Email from Craig …

Sent: Tuesday, 18 September 2012 8:40 p.m.

To: Ann

booked and paid for. airfares, to Chennai and between Cochin and Mumbai.  Train from Chennai to Cochin for everyone but Craig, India, Mickey, Luke, Harry.  Indarail website wont let me book all????? oh well if we have to come the next day day so be it.  NO Panic!!!! Hotels paid and confirmed.  

NOTE Check out Dehli Golf Club!!!!!  Harry, Luke, Mickey, Stew, Blair and Craig SHALL compete!! R/s1500 green fees.  Only about $30 - sooooo cheap!  Bring covered shoes and long pants!  Ladies - go shopping! 

The Delhi Golf Club is one of the oldest golf-courses in Asia and the oldest one in Delhi. It was founded in the 1920s as the Lodhi Club and is located at Dr. Zakir Hussain Road in Nizamuddin. It became a corporate entity in 24 February 1950.Ed

Email from Craig…..

Sent: Tuesday, 18 September 2012 8:23 p.m.

To: Ann

no itinerary - travelling bespoke!

--- On Tue, 18/9/12, Ann wrote to: Craig

Date: Tuesday, 18, September, 2012, 5:53 PM

 After new delhi where are you guys staying?

Hobo family bespoke in India...Yeah right! Ed

Places we will stay … 7) New Delhi

Hotel Ajanta

36, Arakashan Road, Ram Nagar, Paharganj, New Delhi

http://www.ajantahotel.com/

The Hotel is very conveniently located near the New Delhi Railway Station, Airport Metro Link, Connaught Place (City Centre), local Markets and other major monuments

TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS

*****“Pleasant Staying at Ajanta Hotel” Reviewed September 17, 2012 NEW

To stay in a hotel it always matter how comfort and hygiene is staying there, and Ajanta Hotel provides all the necessary facilities along with comfort. looking forward to stay often during my visit to Delhi. raj

 *“The Black Hole of New Delhi” Reviewed September 10, 2012 OMG. Ed

I must say that I am sorely disappointed with this hotel and it is the biggest blip in my trip to India. My friends and I booked 3 deluxe room and requested to stay on the same floor. The staff not only separated us into 3 different floors, they also gave us only ONE deluxe room and downgraded my friends to a standard room even though we paid for the deluxe rooms.
Throughout the 3 nights in the hotel, there was zero housekeeping. The floors were a little dusty due to the massive construction works.
The ultimate blow was delivered on the last 2 days when we requested for a late check out. The hotel manager asked for a fee of 7,400 rupees ( even more than my 3 nights combined and comparable to the 4 Seasons Hotel (4 star hotel) down the street) for an 8 hour hold of ONE room. Also, even though we have settled the fees for a cab down to the airport, the manager kept trying to holding us back and even insisted that we had to pay the same fees again. All in all, I am disgusted by the front desk staff, especially so by the balding and bespectacled manager. I feel very upset that a hotel would resort to such underhanded means to con their own guest. My advice? Pay a little more or go to other hotels around the area. Avoid this hotel. This is the black hole of New Delhi. Room Tip: The rooftop cafe is nice place to chill.

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review September 12, 2012

Dear Guest,As evident from the past reviews, we go out of our way to make amends when we may have slipped up.
But in this case, we feel your comments are a little uncalled for.Guest satisfaction has always been a priority and I consider it my obligation to address each of your grievance:
- Special request like adjoining room are always subject to availability since rooms were not available together, we put you all in deluxe rooms on separate floors.
- Our rooms are not all the same, but the facilities of a deluxe room remain the same.
- Also, throughout your stay, you did not complain or ask for room change.
- Our rooms are cleaned when clients leave their room keys with us and put up the PLEASE CLEAN MY ROOM tag on the door. Otherwise we feel you do not want to be disturbed.
We also take this opportunity to inform you that the property has not undergone any construction or renovation in the near past. Rs 7,400 is an unreasonable amount and we would like to point out that you checked out at about 8pm and this was completely complimentary for you.
It is disappointing to note your discomfort and assure you of a perfect stay experience the next time you check in with us. Regards,The Hotel Ajanta Team

****“good one...” Reviewed September 4, 2012

Well maintained...located close to ND rly stn...helpful staff...comfortable stay...!!

