The Amber in Delhi
 

Anyone stay here? Came across it while trying to find a hotel room for one night. Seems new. Few reviews in Tripadvisor although both are stellar.

Thanks.
taitai

Asia Forum regulars praise the Trident in Gurgaon (basically Delhi). Since you didn't get Amarvilas in Agra, this might make up for it.

Jaya

I know. The problem is we are arriving late at night and leaving first thing in the am for Agra. Don't really want to splurge if we won't be around to enjoy it.

India is proving to be a challenge.....

Taitai

No proof needed...India is always a challenge!

but well worth it to me.

How are you getting to Agra in the morning? Train, car, fly? You should choose a hotel near where you have to depart from. Delhi is huge if you haven't been there before and it can take 2 hours to drive from one end to the other and still be in Delhi! So hotel location can be critical.

Good point. We are driving to Agra. What area of Delhi do you think I should contain my search? I just need a clean, safe, place where my husband and I can meet as I will be flying into the Int'l airport and he will be domestic from Bangalore.

Taitai

Delhi airport is located south and west of the city. The domestic and international terminals are about 6 miles apart. If you are arriving in the evening and just getting up the next day to drive to Agra, you do NOT want or need to be in central Delhi. You want to be in south Delhi, or really IMO you want to be in Gurgaon or Noida which are suburbs of Delhi, so you can avoid having to go into Delhi itself. The location of the Amber is not bad, it seems to be in Okhla, which is south and east, not far from Friends Colony, and would seem to be convenient for getting on the N2 road to Agra in the morning (but you may hit traffic on this portion in the morning, start as early as you can). I don’t know anything about the Amber, so can’t give any personal thumbs up or down. I think from the Airport you are looking at about 40 minutes or so to the hotel.

The Trident is in Gurgaon and would be very convenient for both terminals (about 10 minutes or so) and not a bad drive over to the road to Agra, it is an excellent hotel, but it is expensive for really just a few hours. However, they have a good spa (if you will be there for opening hours) and a good Indian restaurant and also a good casual restaurant. It is quite lovely at night actually at the hotel as they light the areas quite dramatically. If you don’t mind spending the money, it is a good choice.

Other hotels would in the area would be the Crowne Plaza Gurgaon (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/) or the Park Hotel in Gurgaon (http://www.theparkhotels.com,
A somewhat cheaper alternative might be the Radissons (there are two, either would work (http://www.radisson.com/). The Grand Hotel is pretty nice (was originally a Hyatt) see http://www.thegrandnewdelhi.com (There is also a Grand Hotel Intercontinental in Connaught Circus in downtown New Delhi, so don't confuse the two.) The Uppals Orchid Hotel is quite nice and a good location for the airport/Agra road as well, but rooms can be uneven IMO, for that price I think I would go with the Trident if you can get in (uppalsorchid.com; they may be closed for renovations check the website).

Now, you can see why going to India for a week may not be the greatest idea. Logistically, it is hard to work things out.

Cicerone

Thanks for all the advice. I am off to take my kids to the State Fair but when we get back, I will explore and contact all of your suggestions.

I fully recognize that going to India for just one week is not one of my more sane decisions but that is really all the time I can get away (kids schedules, grandparents social lives) and if it is between going and not going, I am always going to go.

taitai