30 Days Pan India Expedition

My wife and I have returned recently from our 30-day Pan India tour Expedition and I wanted to give you some feedback about our experiences while they are still fresh in our memories. I am sending my comments to all those with whom we have had contact throughout the planning and execution of our trip; if  there are others in the company who should also receive a copy, I trust that you will send our comments to them as well.

At the outset my wife and I would like to say how very pleased we were with the experience from beginning to end. Our purpose in relating our thoughts to you stems from our desire to recognize those individuals within your company who have contributed to that experience, and to let the company know exactly what we most enjoyed from a client's point of view as a pointer to others who might choose  in the future.

I would like you to know that before we settled on to arrange our India trip for us, we consulted many other tour companies - 57 of them in fact. At the same time we read extensively about India to understand better the full scope of what India had to offer and to narrow down our preferences regarding what we wanted to see and do. So we did our homework. In the end, we chose for several reasons. The first was that we came to realize that it would be wise to settle on a company based in India if possible. India is a long way away and if something was amiss, I felt that we would get better service if our tour company was local rather than based overseas. This proved to be the correct choice.

We were most impressed by the obvious thought that went into planning the trip on the part of those who put our itinerary together for us. The variety of experiences, the pace of the trip, the route chosen all worked extremely well. We liked the train and plane legs which not only eliminated overly long road journeys  and thus preserved our energy for other activities, but were interesting experiences in themselves.

The timing of the expedition was very well chosen; mid-February/mid-March was ideal. It was clear that the weather in the south towards the end of the trip was heating up quickly and we were glad to have avoided that, even though back at home since our return we have had a steady diet of minus 15 degrees Celsius whereas normally Spring should have arrived. 

It was most pleasant to meet Gaurav on our first full day in Delhi. Both were very capable ambassadors for the company and the binder that they gave us containing the full itinerary, vouchers and various recommendations that had been put together for us became our indispensable guide throughout the whole trip. The scarf and the small statue of Ganesh were a nice welcoming touch; as we travelled, we came to know more about the significance of Ganesh as an indispensable figure for Indians as they embark upon new ventures, and his presence certainly got our Indian venture off to a good start!

We valued the fact that when we arrived in each new place, especially in the northern part of the itinerary we were invariably met by a representative who made sure that we got to our hotel, got us checked  in and put us in touch with our upcoming guide. At no time did we feel lost in an unfamiliar place. For clients who were from afar, that was a most reassuring situation.  In the south where I suspect company has fewer local representatives, things were not quite as seamless, and we were rather more dependent on our driver to take us to each destination.

Regarding the hotels that were chosen for us, overall they were more than acceptable. At my request, dinners were included in the tour package and that is something that I would recommend to future clients. My tour manager did a great job in suggesting particular restaurants to try in the different places we visited, and bookings were made for us ahead of time. Where the hotel offered a very good dinner experience, we ate in, and in other cases we ate at a carefully selected restaurant in the local community. I think that was an ideal arrangement which offered us opportunities to enjoy local cuisine, something that all tourists would enjoy. For lunch we ate very simply and in all cases, the choice of restaurant made for us was very good.  

Mention must be made about the guides we had. They were all very good at their job---friendly, fluent and knowledgeable---and they added immensely to our enjoyment and knowledge gained at each site we visited. Regrettably we do not remember their names, although the guides at Delhi, Agra, and at Mammalapuram and Chennai (Tamil) were particularly good.

The car we had---Toyota Innova--- was ideal from our point of view. Extremely comfortable yet nimble as well, which is an absolute necessity in Indian traffic and on Indian roads. In every case, the car was clean inside and out, they were all well-maintained and mechanically in great shape, thanks to the drivers. We appreciated the ready availability of cold bottled water. On a long expedition like this one, the drivers have a most important role, particularly the two that did the bulk of the driving---Hemant (and to a lesser extent Sonokea (?)) in the north and Shery in the south. We cannot say enough about all the drivers we had, and about these especially. Not only were they experts at negotiating Indian traffic and in finding their way over long distances and through huge cities, but they were wonderful sources of information about India in general and  about specific places we were passing through. Whenever we expressed an interest in seeing something that piqued our interest on the road, they were always ready to pull off the road so that we could explore it. Likewise they would stop so that we could take a photograph or two. Some of these stops gave us some of our best moments of the trip, such as Hemant stopping at a spot where there was a water wheel driven by oxen; Sonokea stopping where I could watch a cricket game for a few minutes, and at the same time watch several women raise water from a well; and Shery taking us to a salt flat where salt was being harvested and to a humble home where a team of men and women were making sisal rope.  They knew all the best rest stops and lunch places along the way, and were always on time and at the right place for us. Their professionalism and enthusiasm for their job were superb; their contribution to the success of our expedition cannot be overestimated.

