| Commendations |
-----Original
Message-----
Guest Name(s): Ms Sedef & Ms
Cagla
Country: Turkey
Email:
sedefartun@yahoo.com & cbekbolet@hotmail.com
Tour
Taken: Rajasthan
Year: 2002, November
Hello
Durjay,
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.
nce again, thank you for all the services and good
luck to you and to your company.
Best Regards,
Sedef
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Day
1: Delhi - Arrival at Delhi
JAIPUR - The origins of the beautiful city of Jaipur can be traced back to the
eighteenth century, during the reign of Jai Singh II who ascended the Amber
throne in 1699. Jaipur today, epitomizes the spirit of Rajputana. In-spite of
growing into a bustling metropolis, it still retains it's character and history
- Beautiful fusion of the yesteryears and modernity. Popularly known as the
Pink City because of the extensive use of the locally abundant pink plastered
stone, painted so in honor of the visit of the royal consort of Queen Victoria.
Jaipur thrills the soul with its massive forts, magnificent palaces, exquisite
temples and lush gardens. 
Day
4: Jaipur - Breakfast at hotel. 
Proceed for Mandawa. 
From
Castle Mandawa you will take a walking tour of the painted 'havelis' of some
of the leading business families of the country. Though they no longer live
here, the local caretakers are happy to show the visitors around. 
Day
10: Jaisalmer
Day
12: Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - By road covering 330 km in 6hr. 
Day
14: Jodhpur - Mt Abu - By road covering 320 km in 7hr. 
Day
16: Mount Abu - Udaipur - By Road 185 km in 5 ½ hr
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