Trip to India

dubby1978

Hi guys,

Thinking of taking a trip to India towards the end of this year.

If you've been, what did you think of the place? What day trips would you recommend doing? Any hotels recommended that would be city centre? Thinking of going to the Mumbai/Bombay areas certainly.

Also, how long should I stay there for? I don't mind long trips at all, there's so much to see.

Where can I go to find good flight and hotel deals? Currently in Cork.

galwayjohn89

No idea for hotels etc in Mumbai sorry. I'll be heading there in September but only staying 1 or 2 nights.

However for flights http://www.secretflying.com/2015/04/2-in-1-trip-dublin-ireland-to-istanbul-turkey-mumbai-india-for-only-276-return/

dubby1978

Vuzuggu wrote: »

No idea for hotels etc in Mumbai sorry. I'll be heading there in September but only staying 1 or 2 nights.

However for flights (url)

Booked that deal for me and the father - many thanks - he hasn't been to India since his honeymoon 24 years ago! Would love some good, affordable hotel recommendations.

dubby1978

Vuzuggu wrote: »

No idea for hotels etc in Mumbai sorry. I'll be heading there in September but only staying 1 or 2 nights.

However for flights (url)

Booked that deal for me and the father - many thanks. Would love some good, affordable hotel recommendations.

Sandwell

Stayed here in 2012 for 3 nights and found it great. Clean, comfortable and well-located.

dubby1978

Sandwell wrote: »

Stayed ... in 2012 for 3 nights and found it great. Clean, comfortable and well-located.

Would you believe that's the hotel I had my eye on last night! I think I'll go for it. How much did the 3 nights set you back?

Sandwell

dubby1978 wrote: »

Would you believe that's the hotel I had my eye on last night! I think I'll go for it. How much did the 3 nights set you back?

We had a deluxe room for 3 nights and it cost 11,500R (€160).

dubby1978

Sandwell wrote: »

We had a deluxe room for 3 nights and it cost 11,500R (€160).

How close was it to the main attractions/city?

Sandwell

dubby1978 wrote: »

How close was it to the main attractions/city?

From recollection many of the main attractions were within 15 mins walking distance. It's in the old colonial part of the city and the area sees a lot of tourists. We also hired a car and driver one of the days to take us to places further out. The hotel will arrange that for you. They'll also organise an airport pick up if you want one.

dubby1978

Sandwell wrote: »

From recollection many of the main attractions were within 15 mins walking distance. It's in the old colonial part of the city and the area sees a lot of tourists. We also hired a car and driver one of the days to take us to places further out. The hotel will arrange that for you. They'll also organise an airport pick up if you want one.

Sounds good.

Cheapest rate I can find for the 3 nights we are there for in October is EUR 177.15 including the 17.4%(!) tax - this includes breakfast & Wifi in the deluxe twin room.

Worth it at that price still?

We were going to go for a cheapy <€60 hostel/guesthouse, but the reviews for them all were HORRIBLE.

Sandwell

I would say so, yeah. Mumbai is pretty hectic and it's nice to have somewhere comfortable to come back to. You'll be wrecked after the flight too so a comforable bed, decent air-con etc. will be welcome.

dubby1978

Sandwell wrote: »

I would say so, yeah. Mumbai is pretty hectic and it's nice to have somewhere comfortable to come back to. You'll be wrecked after the flight too so a comforable bed, decent air-con etc. will be welcome.

Food etc. is cheap as chips over there obviously yeah?

DamoKen

dubby1978 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Thinking of taking a trip to India towards the end of this year.

If you've been, what did you think of the place? What day trips would you recommend doing? Any hotels recommended that would be city centre? Thinking of going to the Mumbai/Bombay areas certainly.

Also, how long should I stay there for? I don't mind long trips at all, there's so much to see.

Where can I go to find good flight and hotel deals? Currently in Cork.

Are you only planning on Mumbai? Great city but wouldn't plan on more than a couple of nights there or any other major city for that matter. So much more to see in India.

If you're heading inland I'd highly recommend travelling around Rajasthan. A few ways you can do it. Once option is hiring a car and driver, we did that for close to a month in a cool old Ambassador car and think all told came to just under €800 which included the drivers accommodation each place we stopped. He'd drop us at our hotel and then pick us up whenever we wanted for either day trips in the area or next place we were heading. Definitely need a couple of weeks to see if properly but one of the most fascinating places I've ever been.