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review September 11, 2012

Dear Guest, Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased to learn that you had a pleasant stay with us and the central location of the hotel was an advantage for you. We look forward to welcoming you again. Regards, The Hotel Ajanta Team More

***“Ok budget hotel but lacked sincere service”Reviewed August 30, 2012 via mobile

We booked this hotel for 2 separate nights in Delhi-the night we arrived in India and the night we returned from the Golden Triangle tour.Hotel was ok, clean and basic but even though some rooms are renovated-it is still incomplete. Also, staff seemed a bit insincere and lacked genuine service. There was only one girl at the front desk who was very helpful.
For the first night we booked last minute online-so we followed up our booking with a call to confirm our airport pickup. When we arrived at the airport at 2am after 18 hours travelling, the pickup was not there so we called the hotel and were advised to get a taxi (which they reimbursed us)
We booked one of their Golden Triangle Tours through their inhouse travel agency which we enjoyed as we had a great driver. The guides meet u at Agra and Jaipur-they were good guides but left a slightly sour taste in our mouth when they took us to handicraft and textile places where "luckily" their nephew was there to show us around-subsequently we were bombarded with pressure to buy from them. Word of advice-DO NOT buy things from these stores, you will find things ten times cheaper on the street! Even though we had read not to buy from places a driver takes you as they earn commission, we thought initially a paid guide through a tour company would look out for their customer's best interests so that their customers would recommend their services to other friends/travelers-but the guide basically just laughed at us when we bought something at what we realized later was a ridiculous price (the guide had advised that the shop was more like a fixed price shop and we would only get a little discount if anything).
When we booked our tour, the man said he would charge us R400 extra to drop us to the Old City before we departed on the tour-we thought this was a bit expensive given we were basically paying for the driver for that day anyway! We said no so then he offered it complimentary. By the time we finished booking the tour it was back up to R200 to get dropped at the Old City?!! We had decided we wanted to walk anyway but were annoyed that he offered us a free service then took it back.
Another example of lack of service was when my husband was sick on the second occasion we stayed there, I went down to the restaurant to order him some toast. I took my money and said I would wait and take it back up with me (as it was only toast I knew it wouldn't take long!) but the guy insisted he would bring it to my room. At first I thought a lovely gesture and kind service-until they put a 10% service charge on top to bring it to the room!! I would have given them a tip anyway-it was just the principle of the thing! So overall an ok hotel but I would look elsewhere next time I come to Delhi.

****“Good & decent place to stay”Reviewed August 29, 2012

Im Pavithra from Chennai. I stayed with my mom in your hotel on 10th & 11Jul last month, I was pretty much happy about the service rendered to me, especially liked the cleanliness of the rooms. We had a pleasant stay at your place. All the best & continue the good work!!!!! Room Tip: Rooms on the south side are quieter

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review September 7, 2012

Dear Guest, Thank you for choosing Hotel Ajanta during your visit to Delhi.. We are glad to know that you appreciated the cleanliness of our rooms. Our team works relentlessly to ensure you have a wonderful and a memorable stay at our hotel. We pay special attention to the needs and security of our female guests. Your kind comments are very encouraging for our team. We would like to thank you once again for your remarks and look forward to welcome you again. Regards,The Hotel Ajanta Team

***“A good hotel in the area. Comfortable one”Reviewed August 27, 2012

The place where this hotel is located has may many hotels around. The exteriors of the hotel look good and impress the traveller with the whites. Reception staff is good. Rooms are also nice, but some facilities are missing. For e.g, some rooms don't have tea maker, they don't provide you with newspapers, etc. Restaurant food is ok. A bit expensive too. During the final billing, you need to make sure that they don't include double charges, i.e., already paid at room, but they can include in final billing. The staff at final billing counter can get rude too sometimes!

