- India
- (281)
-
Its a great place ... for fun enjoy and a peaceful environment.
Beaches are spreading beauty ... just want to say wow!
In Arambol I've been to a nice place called Samsara, it's on the beach in the middle of the bay.
It's managed by funny Italian guys, they have nice beach huts, pretty clean. I did yoga classes there everyday. They have a cool Italian restaurant, at night they make nice parties around the bonfire.
Because I went and I really like the food I ate there.Best service and best food are in Phulwari restaurant in the whole of Varanasi City.
Jimmy
Phulwari Restaurant Near Godowlia Crossing,besides the Bright Studio
The hotel has decent air-con rooms for a reasonable price (I got 50% off the ratecard so barter hard) - nothing special, but better than many. The reason I am recommending it is the staff, who were absolutely fantastic. I arrived in a bit of a state and they took care of me, and went far above and beyond the call of duty in trying to re-arrange my flight home. They could not have been more kind and that makes a big difference when you're travelling alone so I highly recommend this hotel (at least in the immediate future, presuming that the staff don't change!).
Pahar Ganj, on the left-hand side as you walk away from New Delhi station (about 100m down).
This shop sells a wide range of handicrafts and textiles from its two branches, and is run by a very nice family. Whilst it is very difficult to gauge honesty and fair prices in India, I really believe that I got quality goods at a fair price. They also organised a courier for me, and packaged all my goods up to post (even those that I had bought elsewhere) and did all this for free. Everything arrived back in the UK with no issues, and I know that they got me a good price for the courier as I checked it with my hotel. Highly recommended.
One branch is on the main road leading away from the centre near the clock-tower, and the other is to the left of the clock-tower through the market.
Don't let the disappointing City Palace in Jaipur put you off visiting the Amber Palace which is perched on a hill-top about 15 minutes' drive out of town. It is beautiful and huge, and full of interesting things to see. I hired a guide instead of the audio tour (but ignore the fake guides at the bottom of the hill, and make sure you talk to any potential guide for a while first to get a sense of how good they'll be) and it was one of my best experiences in Rajasthan.
Hire a taxi in Jaipur to take you.
As a tourist, I got a lot of hassle in India from rickshaw drivers, shopkeepers, hotel owners and general touts. The best thing I ever did was to learn to say 'I don't want it', 'Go away' and 'That's too expensive' in Hindi. It makes people stop hassling you faster than anything you could say in English, possibly because it shows that you're not a brand-new arrival to India. Also good is to learn 'my name is...' which gets a great response from local people rather than just replying in English.
Get a phrase book or (better) get someone to teach you when you arrive.
Instead of trekking accompanied by 50 ponies plus handlers, guides and cooks (which somewhat destroys the peace and quiet of the Himalayas), stay in local homestays instead. It means that you only need a small bag to carry clothes etc, as all food plus water refills and bedding is provided. We didn't even have a guide but used a good map and compass, and it was so much better to be able to go where we wanted, when we wanted, rather than being constrained by a guide's plan. The homestays were fantastic and a great way to meet local people and eat local food. We even learnt a bit of Ladakhi and helped people learn some more English. The company which started the homestay is also a charity which works with villagers to preserve the local environment and wildlife, so you're actually doing some good too. The whole thing felt like a really valid exchange, with everyone benefitting.
Himalayan Homestays - several of the tour operators in Leh will help you book this, but you have to ask as they would prefer to sell you an expensive guided trek (of course). You can buy a map of the homestays, with suggested routes (choice of three) for 150Rs.
If you spill something down your suit on the first day, then Burlington’s in the mall at the Taj Mahal Hotel will make you a very reasonable tailor-made suit overnight.
Taj Mahal Hotel www.tajhotels.com
Indigo Colaba: +91 22 5636 8999
The new place for doing business is the Bandra Kurla Complex; the Grand Hyatt is five minutes away and is very good, with an Italian restaurant that serves excellent pizza. The area’s a bit grungy but the hotel has its own ten-acre plot and once inside it has everything you’d want – including faxes in the rooms and Wi-Fi.
There’s a restaurant called Indigo Colaba, which is just adjacent to the business district of Nairman Point, and it serves very good European food with pan-Asian influences and has a lovely ambience. It’s very popular, so get your hotel to book you a table.
Because the traffic is so bad in Mumbai, if you're there on business it is a good idea to have your meetings and do your entertaining at the hotel you are staying at, rather than having to traipse around town. Most of the big international hotels have suites and meeting rooms and good restaurants attached to them.
In India, when you hire a car you automatically get a driver included - which is a very good idea as I personally would not recommend driving in such a hectic town, especially if you're used to northern European/US traffic.
This is an ideal way to get from meeting to meeting, as the driver is at your disposal all day and will come and go as you require. It also works out to be a cheaper alternative to booking individual taxis, especially if your company has a set rate with a particular hire car company.
Major hire car companies such as Hertz, Avis, etc.
Be careful at Mumbai airport because porters will load your bags on to trolleys the minute you have your back turned and then charge you for the privilege. If you do want a porter it is always best to negotiate the price beforehand.
Sunday night is a good time to walk along the beach. A lot of local families etc. go every week before sunset.
Main beach
For the best, fresh Indian food, try Mahet's Lunch Home on the Juhu Road. You can choose your own (huge) live crab and have it cooked in whatever way you like. All their fresh fish is fantastic. It's also very reasonably priced. You'll find it 100-200 yards from the JW Marriott, Juhu as you turn left out of the hotel.
Juhu Road, Juhu, Mumbai
If you will be using your mobile a lot to speak to the UK, either to make or receive calls, then consider buying a local sim card. Remember you will either need an unlocked phone or to buy a local phone as well. Making calls to the UK is in the order of 10p per minute, local calls and texts are a lot less. The difference between these costs and roaming charges soon pays back the approx £12 cost of the SIM. Even if you buy a cheap phone in India then you start pay back after about an hour of calls. Watch out for Indian roaming charges because mobile rates are by the state you are in. So if you move from Mumbai to, say Delhi, you get into roaming charges on your Indian number. Still, though, very much cheaper than roaming with your UK number! Check out the calling abroad rates on your UK mobile - they are probably a lot less than roaming abroad so forward your UK mobile to the Indian number. You can usually do this via an internet connection. Finally, remember to divert both your personal and business mobiles. If you are not going to buy an Indian SIM forward your personal mobile to your business phone so that calls into your personal phone cost you at your contract rate.
If you're a member of a club back in London, check to see if it has a reciprocal with the Royal Bombay Yacht Club - if not, try blagging! Food and bar is very cheap - really nice views of the bay and it's got a 'last days of the Raj' feel to it.
If you're just in Mumbai for the day, passing through, stay at the Leela. It's a good five-star hotel two minutes from the international airport. Mumbai is a fantastic city but traffic can be a problem so if you don't have to journey into her, don't.
I've stayed in the Taj Hotel and even on business expenses, the non-Indian spirit prices are totally disproportionate to the food/other drinks. Find a local off license and buy Honey Bee Indian brandy. Not only is it cheap and delicious, it also stops any bad tummies - four trips to India and I can vouch for this. It also has the most fabulous retro label which I hope they never change!
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
Search Been there
