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Leela Palace - New Delhi
I am on the February 16, 2017 tour. I would like to hear from anyone who has stayed at the Leela (the Oberoi New Delhi is closed for renovations). We will be arriving in Delhi on the 16th - this is really a free day since the touring begins on the 17th.. We will be rested having arrived in 'the area' a week prior (Going to Hong Kong and Singapore first to acclimate to the time). We have the afternoon of the 16th free...any ideas?? I was thinking of hiring a car and driver/guide to take us to some markets. I welcome any other ideas for 3-4 hours. Any suggestions for dinner outside of the hotel?
Thanks, Nancy
Thanks, Nancy
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Should I bring US dollar bills?
Nancy
We were actually there two days prior to the trip. Our first day was spent at the hotel recovering from an interminable time at the airport after landing, so we took a wonderful cooking class and caught up on sleep. By the second day we were raring to go. I highly recommend getting out and about on that first day since you will already be acclimated to the time. As I have written, we hired a driver for the day (overseen by the hotel concierge who negotiated a price and an itinerary for us). Our first stop was an ATM (we did not have time to get any money at the airport due to lost luggage and a 1 1/2 hour snafu with Lufthansa making a claim, etc.), we then took a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk stopping at the Friday Mosque (we also paid for a rickshaw for our driver...I think they were about $7 each...then it was on to Akshardan Temple, not to be missed. We did not do any of the rides or movies, sticking to the Temple itself and the gardens with their inspiring messages. "Art is ageless, culture is borderless, values are timeless." We later spoke with those who did a broader experience there who found it to be a bit Disneylandish. We liked our experience. We later had dinner at The Spice Route in the Imperial Hotel. Do not be put off by the thought that the food will be too spicy (since this is the beginning of the trip, your palate might need to become accustomed to Indian cuisine). The restaurant is VERY accommodating and will prepare the food spice level to your liking. We ate in the "Room of Good Fortune and Good Food!" Be prepared that this is not for the faint of wallet, but is well worth the price and is in a lovely setting.
As far as markets are concerned, we were told (and it proved to be true) that there were much better places to shop than in Delhi. While the markets might be of interest, Jaipur is much better for certain goods. And, many of us found wonderful things in Udaipur. I also have some great "bus beads" where the TD negotiated the lowest, fair price and brings good on the bus for us to purchase. I also have a fabulous necklace purchased from a vendor on the little train on Elephanta Island...he asked for $20, I bought it for $3.00...
Thanks, Nancy
Hi NANCY, we just had a driver who takes you to the crafts store, no need for a guide, he just waits. He will try to take you to his friend's rug store after that, but you just say no. You will learn that the country runs on bribes and backhanders.
Rupees--- in view of all the news we are reading about the lack of rupee notes and money in India at the moment, I would be cautious that the airport will guarantee having any money available in the ATMs. We are reading on the BBC news about lines and banks running out of cash. MAybe it would be worth starting a new thread titled something like Current difficulty obtaining money in India and see if any recent travelers can reply. Failing rupees, if it was me, I'd take lots of one dollar bills.
I would agree with Joyce that trinkets are best found elsewhere than Delhi, the Tour Directors do collect trinkets from the hawkers on the street, agree a price, then bring them on the bus so people can buy without having to haggle. I like the carved elephants with the baby elephants inside, so those and tea are some of the things I remember buying at the craft place in Delhi. The teas were absolutely delicious! Beads and so on were from the bus sales. Paintings and pashmina style wraps in a great craft place, forget which place that was in, and then silk tops and linen shirts for my husband from Udaipur. Others bought precious jewelry in Jaipur--- our Tour guide warned they were not necessarily top notch or cheap---plus you have to remember you can only bring back $800 worth of goods back in the US duty free. One couple from Another country on our tour bought two huge outdoor tables embedded with stones, they paid thousands of dollars for them. Quality does vary, another woman on the bus loved a necklace I bought, bought one off a guy on the street and it fell to bits within a couple of hours, mine is still going strong.
In Vietnam, I quickly learned the 'trick' of the drivers who offer to take you to his friends' store to buy the very best 'fill in the blank' at the very best price -- I am good at saying a firm NO thank you!
And yes, Joyce, as soon as we land in Delhi, we are ready to go!! The adventure will begin...I am going to make reservations at The Spice Route - the reviews are amazing and the setting is beyond! No doubt we will sleep well that first night! But we will be ready to meet our group in the morning!!
British - Great idea about posting a topic on securing Rupees (small bills)...otherwise, my shopping habit may not be satisfied!! I too always travel with lots of $1 bills!!
Nancy
To answer your question...I would probably stick to trying to visit Akshardan Temple, which can be done in one or more hours, depending on the activities you choose. chandni Chowk is farther out and getting through it, even in a rickshaw, can be dicey. A great memory: The traffic was so horrible in Chandni Chowk at one point, that our cab driver, who was in another rickshaw, had us leave the rickshaw and walk along the street to see the various shops. As we walked, I think he was worried about us navigating through the traffic, but since we had been to Vietnam and lived to tell the tale, he soon saw we were experts! Unfortunately we had to walk along a street they were paving with fresh tar...Even after the butler at the Oberai worked on my shoes, they were never the same, and I left those shoes in Mumbai! And the best part of the story? After about 30 minutes we returned to our rickshaws that had only gone about 20 feet!! While the experience was over-the-top fun, if you are coming in later, the Temple is probably a better bet.
Joyce