A rare find - a quiet hotel in New Delhi

Advantages: Calm professional staff, quiet setting
Disadvantages: If you can't get it at a bargain rate, it's not worth the price.

...Ciao must despair of some of us members and the near-geological timescale we seem to work on. I requested this hotel over three years ago and have finally got around to writing about it. Proof at last that if I'm given long enough I'll eventually get round to almost anything. When and Why? We visited Delhi at the beginning and end of a tour to Ladakh, high up in the Himalaya range. Ladakh is at such high altitude that you really can only sensibly go in the summer months and since there's no option other than to go through Delhi to get there, that's an absolutely dreadful time to be in the city in terms of the heat, but a fantastic time to get a bargain on a hotel deal. The Metropolitan was one of our summer bargains. My love for Delhi I love Delhi and nothing gives me more pleasure than to stay a few days in this...

koshkha 23.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Metropolitan Hotel, New Delhi

One of the world's best hotels - in Delhi!

Advantages: A landmark hotel
Disadvantages: It's a long way from home

...and cons of the different options and then did what every good woman should when faced with a tough and rational shopping decision. That's right, I chose the place I really wanted to stay and then developed a complex story about why it was actually not such a daft thing to do after all. I followed my heart and went for The Imperial and it was worth every penny. A word of warning on hotel taxes in Delhi ********************************** I've read a lot of Delhi hotel reviews on various websites in my pursuit of a good deal and there's one gripe that comes up time and time again - taxes for 4 and 5 star hotels. This seems to be a particular problem in Delhi, caused by the local government changing the taxation system a couple of years ago. Instead of taxes being calculated as a percentage of the room rate that you pay, the new system is...

koshkha 09.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Imperial Hotel, New Delhi

The Madonna without the corset and stockings

Advantages: great location, clean rooms, fair prices
Disadvantages: The single towel

...) on the metro from the centre of New Delhi. The journey will cost you 8 rupees or about 10 pence. It's near enough and convenient enough that we popped in and out of town several times per day. The nearest metro station is called Karol Bagh. To get to the hotel, leave the KB metro station on the side of the road where the train coming out of town arrives. Go down to the street and turn left for 50 m or so then take the first left - this is the street where the hotel is. Say hello to the security guards who sit beside the road and calm the traffic - we always think it's a good thing to smile and say hello to anyone in a uniform; you never know when you might need them. The walk is just a few blocks through an area of small shops but not the kind where anyone will try to drag you in and sell you something. The road is easily wide enough to walk in...

koshkha 17.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Madonna, New Delhi

Please don't ride on the roof

Advantages: New, clean, fast and cheap
Disadvantages: Not always easy to know where it is or where it goes

...ceiling fans; the smell of hundreds of spicy packed lunches and the feet of all your fellow passengers. Was I close? So now if I say 'state of the art metropolitan transport system that's clean, cheap, cool and should be the envy of the world' you might be confused. But this is Delhi and I'm talking about the new Delhi Metro or 'Mass Rail Transport System'. But before I tell you about the system itself, let's look at why it was needed. Why did Delhi need a metro? ***************************** Pollution - locals used to say that breathing in Delhi was like smoking 20 fags a day. The air was so thick with dirty diesel fumes that if, at the end of the day you blew your nose and had a little peek in your hanky, the bogies were black (oh please, don't pretend you don't have a look). The government took the bold step of taking all...

koshkha 08.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of New Delhi Metro, New Delhi

GURGAON a Village becomes heart of corporate India

Advantages: Scenary, Lakes, Modern and Ancient architecture, Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping and great food.
Disadvantages: Poor local authorities and everything run by Public sector.

...Hillfiger, Haagen Daz, Nike, Reebok, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Levi?s and Benetton. Due to huge investment in the region, the employment opportunity is at its best and people have a very high purchasing power. It?s a haven for Property Investors as its boasts Asia?s Largest private township called DLF city with lots of sky scrapers and top infrastructure. Infact, those of you who have watched the film, Monsoon Wedding; many of the shots of the film were taken in Gurgaon. Ways to reach Gurgaon ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Air: Indira Gandhi International Airport, at New Delhi is the nearest Airport which is hardly 7 miles from Gurgaon, hence very convenient for travellers going to Delhi to come to Gugaon. Road: It is connected by National Highway 8 (equivalent of Motorways in UK). There are several state transport buses connecting...