Delhi

Hotel 33 small but fine. Breakfasts throughout the trip were adequate although as the trip wore on, we came to appreciate those hotels that had a few Western choices. This is not a criticism of Indian food, but I feel that for a lot of Westerners the mornings are not the best time to be adventurous in terms of less familiar cuisine. At lunch we were taken to the Lazeez Affair restaurant which was very good, but perhaps a little too grand for people who were still pleasingly full from breakfast. [I think that there might be an opening in India for good cafes or sandwich shops for an enterprising Indian entrepreneur to provide light lunch (and good toilets!) for visitors in tourist areas and on the highways. (At the same time, I realize that Indians themselves prefer to have their main meal at lunch)]. The dinner that we had at the Crown Plaza hotel was very memorable indeed. Our visit happened to coincide with a food festival that the chef had arranged which featured a vast assortment of Indian street food. It was a marvellous way for us to become familiar with all types of very well prepared street food which I gather has become very popular.

Varanasi

Meraden Grand Hotel  fine in most respects but we had a problem with the wall safe. It would not open (with our passports etc inside) and the Sunday manager could not/would not help; apparently only the Weekday manager had the authority to open it. Thankfully our tour manager happened to call us during this time and seems to have pulled some strings to rectify the problem through the local rep.  The two dinners we had in Varanasi were good.

Khajuraho

We would not have missed Khajuraho for the world; the temples were a revelation, even for us who have had three days at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But outside the amazing temples Khajuraho seemed just a bit less travelled; a smaller site which might not have had as good a range of accommodation and restaurants as other sites had.

The hotel Usha Bundela was on first appearance a fine older building but it did not seem as well-maintained as it could have been. Our room was adequate and had a fine view of the grounds but there was a lot of noise from the other rooms and from the hallway. In the evening we were taken to the Gandhi Cafe for dinner. Again, perhaps there were not too many alternatives since at the Gandhi Café  I got food poisoning (butter chicken and lamb biryani). The next two days were challenging to say the least, but we managed to keep on track. It was not a case of simple diarrhoea; it was much more significant than that. It was the only time on the whole trip that either of us got quite ill apart from a little upset stomach. So in sum, I think agency might well reconsider its hotel and dinner  arrangements for its clients in Khajuraho if at all possible, and definitely cross the Gandhi Cafe off its list. But I would continue to recommend Khajuraho itself as a stunning experience.

Agra

The whole Agra experience was one of the great highlights of our expedition. The Retreat Hotel was exceptional; the guide was excellent and the Agra sites themselves were unforgettable. I would say that our guide was instrumental in helping us to get the very most out of these stunning monuments from many different viewpoints. We went to the Kesar restaurant for both lunch and dinner which was a great choice.  Excellent, helpful serving staff (Anna).

Ranthambhore

The Pugmark Hotel was a special place, beautifully landscaped, comfortable bungalow room in impressive tropical grounds. There was some local entertainment provided in an attractive outdoor setting with a drink before dinner, and the dinner was good, as was breakfast and lunch. The staff were particularly helpful and eager to please. On the morning safari the weather was especially rainy and in the open jeep we got soaked to the skin, despite rain gear and the very welcome blankets from the hotel (I would recommend that at this time of the year all your clients at Ranthambhore take the Pugmark blankets because it is a long way to the Game reserve and regardless of the rain, it was pretty cold and very windy in the jeep). In terms of seeing wildlife in the reserve, we did not see much because, as the guides told us, rainy weather makes the animals scarce. No one's fault there; just luck of the draw. Nevertheless it was an interesting experience. Drying things out was a challenge but the hotel did provide us with a small heater that made all the difference. 

