbug) ...if only to prove to yourself that it is possible to have a clean, hygienic, safe place in India for way less than $100/night! It wont be the level of the Sheratons or Marriotts, being a private and basic inn.
I know of it through a good friend, who is friends with Lois, the owner. I too have corresponded with her. Married to a Jaiselmer native, she is a New Zealander, so is quite aware of Western tourist expectations.

Bob, In Jaisalmer we stayed at the Hotel Rawalkot, a Taj Gateway property, which we found to be very comfortable with Western beds. I don't remember the rate we got, but thought it was a very good deal at the time. It might be in my trip report from that trip -- the one titled something like travelawg. The hotel is a bit out of town, but with a car and driver that won't be an issue for you. The neighboring hotel, Fort Rajwada, considered a 5-star, looks very nice from the outside, but I understood at the time we were there that the rooms at the Rawalkot were nicer and had more character.

In Bikaner, we stayed at the Lallgargh Palace, a Heritage Hotel. The beds were not nearly as comfortable as the beds at the Rawalkot in Jaisalmer, but the rooms and bathrooms were quite large and the property itself was very interesting. BTW, it is featured in a current run Hindi film called Band Baaja Baraat. We did have one issue there with exchanging money (they gave us a bad bill), but otherwise it was a good stay. We especially enjoyed dinner in the inside courtyard. Another property in Bikaner you may want to look at is the Laxmi Niwas Palace. The location is more central than the Lallgargh Palace. I have no idea what the rooms are like, but I recall reading a trip report that extolled the place.

We stayed at Fort Rajwada in Jaisalmer and even though the outside looks nice the rooms are quite basic. Definitely not a charming hotel.

Hi Bob
the rawalkot is nice hotel and the fort rajwada has veri small rooms and the hotel rang mahal is very nice and if you can stay 20km far from jaisamer there new hotel call http://www.suryagarh.com/home.html and in the bikaner the hotel laxmi niwas palace is good one
Thanks
ramesh meena

thanks for all of these.... some i have looked at and some not... i will review them all again...

ratan villas is a "heritage" type hotel and only $71 so that is one exception to sheraton type...

currently i am looking at lall garh palace and nachana haveli... both look promising...

Bob - the reviews on Trip Advisor are not very good for the lall garh palace. The nnachana haveli looks very interesting.

i did see those reviews.... i like to gamble sometimes... the location sounds fantastic.... i can always sleep in my SUV

lallgarh just got back to me and the rates they quoted were twice the price of those on line.... over $200/night.... with the reviews and these prices i think i will go back to the drawing board...

Bob, Please say hello to Arvind at Castle & King. You had recommended him to us & he was absolutely wonderful. I'm embarassed to say we left things in hotels twice & he arranged to have them picked up and delivered to us at our next stop. Drivers & guides were great, and he was a pleasure to deal with. We're thinking of a return trip - this time to Southern India -- next year. Also considering Kolkata. We've been a bit put off by high hotel prices though. Can't believe how much prices have gone up since 2008 when we went.

In Varanasi I stayed at Palace on the River (Rshmi Guest House) and thought it was perfect. Small rooms but immaculately clean & the location is great. Had a room with a wonderful view of the Ganges. The manager was lovely & they arranged to have someone from the hotel pick me up at the airport.

Djunbug, While I went to Varanasi my husband went to Amritsar. We didn't have time to go to both places & he had heard & read about the golden temple & really wwanted to go, while I felt the same way about Varanasi. I must say he was really glad he went (and I wish that I had to). The Golden Temple was really beautiful, but more than that he enjoyed the entire feel and experience of the place with pilgrims from all over & a guest house and cafeteria that provides up to 1000 meals a day to visitors who come from all parts of India. It was one of the highlights of the trip for him. There are daily flights between Delhi & Amritsar and the flight takes about an hour. There are a number of nice places to say for under $100.

Bob, here's a drawing board idea. Since you are a self-confessed occasional gambling man...if gambling in Bikaner (which i will do eventually) i'd try this one. Location right by the fort:

http://hotelbhaironvilas.tripod.com/

(It is the "sister" hotel of the Nachhan Haveli in Jaiselmer.)

TA reviews mostly positive--the neg ones mostly are for some slow or indifferent staff. You could ask for the GM, who one writer said was very helpful when other staff were less than helpful, and for the top floor best room with balcony (and renovated, if that is correct).

As you already know, taking a gamble in India is even more exciting than taking one in Vegas!! (-: And the "wouldnt do that again" places make for great stories!

CaliNurse - You are absolutely right - the "wouldn't do that again" places are our fondest memories.

CFW - not sure if we can fit in Amistrar with everything else we want to see and don't want to miss Varanasi. How long did your husband spend there and did he visit anywhere else in the region? Others have suggested that it is foolish for us to go up to Amistrar unless we planned to spend more time in the region. Your thoughts?

My husband only went to Amritsar for two days & one night - flew there from Delhi & back - and he definately thought it was worth it. We had a littler less time than you do and chose not to go to Khajurahao & Orcha because of the long train ride & drive involved, and also didn't go to Jaisalmar. We also didn't have enough time in Udaipur to visit the Jain temples in Ranakpur and that is something I really regret. We're thinking about going to India again next year and though we want to spend most of our time in South India, which we haven't visited, I'd like to go back to Udaipur mainly to visit Ranakpur.

Hi!

About hotels in India, we would recommend pre-booking as a lot of times, hotels in buzzing areas are full. Also, choose a hotel close to airport/railway stations or whatever your transit point is. Check the reviews for hotels online and talk to a trusted travel agent.

The best way is to avoid hotels that have people outside airport and railway stations trying to give you a good deal of discount.

Bob,I arrived from India yesterday and went with Castle and King. Our driver was Soveran and we couldn't be happier!! I highly recommend him.
I loved everything and Arvind really was fabulous. He took great care of everything and I will be writing a smal trip report here soon.

fabulous...

look forward to the report

Tere - Also looking forward to your report.

HI folks
We have just returned from our India trip and so failed to see the requests for information. I will post a trip report in due course, but in the meantime, if anyone is interested, just see our reviews on TA. We have not finished loading them all but will do so by the end of this week. Thoroughly recommend a driver and car in Rajasthan - Kan Singh was recommended to us and he was brilliant. We even went to his home for lunch and he saved us when the train to Delhi was cancelled. Happy to provide his details to anyone who PMs me.
Amritsar is a long way to go by bus - 15 hours or train - 6 hours. If you can afford to fly do so. two days would be sufficient. Stay at the Indus Hotel, it is the only one slap bang overlooking the Golden Temple with great views both from Rooms 203 - 204, 303 and 304 and the rooftop and the rooms have double glazing so you will have a peaceful night. If you stay at any of the larger hotels you will be a captive for all meals and for transport. During the evening, the police often prevent taxis entering the Golden Temple area even if your hotel is there as they want a bribe. You driver will have to pay this to a policeman hanging around out of sight in the shadows.