Bespoke India Holidays

Logan our driver was great and our guide in Pondicherry was very knowledgeable. This was a fantastic trip with lovely hotels. We didn't need a representative to meet us at the airport hotel. We could have sorted this out ourselves and actually it made us think that there might have been a problem.

Bespoke India Holidays and specifically Jay were great to work with. During the planning process they had great communication both via email and phone to discuss our trip and achieve our budget. All tour guides and experiences were great, especially the food tour, night tour, and bike tour in Jaipur. The hotels they selected were amazing especially the SUJÁN Sher Bagh in Ranthambhore. When there was a mishap with one of the tour companies (out of their control) they more than made up for it by offering two private tours (vs. shared). One of the best parts of our trip was Mr. Kumar who took us around India for our 10 days. They also arrange people at each hotel and airport to help make the check in process seamless.

Two notes of improvement. The Samode Haveli, while gorgeous, felt a little dated and you are awoken each morning at 5:30am by prayers. Also there are swarms of little bugs by the pool making it unenjoyable. To be clear, this wasn’t their initial selection however based on the photos we choose this hotel over the Marriott. The other thing is I wish they were clearer with was the start/end times of the tours as that would make any activities you want to plan on our own (massages, dinner reservations), easier to plan from the beginning.

Overall it was an amazing trip thanks to Bespoke India Holidays and I highly recommend them!

Hotel Reviews

Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra

Agra

Samode Haveli

Jaipur

SUJÁN Sher Bagh, Ranthambhore

Activity Reviews

Jaipur Food and Market Tour

Jaipur

Cycle tour in Jaipur

Jaipur

Walking Tour – Temples & Havelis of Old Jaipur

Jaipur

This was the second trip that I worked with Jay Kajaria with Bespoke India Holidays to plan. The first trip was to Delhi and various areas around Rajasthan. It went so well and I was so pleased that I booked a trip to North Eastern India. And this was also a remarkable trip. Simply tell Bespoke what you are interested in and where you would like to go and they will take it from there. You are assisted every step of the way, from being picked up from the airport and later being dropped at the airport and being assisted in checking in for your flight from India.

Many of the famous tourist areas of India were covered by the first trip and now I wanted something different -- and this is Northeastern India. It is a land of unusual tribes, different topography and different animals. Make sure you go to Kaziranga National Park -- and also take the elephant safari in the morning.

Also impressive were the lodgings in which I was booked and my guide and driver were top notch.

I am so pleased with this trip (and the prior one) that I am already looking talking about and looking forward to working with Jay on a third trip.

Thank you Bespoke India Holidays (and Jay and my guide "Dee-poo" and driver "Harem."

We requested a whirlwind adventure, we only had a couple of days but Jay, of Bespoke India Holidays, managed to pack into those few days all we asked for and more. A day in Agra with tour guide Yogesh covered the important sites and was very informative and entertaining; the playboy emperor, the lovestruck emperor, the evil son and so much more. The following day Yogesh provided the low down on India's second capitol - Fathpur Sikri before he headed back to Agra and our driver - Raj, took us on to our next destination - Ranthambhore. A lot of driving over the five days but Raj was very good, considerate to our westernanity, one of us secure enough to actually sleep whilst he drove; the car was immaculately clean, comfortable and water and sweets were provided. Accommodation in Ranthambhore was six-star, two safaris into the national park resulted in two tiger sightings - luck I know but wow.

Hotel Reviews

Aamaghati Wildlife Resort, Ranthambore

Ranthambore

Green, spacious, clean, open, fresh, a little oasis in the hustle and bustle of Indian life. Location; Out of town so quiet but it meant that if you wanted to visit the village you had to book a ride or take a long walk. Authenticity & Character; This is a resort 'authenticity' is not relevant. And nor really is 'character'. Aamaghati Wildlife Resort is a resort and compares above western resorts that I have stayed at. The presence of local musicians to welcome guests and provide background to High Tea added character to the experience. Staff; There were sufficient staff that assistance was always available if required. The staff were, almost, overly keen to be of help, all those we encountered were respectful, well mannered and well presented, all spoke good english. Cleanliness and Comfort; The grounds were spotless, the public areas were spotless, the rooms were spotless. The room we had (T4) was huge and well laid out.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing can improve authenticity, Aamaghati is a resort, it is a very good resort but resorts are not 'authentic' Indian accommodation.

