Travelled To India Recently?

[craigt3365]

^Grab a copy of Lonely Planet India and they'll have a range of hotels listed.

Guidebooks, by nature, are almost always somewhat out of date - LP is no exception.

Much more reliable to check relevant websites which are more updated.

Guide books can be out of date with regards to new hotels, current prices, current transportation options, etc. But they are a great place to plan a trip in terms of what do you want to see. Very hard to do that via websites...especially when you are on the road or walking around looking at places during the day. For example, LP has great day walks listed for many cities. They take you through various parts of town showing all sorts of neat stuff. Worth the expense for sure.

It also gives you an idea about an area that you want to be looking for a hotel in. It's no good if the 3 star hotel is 10kms out of town when you want to be walking around the middle of town.

In most places I didn't use LP to find a hotel but an area I wanted to be in and looked around for Indian hotels rather than the ones full of backpackers that were carrying LP. If you travel on trains you will meet travelling Indian businessmen who will tell you good Indian hotels, many are near the railway stations.

For sure. I try to avoid the hotels listed in LP. Sometimes they have some great listings, other times they are swamped by backpackers that help jack up the price.

My driver setup everything. And since we had a car, staying a bit out of town was easy. And usually more quiet!

[Morch]

One can get the same information on the internet, pretty easily. Print relevant pages if you need a hard copy and shave off some weight. LP (and similar guidebooks) walks, day trips etc are a pretty sure way of going around and meeting hordes of tourists all holding on to their copies :-). Also, most okish hotels and B&Bs would sort it out for guests much better, sometimes even pointing to places well off the beaten track. Takes a little bit more effort to do the research, but well worth it, in my opinion.

Renting a car is indeed a good way to see the sights. Full/half day rates for car+driver, with an agreed upon program shouldn't be uber-expensive and save a lot of hassle.

[gtm2k]

For flights i will suggest (if you are going north - Delhi) - fly cathay pacific -you will not regret it - excellent service and they really take care. I have been flying them for 3 years now.

"hygine e.g. is it true that people deficate in the street" - I frankly fail to understand - where do thai's get their general knowledge on India? But yes, india has too many folks to look after - and in the slums - ppl head to the field for "kichakaam soon-tua".

Hotels are very expensive in india. You willl need to hunt for serviced apartments - i say google google till you find ! I have seen plenty in Delhi / Bangalore - stayed in a couple in Bangalore. I remember paying about INR 1900 - 2500 per night (in Bangalore) about 2 years back.

Hope this info helps.

I will suggest you to fully book you travel + accomodation before you leave.

Wow, prices have gone up since I was ther paying INR 25 a night!!

I doubt you walked on your own two feet, when you visited paying INR 25 a night

[LucidLucifer]

Hotels are very expensive in india. You willl need to hunt for serviced apartments - i say google google till you find ! I have seen plenty in Delhi / Bangalore - stayed in a couple in Bangalore. I remember paying about INR 1900 - 2500 per night (in Bangalore) about 2 years back.

Hotels prices vary enormously as to where you are. I first went to india in 1996 and Bombay/Mumbai hotel prices would make your eyes water. Maybe four times what you would pay in Delhi. Bangalore is one of Indias up and coming yuppie cities. I imagine prices there would be equally expensive.

As for food, meat in particular, avoid it (especially pork in Goa, it's legendary). Go vegetarian for your visit, IMHO there is absolutely no need to eat meat in India anyway, their vegetarian dishes are so good you won't need it or miss it. As for fish, if you can see the sea, go for it. Otherwise, give it a miss.

I have spent nearly 2 years travelling around India, it is my favourite country by a million miles, but it isn't for everyone. Another poster said you'll either love it or loath it, that is a very fair assessment.

India is a full on experience of the senses, but if it does get too much, head for Nepal. When you cross the border it's more like crossing into another world rather than another country. So much more serene.

Another good bolt-hole is it gets too much is Bodhgaya. Presuming your missus is a buddhist, you'll probably want to put that on your itinery. I'd recommend Varanasi too, that city has culture by the balls, and will blow your mind, but it isn't for the faint hearted.

[PattayaParent]

For flights i will suggest (if you are going north - Delhi) - fly cathay pacific -you will not regret it - excellent service and they really take care. I have been flying them for 3 years now.

"hygine e.g. is it true that people deficate in the street" - I frankly fail to understand - where do thai's get their general knowledge on India? But yes, india has too many folks to look after - and in the slums - ppl head to the field for "kichakaam soon-tua".

Hotels are very expensive in india. You willl need to hunt for serviced apartments - i say google google till you find ! I have seen plenty in Delhi / Bangalore - stayed in a couple in Bangalore. I remember paying about INR 1900 - 2500 per night (in Bangalore) about 2 years back.

Hope this info helps.

I will suggest you to fully book you travel + accomodation before you leave.

Wow, prices have gone up since I was ther paying INR 25 a night!!

I doubt you walked on your own two feet, when you visited paying INR 25 a night

That was for a room with en suite bathroom.

The backpackers were staying in INR10 a night places, INR5 for dorms!

[LucidLucifer]

How long ago was this PP?

[PattayaParent]

How long ago was this PP?

25 years ago.

[User3]

Yes, there are a LOT of people that do not have indoor plumbing in India. One of the reasons is that they consider it unsanitary. Who are we to argue that point??

But in general I've spent about 4 months there over the past 7 months.

It's not as bad as you might imagine (depending on your imagination) but generally you need to ratchet your expectations down a number of notches.

Certainly it is an interesting place, in a train wreck sort of way, and certainly it is well worth any angst you might feel to be able to experience

the reality of India.

Stay away from '5 star' places, and from tour groups and it's well worth the trip.

However, it's not for the faint of heart if you are going outside the normal bounds of travel.