Jaipur

The programme at Jaipur was very good. The Mahal Khandela hotel was a pleasing example of the "Haveli" style of hotel and our room was spacious with beautifully painted walls and ceiling in traditional style and overlooked the central courtyard. It was also above the dining room and kitchen area so the morning was quite noisy, especially since metal chairs being moved on the stone courtyard below created a surprising amount of noise at an early hour. Perhaps there might be rooms at the Mahal Khandela that might be a little quieter in the a.m., but in other respects it was fine, and very well decorated. The Spice Court restaurant was very good for dinner.

Jodhpur

The Pal Haveli hotel was another typical Rajasthan-style haveli, again with a spacious, shady inner courtyard. The room was very good although hot water could be a little scarce. This was more than made up for with the rooftop restaurant, "Indique", which offered unparalleled views of the illuminated Mehrangarh Fort dominating the steep cliff nearby. It also offered some of the best Indian food that we had on the whole expedition. The location of the hotel was also very good, being so close to the clock tower and the fascinating and huge Sardar Bazaar.

Udaipur

Udaipur being a dreamy kind of place centred on the water, the Karohi Haveli was an ideal choice of hotel. Light, airy, spacious and with a most beautiful open courtyard with a fountain and pool close by, it was a true haven for its guests. We would have liked a room with a view overlooking the city, but we managed that in the evening when we went to the rooftop restaurant which had superb views over the city. That was really memorable. The boat ride was also a great way to see the city and the lake palace, and the trip to Jag Mandir was memorable.

N.B. Our early morning departure from Udaipur airport gave us a first-hand look at what Indian bureaucratic organization can be like on a bad day. We are all for effective security measures at airports because we are travellers, but at Udaipur airport the security procedures were so inefficient that they need to be brought to the attention of the authorities. I can provide a more detailed picture, but it was so bad that many passengers---including us--- were in great danger of missing flights even though we were at the airport in plenty of time. If there is a department of the government to which I can explain the deficiencies in detail constructively, I would be happy to do so. For the sake of future travellers, It cannot stay the way it is.

Mumbai

If there was one part of the journey that was disappointing, I would have to say it was Mumbai. Perhaps it was the guide; she was with us for just two hours in the afternoon, but she had already led a group in the morning and  her energy level might have been a bit down. The Gandhi Museum was most interesting, but other than The Prince of Wales Museum (which we visited after the tour on our own) that was the only building we entered in the city. It was thus mostly a driving tour of the city but there were some places which we could have gone into, I feel, such as the Victoria Terminus (the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus). In a huge city with such a lot of traffic, I wondered whether a driving tour was the best option, both because it gives you only a passing glimpse at important buildings but also because of the fact that that many of the sites in Mumbai are in or close to the Fort/Kala Ghoda areas and might have been more effectively explored on foot. Perhaps a combination of the two might have worked better. We did not go through the Bombay University area, for example. We had a different guide the next day to take us to Elephanta Island. He was surprised that the previous day's guide had not done more with us the day before, and partly made up for that by taking us to some other parts of the city after the Elephanta Island tour, such as Crawford Market. I have to say that the Elephanta tour, though interesting, took a long time to get there and back. 

The Godwin Hotel is in a perfect location and the staff were extremely helpful indeed. Our 8th floor room had a very fine view, but I would however caution agency against using rooms close to the top floor, since the rooftop pub (which was mercifully not open on our first night there) can be very noisy, especially when there is a very large student group staying at the hotel. To be fair to the hotel staff, when we asked about the noise, they very quickly quieted things down. Otherwise the hotel was very good. The best part of Mumbai were the two restaurants that we went to. Both the Indian Village restaurant and the All Stir Fry restaurant were top-notch, because aside from the excellent food, they were interesting experiences in themselves, and different from the other restaurants that we had had so far.

Kochi

Our first stop in south India was a pleasant one. Our guide was good, and we saw a lot of historic and new Kochi both on foot and by boat. The Abad Fort hotel was just fine, except for the lack of hot water. The two (seafood) restaurants we went to were delightful open air restaurants (The Killian Boutique Hotel and the Ventura next door) with good food. 

The Kathakali Dance evening was a memorable event.