Other highlights would be Varanasi and Kerala, backwaters and tea plantations up around Munnar. If you fancy chilling after all that southern Goa is the place to go for a cheap beach hut and wind down before heading home.

Again depends on how much time you have, how much travelling around the country you want to do, what on a map looks like a piddling 200km drive you'd do in a couple of hours can take an awful lot longer. Trains are another way to get around and again something you should do at least once while there. Another option is internal flights for the long hauls, i.e. Varanasi to Mumbai. Load of cheap internal carriers so can do a 2 hour flight instead of a 24 hour(ish) train ride for around €50 for two people if I remember right.

Lastly, the time of the year you go is important. You do not want to be there during monsoon or summer temps of 45 degrees!

Sandwell

It's pretty cheap yeah, although Mumbai is expensive for India. Like anywhere else, it'll depend where you choose to eat. There are tourist restaurants where you can pay what you'd pay at home. It's worth doing a bit of research in advance.

dubby1978

DamoKen wrote: »

Are you only planning on Mumbai? Great city but wouldn't plan on more than a couple of nights there or any other major city for that matter. So much more to see in India.

If you're heading inland I'd highly recommend travelling around Rajasthan. A few ways you can do it. Once option is hiring a car and driver, we did that for close to a month in a cool old Ambassador car and think all told came to just under €800 which included the drivers accommodation each place we stopped. He'd drop us at our hotel and then pick us up whenever we wanted for either day trips in the area or next place we were heading. Definitely need a couple of weeks to see if properly but one of the most fascinating places I've ever been.

Other highlights would be Varanasi and Kerala, backwaters and tea plantations up around Munnar. If you fancy chilling after all that southern Goa is the place to go for a cheap beach hut and wind down before heading home.

Again depends on how much time you have, how much travelling around the country you want to do, what on a map looks like a piddling 200km drive you'd do in a couple of hours can take an awful lot longer. Trains are another way to get around and again something you should do at least once while there. Another option is internal flights for the long hauls, i.e. Varanasi to Mumbai. Load of cheap internal carriers so can do a 2 hour flight instead of a 24 hour(ish) train ride for around €50 for two people if I remember right.

Lastly, the time of the year you go is important. You do not want to be there during monsoon or summer temps of 45 degrees!

Mumbai for 3 nights, and Goa with maybe a few other areas for 4 nights is what we were thinking. We'll be over there mid-October.

can you provide a few links for the flights between cities?

DamoKen

dubby1978 wrote: »

Mumbai for 3 nights, and Goa with maybe a few other areas for 4 nights is what we were thinking. We'll be over there mid-October.

can you provide a few links for the flights between cities?

Internal flights sound like your best option then if your time is limited, at least for cross country.

Can't remember off the top of my head the site I used, was a really good Indian site I stumbled across that gave all carriers for each flight with prices, travel times and tax. Remember wishing at the time that there was something as good here.

I'll ask my wife when I get home, think we booked the flights through her email so might still have a confirmation email.

galwayjohn89

Have a look at yatra for flights. If you do find flights, sign up look at flights click to checkout and then stop. Normally in an hour or two you'll get an email offering 10% off.

SpiceJet, Indigo and Go Air are all good low cost carries.

DamoKen

Vuzuggu wrote: »

Have a look at yatra for flights. If you do find flights, sign up look at flights click to checkout and then stop. Normally in an hour or two you'll get an email offering 10% off.

SpiceJet, Indigo and Go Air are all good low cost carries.

Dubby think this is the site we used. Very reasonable and reliable. Think we booked something like 6 internal flights through it around 4 months in advance and got all six with only one delay, ironically enough with the national carrier Air India, all the low cost as mentioned by Vuzuggu were very efficient.

Fratton Fred

dubby1978 wrote: »

Food etc. is cheap as chips over there obviously yeah?

I was in Bangalore in November, eight of us went to the Indian Barbecue restaurant (which is a chain I believe) it was excellent and a three course all you can eat meal, with a couple of beers each, came to about €120.