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review September 11, 2012

Dear Guest,Thanks for choosing Hotel Ajanta. We are delighted to learn that the living area suited your taste. We, at Hotel Ajanta, offer par excellence services to all our guests and work constantly towards offering a memorable stay to the guests. The testimony to this can be seen in the guest reviews that we receive on this forum. We are happy to receive your feedback as it will assist us in reaching even higher standards of hospitality.We would like to welcome you at our hotel during your next trip to Delhi and assure you of the best of hospitality at all times.
Regards,The Hotel Ajanta Team

*“Deaf Front desk - they just dont act.”Reviewed August 27, 2012

Deaf thick skinned Front desk - they just dont act. Called Front desk three times, 2 polite calls one warning call, they just did not act. All I asked for is an internet card, no response, no status update, no action. Pay a bit more and get a 4* or 5* hotel.

Room Tip: Travelers from US and EU, this is a basic hotel, if your willing to pay more get a 5* hotel.

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review September 4, 2012

Dear Guest, We do not appreciate the comments given by you here. The internet card was not given to you as Delhi city had incessant rains and the signals were very weak all over city.Thank you.Regards,The Hotel Ajanta Team

 *****“Excellent Experiance stay after stay”Reviewed August 25, 2012

I am regular guest at Hotel Ajanta & found very courtseous, comfortable & able to help all way during any odd hours hotel. Food is good. Reception staff is very flexible and cooprative.will continue to be guest over there. Room Tip: 1st floor and above rooms are more convenient

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review September 7, 2012

Dear Guest, It was a pleasure to know that you completely enjoyed your stay at our hotel. Your generous comments for our housekeeping staff are very encouraging for the team. We are also glad to learn that you enjoyed the food as well. We look forward to welcome you again and continue to provide you an unforgettable experience. Regards,The Hotel Ajanta Team

***“Depends what you want, a room for the night with easy access to the train station, perfect location.”Reviewed August 24, 2012

On arrival staff upgraded us to a superior room in the building opposite (the Sweet House Hotel) not matching the description- as no Balcony, but from what we could see a lot more space. Not the best as far as price goes, and breakfast not included. The buffet breakfast is expensive for what it is. Location is the best part of this hotel. 5 mins from metro (amazing) so no worrying about transport into/around Old Delhi, and good for day trip to Agra from New Delhi Train Station. 

HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review August 28, 2012

Dear Guest, Thank you for stay at our hotel and for providing your valuable feedback to us. We are very happy that you found our location convenient. We are located in the heart of city with an easy access to railway station and airport. Our pick-up service from the airport for our overseas guests reduces commuting hustles for them and makes us a preferred choice among our guests. It has always been our endeavor to provide unmatched services to our guest to make their trip Delhi memorable.
However, we have noted your concerns and ensure to take appropriate steps wherever required. We would like to thank you once again for sharing your thoughts with us and look forward to welcome you again. Regards, The Hotel Ajanta Team

 ****“Good quality at budget price”Reviewed August 20, 2012

Good interiors, very clean rooms, professional service and everything is easily accessible. All this at very reasonable price. It made our trip memorable.Food is expensive though so it’s best to try the restaurants nearby.HotelAjantaDelhi, Manager at Ajanta Hotel, responded to this review August 24, 2012

Dear Guest, First of all, thanks a lot for taking out time to provide feedback about us on a public platform. We are extremely happy to get such a wonderful feedback from you. Your feedback on our services gives us a perspective and enables us to work towards our shortcomings.
We are pleased to know that we were able to match your expectations regarding accommodation and house-keeping services. At Hotel Ajanta, we strive hard to provide you luxury accommodation at the heart of Delhi and at an economical price. We go an extra mile to make sure that you have a great time during your stay. However, we have sincerely noted down your remarks regarding the prices of food. We promise to take appropriate steps towards it and to make your next stay memorable with us. Thank you once again for your remarks and we look to welcome you again and to provide you an unforgettable experience.Regards ,The Hotel Ajanta Team 