Backwaters

Every part of this houseboat day-long journey was fantastic; surely one of the top highlights of the expedition. In a word it was sublime!  Full marks to agency who chose the River Escapes company  to provide our houseboat; in comparison to the others we saw (of which there were many) this company's boats were much better kept. It was beautifully equipped, the service was outstanding and a slower pace at this stage in our journey was most welcome. And there was a great deal to see along the way, particularly the rice harvesting that was going on. There was not a dull moment; it was a magical time.

Thekkady

Again the landscape changed dramatically as we drove inland into the hillier country of the Western Ghats with completely different vegetation. The afternoon visit to a spice plantation was a revelation and our guide also took us up to the very top of a mountain for spectacular views over Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Dinner at the Ambadi hotel was very good. The early morning boat tour in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary featured many different birds, wild boar, gaur, a mongoose---and by complete luck a dramatic finish as we watched a pack of large foxes try to take down a young fawn of a barking deer herd (fawn 1; foxes no score).  The Treetops Hotel was in a beautiful setting surrounded by lush grounds and chattering monkeys. Other than a lack of hot water, it was a very nice hotel.

Madurai
The Germanus Hotel was very good indeed. In particular the food service was outstanding; the serving staff were very efficient and most helpful in showing us the way around an impressive buffet selection. The hotel, unusually, also had a separate Side Walk café which was ideal for a light lunch. There was also a very nice rooftop pool which we enjoyed. Temples were the focus of Madurai and our guide, Vani,  was good at explaining relevant information about the South Indian deities, religious customs and the amazing temple architecture. We did not go to the Thiruparankundram Temple in the late afternoon because we had spent a lot of time in the other city sites and needed a break. There was so much to see in Madurai.

Thanjavur
The Ideal River Resort was a heavenly place in every respect. What wonderful grounds lush with tropical foliage, beautiful architecture and sublime outdoor dinner setting, complete with Indian music and dancing. Our room was absolutely lovely and the time spent in and around the pool was fabulous. Definitely a high point of the whole tour. Would not have missed it for the world!

Pondicherry
There was something very special about Pondicherry. We liked the historic French part of the city which was easily walkable, its position on the Bay of Bengal and the fact that it is a very spiritual place (the Sri Aurobindram Ashram; Manakkula Vinayagar Temple; and the very busy Sacred Heart Church). It is a most historic place, as well, as we learned at the Pondicherry Museum where even Roman artifacts were on display. Our guide was very good, and our time in Pondicherry was very enjoyable. I would strongly recommend the Baker Street patisserie for lunch and La Maison Rose for  an open air dinner. The Annamalai International hotel was very good indeed. The rooftop pool was very welcome; I can imagine just how much more so in the really hot weather!

Mammalapuram                
Mammalapuram was a delightful fishing town with some amazing temples ably explained by our excellent guide, Tamil. The beach was an easy walk from the hotel, the Mammala Heritage. Our room there was adequate, though the shower, occupying much of the bathroom, was "different". There was a very nice pool. Breakfast here was a little meagre with no Western items available except toast, which was a very popular item among the guests. It would have been simple just to add some eggs of any style to the Indian offerings. For our evening meal, the list of dining suggestions that had been put together for us by agency did not go beyond Kochi, and there was no local representative to advise us. So the restaurant we chose for dinner the first night, though beautifully sited right on the beach, was more expensive than we had intended it to be. (That was largely because the fresh seafood on offer was chosen from a table rather than from a menu). It should be noted that the restaurants that were chosen for us by agency (with only one exception noted above), were good to very good indeed.

Chennai
We still had our very knowledgeable guide, Tamil, with us and we had a tour of the city that combined walking and driving. It was very well done. The real highlight was the Raintree Hotel which was a splendid hotel in all respects. The views, the room itself, the rooftop infinity pool and in particular the superb restaurant were wonderful. I cannot recommend it too highly! What a great way to end our expedition!

Since our return we have been describing our Indian venture to family and friends, many of whom are ardent travellers. In doing so we have been extolling the wonderful service that they gave us, both in the planning of the expedition and in looking after us so well during the trip. It was outstanding value for money. We would not hesitate to recommend the company in glowing terms to anyone interested in travelling with them in the future.