Location

Nothing could be improved as you can't exactly pick the resort up and drop it off closer to the town. We were only there for a day and only for the safari, the location was perfect for our requirements. If we'd been there longer then the isolation from the village may have been a point of concern. I do not know (I did not notice) if you offer a taxi service between resort and village which would overcome the isolation.

Staff

All of the staff we encountered were very helpful to the point of bordering on being too helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless inside and out

Clark Shiraz

Agra

We were in town for a day of sightseeing, we had a driver who dropped us off and picked us up. The hotel was clean, the room was clean, spacious and comfortable. The restaurant that we used had a great range of great tasting foods available.

Authenticity & Character

This was a hotel, it was an authentic hotel but not authentic Indian accommodation. The hotel had an abundance of services and facilities.

Location

We were there for a day and had a driver who picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel so location was not an issue. Had we no driver and had we been there for more than just a day's sightseeing the distance to the centre of Agra may have been a concern.

Staff

All very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room, the public areas and the grounds were all very clean.

Activity Reviews

Agra - Sightseeing and Mughal Heritage Walk

Agra

Agra Fort was an impressive structure and, courtesy of our guide, had an interesting, colourful and rich history. The size and scope of the buildings was hard for our 20th century minds to fully grasp. Taj Mahal. What can you say, even in the fog the building had a presence that you could literally feel. The detail work of the decorations, the design of the structure rivals any christian structure I have seen. Mughal Heritage Walk was probably a bit too much for our western sensibilities, it was certainly a bit of an eye opener to us to see village life up that close and personal. To be honest, we were a bit uncomfortable - rich westerners walking around a place where there was not that wealth.

Quality of Experience

It goes without saying, a visit to the Taj Mahal is Amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver for the whole tour - Raj, was great, a good driver (he didn't hit anyone) and very considerate. Our guide - Yogesh, was awesome, knowledgeable, entertaining, perceptive.

Transport

We had a private car with driver, the driver was good and the car was comfortable and clean.

Agra - Ranthambore via Fatehpur Sikri (296 km- 5 to 6 hours by car)

India

It's a long drive, the break at Fatehpur Sikri made it a little more bearable. The break at the level crossing did not - we had a twenty minute delay getting out of Agra while we waited for a train. Fatehpur Sikri is an interesting site and well worth the detour if you are in the area. The architecture is typical and impressive, the story behind is interesting and to link the structure to the story is great. A drive is a drive is a drive, there were sufficient interesting sights along the way to keep the mind from boredom.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Yogesh was informative, knowledgeable and entertaining. Raj was a very good driver.

Transport

Raj drove a very comfortable car that was immaculately clean.

Morning and Afternoon Safaris in Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore

We were lucky, two trips into the park - morning and afternoon, two tiger sightings. If we hadn't seen a tiger the rating would be a bit less but still up there. There were other things to see and the park itself was scenic.

Quality of Experience

We saw tigers, what more can you say

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were told a 6:30-7:00am pickup, the driver arrived at 7:30am. The driver we had didn't highlight or really point out the other animals we encountered and he certainly didn't give us the opportunity to photograph any of them, he seemed to be single mindedly intent on spotting a tiger, and to his credit he found us one. A close up and personal sighting, one that no other group got to see. We were told a 1:30-2:00pm pickup, the driver turned up after 2:30pm. This driver was a bit more informative about the other animals sighted and was also a bit more sensitive to our being tourists and interested in more than just the animals. And he got us a tiger.

Transport

We had jeep tours, two two-and-a-half person benches across the back of an open jeep. Comfortable for two (afternoon), bit tight for three (morning) persons. The roads in the park are, as you'd expect, rough.

Our travels were disrupted by the war in Israel. Jay put the trip together in about 4 days. Our first trip to India was amazing. Every transfer was easy. Radhe was our driver for 2 weeks. He is the best. I personally would be afraid to drive in India and I drive everywhere. Our last night in India after 19 days was a cooking class in Udiapur with Rakshita. It was the perfect ending as we learned about the food we had eaten but to visit with Rakshita and Dakshu was the best ending. We highly recommend Jay and his team.

Everything went according to the plan and communication with Jay at Bespoke was always reassuring. Our driver, Mahipal Singh, looked after us very well making sure we had all we needed along the way. When we arrived at our first hotel, he was very helpful and drove back to return my lost item. I always felt safe with his driving and felt he made sure we were always safe.
Our guides were well selected and respectful of our time as we are not interested in buying stuff.
All was flawless!