Places we will stay … 6) Agra

Hotel Atithi

Tourist Complex Area, Fatehabad Road,
AGRA - 282001. (INDIA)

http://www.hotelatithiagra.com/why_atithi.html

Located in the Tourist Complex Area, Taj Mahal (The Glory of Agra) is only at the walking distance. The rooms are with attached bathrooms, Colour T.V., Hot & Cold water supply, Telephones and Refrigerator.

•  Room Service

•  High Speed Internet Access

•  Doctor on Call

•  Laundry & Drycleaning

•  Car Rental & Parking

TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWS

****“A Nice Hotel”Reviewed August 21, 2012

We stayed in this Hotel for one day, Good rooms, Washroom OK, Staff very cooperative, there is Pizza Hutt and other Restaurants near by. We advice the tourist to book the taxi from the Hotel itself, as we had a very bad experience with a taxi guy from outside. At the end the Hotel staff arranged us the taxi to go to NewDelhi.

*****“Good Hotel - Great Service - Fantastic Location - Good Food”Reviewed July 9, 2012

Me and my girlfriend stayed here for a week in June 2012. As the title reflects we had a great time in the hotel. The hotel has excellent room service, breakfast/lunch/dinner all came within 20mins from order. The room is good size comfortable for 2 persons.
The location of this hotel is just perfect. It is in the centre of the city but in a quiet zone, if you go for other hotels even costly ones their location might be near to Taj Mahal but the roads are too noisy. Costa and Pizza Hut is with 100 meters and you can also feel safe if you want to have a walk after dinner.
Negatives: Unless requested they don't change bed linen and clean rooms, swimming pool is outside the hotel and not well maintained.
Overall: If you want a perfect hotel then please refer to Oberoi Amarvillas but if you are looking for a good holiday and ready to adjust the negatives stated above then this should be your choice.

****“Nice Hotel”Reviewed May 14, 2012

this is a nice hotel with good rooms. well located hardly 20-25 mins of walk from Taj and hardly 5 Kms from Cantt Rly Station. Room was food and comfy.sevice was bit slow but food is good. The hotel is a decent place to stay with the staff fairly friendly and helpful

***“Stay here only if you are looking at a budget option in agra”Reviewed April 24, 2012 via mobile

I stayed at Hotel Atithi in early April. We were a group of 10 and therefore chose thos for a budget option and also because of its proximity to Taj. Overall the hotel is a decent place to stay with the staff fairly friendly and helpful. The biggest downside is the breakfast which was extremely basic - but then again for the price we were paying for the room it should be ok - consisted of omlettes, puri-sabzi and cornflakes with tea and coffee. However the cleanliness was questionable as I did see the server picking up clean glasses with his fingers inside and then denied it when I confronted him! Also at b'fast time they ran out of a few items and took forever to replinish it. The hotel of course has no view so keep your curtains drawn. It does boast of a swimming pool - however it is in a separate area and faced an apartment building so felt quite open.
We did have problems with the AC in one of the rooms, but the technician came in fairly quickly- however couldn't rectify so they offered to change rooms.
Overall a decent experience - do book a cab to go to the Taj with the hotel in advance although there's a taxi stand 5 mins away. And the plus side of this hotel is that there's a Pizza Hut and a Costa barely 5 mins away :-)

