NORTH INDIA TOURISM

Guest Name(s): Ms Sedef & Ms Cagla
Country: Turkey
Email: sedefartun@yahoo.com
Year: 2002, November

Tour Taken: Rajasthan

I am back home in London. Cagla is still in India and will proceed to Maldives. So I will be writing our feedback on the behalf of us both.

Let me start with saying a big thank you to you and to everyone in Compass India who planned or took part in our trip. On the whole everything went very smoothly and we had a very good 17 days. I can easily say that I would not hesitate recommending your company to anyone I know; and you can use us if you need to provide recommendations for other prospective clients.

Now I will give more detailed feedback about the hotels, guides etc.. Delhi: Our guide ( I forget the names but you probably know who they are)in Delhi was very knowledgeable. He was nice and he is good for tourists interested in history. We were also happy about the driver, who also accompanied us in Agra. The hotel(The Park) was obviously nothing special but up to standard and centrally located. So no problems in Delhi; however the Dances of India show can be avoided since later on in Rajasthan there are many opportunities to see much better ones. Instead, the sound and light show at the fort can be added when it is on.

Agra: Our guide was nice and helpful. We were grateful when he helped us to find a place for dinner. We did not like the hotel (Howard Park Plaza) in Agra and you we recommend you change to another one for Agra. It was clean enough but the service and staff were really bad. They would not help us to find a restaurant and they scared us on going out alone. The point was they wanted us to use their depressing restaurant. Obviously Taj is amazing but the stay in Agra can be avoided all together. It is better to arrive there early morning and leave for the next destination in the evening. Also Fridays should be avoided since Taj is closed and you loose a day just being in a tourist trap type of place. Fatehpur Sikri tour was ok but we had to rush it too much to catch the train.

Ranthambore: We had a very good time in this place. We saw 3 tigers and 2 leopards. So we cannot ask for more! The hotel (Ranthambore Regency) was very good. The staff was very nice and attentive. The food was great, the garden lovely, the rooms nice. A perfect place to stay for Ranthambore.

Rajasthan: As you have also mentioned to us in Delhi; having Virendra with us in the rest of the tour made an amazing impact. He made sure that everything went as smooth as possible and worked real hard to make us happy. And believe me we CAN be demanding! He listened to our every wish and we think he went out of his way to make the trip a good one for us. He also familiarized us with the local traditions and culture which is usually very difficult to do as tourists. We hope that you know he is a very valuable asset for your company and we will definitely recommend him to anyone going to Rajasthan.

All the respective guides in Rajasthan were OK. Obviously they all know their stuff. We especially liked the one in Udaipur. He is a fun person.

Jaipur: The hotel (Raj Mahal) is a nice building with a lot of history. and the rooms are good. But the management is quite poor so is the service. A change is not really required like the case in Agra; however we just wanted you to know. Obviously for those who can afford; Rambagh Palace should be the place to stay. The shopping in Jaipur is great and we wished we had one more day since we spent almost one day going to Pushkar. It may be a good idea to recommend 2 full days in Jaipur and then add Pushkar if required. I do not know if there is any way to protect tourists from the so-called priests in Pushkar. They are mostly crooks after money; but I guess that is part of the experience and we were glad that Virendra had warned us beforehand.

Mandawa: We enjoyed Mandawa and the Dundlod fort because it was a very different experience. However certain tourists that do not have much time may not like this route. There is not a whole lot to see; and you would only appreciate it if you like a local and peaceful environment to wind down ( however it is impossible to sleep in the fort after 5:30 am because the morning prayer sand with Bollywood tunes!). Like I say it was a different experience and we enjoyed it but not everyone might and they may see it as a waste of time.

Bikaner: We absolutely loved the hotel (Basant Vihar). The rooms have a personal touch and the service is very good. They had some problems with hot water, but later it was fixed. The manager/owner is very attentive and you can feel the difference this makes.

Jaisalmer: We loved this place; it is very beautiful. The camel ride was fun and the hotel had good food and entertainment. The rooms are basic but good; the service is also.(though I think we owe some of this to Virendra; since he constantly made sure the staff was doing as we asked!) Staying outside the fort is a good idea since you would want to see it from far.

Jodhpur: This was probably the best hotel we stayed in during the whole tour. The rooms are real nice and there is a good pool, a good breakfast and spa. We especially enjoyed the place since we were able to have a home cooked fantastic family meal; cooked specially for us, again thanks to Virendra. And we were able to see and shop at the local market which we loved!

Udaipur: The hotel was very nice and the city is absolutely magical. Again, the shopping is good too. We wanted to have dinner at the Lake Palace and Virendra arranged it even though it was; we think, not very easy. This may be an optional dinner added to the tour for tourists that are interested, since it is a very nice experience if you are not staying there. This way, the reservations can be arranged beforehand.

Anyway; this is where our tour ended. The plane to Goa was with no problems; actually we were impressed with Jet Airways, they are really good.

Some tips we think may help you: You may either provide or ask tourists to carry mosquito tablets and the repellent. Most hotels provide it but some of them only have coil which may not be very pleasant.

We have bought and read the book "A Princess Remembers, the memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur" on the recommendation form Virendra. It is a wonderful book to understand Rajasthan and the history of all the places you see. We wished we had read it before hand. It may be a nice touch for Compass India to recommend it to tourists before hand. And maybe help them get one in Delhi. It would certainly be a different gesture..

I hope all our feedback is of good use to you. If you need any more info please contact me. Actually my parents are interested in a similar trip now, so I may be contacting you for it too.

Once again, thank you for all the services and good luck to you and to your company.

Best Regards,

Sedef