AMAZING Golden Triangle, Ranthambore and Varanasi Trip
India
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Dec 16 - Dec 30, 2022
Overall FANTASTIC trip!
Jay and the Bespoke Team exceeded our expectations from the moment we landed in India. Simply magical from start to finish and one of the best/if not the best trip we have ever been on!
I am of Indian origin and have traveled several times to Southern India. This was our first trip to the North and my husband/daughter's first trip to India. Jay helped us plan a trip to the Golden Triangle (New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) + Varanasi and Ranthambore. He was very easy to work with and considered all our requests and concerns. We were met at every location by the company representative who helped us check in, reviewed the itinerary plan and start time. Guides were always early and greeted us each morning.
Driver---BEST DRIVER EVER!! Mr. Balbir Singh Rana was an absolute dream of a driver and we could not thank him enough for making this trip perfect. He was always smiling, so peaceful, pleasant and calm while navigating the insanity of Indian driving/traffic/animals and all forms of transportation found on the roads. He kept the car clean and guided up to wonderful rest stops while en route to all the sights.
New Delhi--saw the Red Fort, Raj Ghat (Gandhi cremation site), Jama Masjid, Chandi Chowk, Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar. Our favorite was the rickshaw cycle ride through the streets of Chandi Chowk. Lunch was excellent at Kwality restaurant.
Varanasi--excellent guide Mr. Singh who took us for a boat ride to see the Ganga Aarti and funeral ghat to experience the cremations. Saw the Aarti from rooftop seating which gave us a great vantage point thanks to Mr. Singh. Really enjoyed the morning boat ride to see life on the Ganges, Lord Shiva temple and walk thru the old streets of Varanasi, Bharat Mata temple, Durga temple, Tulsi Manas temple and especially Sarnath temple/museum and the gorgeous Lion Capital of Ashoka located.
Agra--excellent guide Mr. Briijesh Joshi. Great trip to the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, "Baby Taj" and fantastic Mughal Heritage Kachhpura Village walk. Lunch was in a beautiful garden with great food per suggestion of Mr. Joshi. Village walk and view of the Taj from a roof top across the river was a highlight!
Ranthambore--beautiful Sawaii Villas was a stunning hotel we loved staying at. Did 2 safari's (am and evening) and saw the male tiger "Rocky" on our evening safari in zone 4. Hotel gave blankets for the morning safari which was so important as it was freezing. Being in the wild and seeing a bengal tiger was a once in a lifetime experience!
Jaipur--fantastic guide Mr. Ajit Singh! BIG thanks to Ajit for taking us to the Hawa Mahal in the morning with less crowds and the sun shining onto the building facade--got great pics! Saw Amer Fort, Panna Meena ka Kund (stepwell), Jaigarh Fort, Jantar Mantar, City Palace and Nahargarh Fort. Highlight was Dera Amer -- spending time with rescued elephants and lovely organic home cooked dinner.
Hotel Reviews
Fantastic stay at the Taj Palace, New Delhi! Service was great from check-in! Room was clean, spacious, with a great bathroom making it easy to bath kids. Food for breakfast was perfect, so many choices and friendly servers. Best breakfast we had on our 2 wks in India. Will stay again when back in Delhi
VERY POOR experience--NOT A 5-STAR HOTEL Stayed for 2 nights in December 2022 for a family trip to India, specifically here to see Varanasi. Hotel check in was challenging, you have limited internet access for devices, and street is not easy to walk to/poor location. Very noisy street all day long. Room: VERY VERY BAD SMELL AND FILTHY. I immediately found hair/dust/other dirt all over the floor. Went to the front desk and they had someone "clean" the room with almost no change--remained dirty. SMELL IS HORRIBLE.... most reminded me of ammonia tat was constant. Very humid in the room, water all over the windows. Had to ask for towels several times even though we were 3 people in the room. Food: Two good on-sight dining options for dinner as we did not want to venture out for food. The breakfast was good as well but service is POOR. You have to find someone for water, coffee and tea. Silverware was dirty and had to find clean ones.
Beautiful Hotel! Great service and greeting while checking in, escorted to the room and room overall. Clean, quiet and nice rooms. Breakfast was great, lots of choices, good lcoation for visiting the Taj Mahal.
Stayed here <12h before a flight from Delhi to Chicago Check-in was challenging as there was not a clear line and as it goes in India, people have no sence in forming a cue. Recommend clear markings for lines and cues. Room was nice, clean and perfect for our stay. Only issue was the hair dryer was broken and started to burn my hand and smoke. We called the front desk, had it removed BUT they did not replace one. Food: good luck finding a cheap, quick option. Food buffet was expensive and more than we needed for the quick stay. We ended up going to the little cafe in the lower level but did NOT have a good experience. Lady did not write the order down, got it all wrong, chef was new and did not follow the menu. After discussing with the managers how the $13 hot dog was wrong, he comped a free dessert which our daughter loved. Overall--good for a quick stay before a long flight home
Gorgeous Hotel...5-star experience!! Just stunning grounds, pool is a dream and designed like a step well, gardens are lush and blooming. Great service on check-in, greeted with such kindness and showed to our room. All meals were amazing, service was excellent and lots of options for adults, vegetarians and kids. Staff made it easy to find our safari guides in the morning and evening. Provided warm blankets for the safari in the AM which was life saving. Rooms: beautiful inside, clean and spacious with lots of storage. Nice out door area for sitting. Only CON was the water was cold and had to call the staff twice to restore warm water. Weather was cold so this was important. Heat in the room was not great either, small space heater did not help much. Overall--really fantastic experience and would highly recommend this hotel! 5- star experience
Gorgeous Hotel...5-star experience!! Great exerperience with check-in, lobby and refreshments after a long day of travel. Had dinner for Christmas Eve which the hotel did an amazing job putting together. Room was spacious, clean and overall nice. Breakfast had many options and food quality was good. ONLY Negative comment is when going to breakfast, we were twice met with a unfriendly gentleman who did not want to seat us (party of 3) as the only tables he had left were for 6-people or more. And there were 10+ tables like this. I was persistant and he finally left us sit down. Also very hard to order coffee/tea unless you flag down someone. I guess the wait staff want to servce only those who provide large tips.