**“Poor hotel. Needs a clean” Reviewed April 24, 2012

On the positive side, the hotel is pretty well located (10-15 minute walk to the Taj...albeit through an army of touts, vendors and rickshaw wallers) and reasonably quiet. Pool area looked reasonable although I didn't use.
Negatives - top of the list, cleanliness. As commented by scores of others, the bed linen was stained and very old. The dated purple bed-spread was plain nasty...riddled with stains! The bathroom was superficially clean but definitely needed a good scrub down. The shower was very old with just a trickly of water and the shampoo and gel were re-used from previous guests..both being empty containers! There was a musty smell in the room from the lack of good cleaning and a smell of drains in the bathroom.
Worst was the fridge. Absolutely filthy and over-grown with mould. Stunk to hell. Clearly been left like that for months if not years. Needed condemning.
The electricity point was hanging off the wall, so a dice with death every time I needed to put the key card in to activate! There is a TV but reception is so poor, it's effectively un-watchable.
The staff were reasonably polite though a bit un-engaging. As only here for 1 night though, had little need to call on their services.
Noise in the hotel at night was pretty bad too. There appeared to be a wedding or some kind of function in a conference room downstairs so noise drifted up. Very think doors meant that through the night, it was a cacophany of kids running the halls, women screaming after them and general bedlam.
The hotel would be a servicable and acceptable low end place to stay if it was just clean. Lonely Planet makes mention of the cleanliness but trust me, it isn't!! The communal areas not too bad but the room was way way below par. If it was cleaned, and in the 1.5k rupees range, that would be ball-park. Not good value paying any more than that until it's spruced up.

*****“Superb hotel..!”Reviewed March 10, 2012

This is very good hotel. Staff is very friendly. They arranged taxi for us to tour Mathura-Vrundavan-Fatehpur Sikri. This hotel is located nearyby Tajmahal. Breakfast was delicious.I would recommend this hotel to stay in Agra.....!

*****“Very good hotel”Reviewed March 10, 2012 via mobile

Very good hotel. The location is very good there is a pizza hut just 100ft away. The rooms are nicely maintained. I stayed for a day only but my folks liked the hotel a lot. The food quality is very good.

****“Good location, friendly staff and good rooms”Reviewed February 25, 2012

we had a good stay in this hotel. Staff was very helpful in carrying luggages. Only thing is that they might want to work so fast and they nearly took other people luggage in our bus...Otherwise, good clean rooms. Some people had difficulties to get hot water but it finally came. Internet wifi was not free. Good breakfast. 

Dos & Don'ts…

Craig sent a list of Lonely Planet hints… probably not a good idea to  dress like these women , Mum (above)

Avoid tight clothes and keep shoulders and knees covered. Outside Goa, this applies to swimming, too.  Not the boys though. funny that LP didn't mention this is a girl thing only?

Public kissing, cuddling or holding hands is not condoned. Cheryl take note!

Be humble and dress modestly at holy places.

Remove shoes before entering people's homes and holy sites.

Always ask before photographing people or holy places.

That head wobble? It can mean 'yes', 'maybe' or 'I have no idea'. Best to just go with the flow.

Men can wear loose cotton shirts or T-shirts and baggy Pants. In the big cities and Metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Banglore, Pune, etc you can wear shorts also. However, women should dress conservatively. Short tops, short skirts / shorts, etc should be avoided. You can wear cotton shirts or T-shirts, with cotton trousers or ankle length skirts. Make sure that the clothes are not too tight or body revealing. These clothes can be easily purchased from the Indian markets at a reasonable price. If you want to try Indian clothing, then, men can wear "kurta pyjama" and women can try "salwar-kameez". Winters (October to February) in India are quite cold, especially North India. So, pack some woolen clothes with you. Also, pack some warm innerwear, Last but not the least, while visiting places of worship (temples, gurudwara or mausoleum), you should be fully clothed. Also, don't forget to remove your footwear before entering any religious place.

Shalwar kameez

(also spelled salwar kameez or shalwar qameez) is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Central Asia. Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak), left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement. It is notably known for being the national dress of Pakistan ..

Shalwar are gathered at the waist and held up by a drawstring or an elastic band. The pants can be wide and baggy or more narrow, and even made of fabric cut on the bias.The kameez is usually cut straight and flat