rishmitra 29.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of Gurgaon (New Delhi, India)

A fitting memorial to India's war dead

Advantages: It's a real gathering point and well worth a visit
Disadvantages: You'll get more out of your visit if you've done a bit of reading beforehand

...India Gate has the rare distinction of being one of the few attractions in Delhi that benefits from being visible from a great distance, rather than being crowded in by surrounding buildings. If you stand outside the Presidential Palace at the far end of Rajpath with the government buildings around you, you can look straight down this regal artery and see the 42m-high India Gate standing proudly in the distance, looking a little like an Asian Arc de Triomphe. And like the Arc de Triomphe, the India Gate also sits effectively at the middle of a giant roundabout. As befits a monument to the noble dead of the First World War, the architect Edwin Lutyens laid out the streets of this area of New Delhi to give sufficient prominence to the sacrifice of those it commemorates. It was originally known as the All India War Memorial but is now...

koshkha 05.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of India Gate, New Delhi

Delhi, hard work but well worth it

Advantages: Great people, great value, great sights
Disadvantages: noisy, crowded and hard work sometimes

...Arriving in Delhi from Bangkok, the first thing I noticed was the lack of air pollution, which was definatly not what I was expecting. I arrived at New Delhi airport in late February and after Bangkok's humidity and pollution New Delhi was litterally a breath of fresh air. The people in Delhi will stare but not as much as in other parts of India. Most will help you out when they can, however, it can be hard work in the tourist spots as the sellers are always shouting and trying to get you into their shops, but once you adopt a hard faced persona and walk quickly then it won't bother you. The sights in Delhi are amazing, however, some havn't been kept well, such as the red fort. An Indian lady who I stayed with was really upset by the Red Fort as she said she had been their 20 years ago and it had deteriated so much since then. I...

1connorse 05.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Delhi (India)

Delhi: A Cultural Melting-Pot

Advantages: Great attractions; fabulous culture; fascinating history
Disadvantages: Very noisy and polluted in parts

...I will always remember Delhi, though I am unconvinced it is entirely for the right reasons. Indubitably, the city is possessed of the omnipresent grime that clogs the capillaries of any developing metropolis; the difference being that where some such cities may be exhibiting a straightforward case of arteriosclerosis, Delhi is the outcome of consuming a McDonalds and three packets of cigarettes at every meal. Aesthetically, it can be equally pleasant. Once you get past the grotesque horrors, however, there are a wealth of things to be done. The Red Fort is probably the most famous landmark Delhi possesses, but it's almost certainly not the most impressive. Not that this is what you will be thinking when you gaze up at the rearing parapets, shrouded in clouds of soaring black kites. And a word of caution - if a rickshaw driver...

salar15 11.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Delhi (India)

The best place for Chinese food - India!

Advantages: Fantastic food, sublime service
Disadvantages: Expensive by local standards

...Zen is one of my favourite restaurants even though I can generally only eat there once or twice every year or two. 'If it's so great, how come you don't go more often?', you may be thinking. That's simple, Zen is in New Delhi and I'm not. But if I were, I'd be there so often they'd have to give me a discount for my loyalty. And since it's now only two and a half weeks until we fly off to India, my thoughts are (sad I know) already turning to thinking about my favourite restaurant that I want to visit again. It really is an outstanding Chinese restaurant and - controversial as this might sound - for me, nobody does Chinese food better than Indians. Yes, I said that was controversial and I know there will be a few raised eyebrows and sharp intakes of breath. I've been to China a lot and eaten in many top restaurants - even one where...

koshkha 01.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of Zen Restaurant, New Delhi

A Memorial to a Remarkable Leader

Advantages: A great mix of the public and private woman
Disadvantages: The crowds can be overwhelming

.... This museum that exhibits a great life, a shocking death (or two) and some morbid relics makes for a much more compelling tourist attraction than an exhibition on the history of the independence movement just down the road. A visit to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum really should be on every tourist's must-see list although you'll get more out of it if you know a bit about Indian politics. Getting there could be a bit tricky as this part of the city isn't on the metro line. The easiest way would be to get a taxi or autorickshaw. We arrived in the early afternoon to join the long line snaking down the road outside a building that was rather small and modest compared with many of its grand neighbours in the posh district of Lutyen's New Delhi. Observers often comment on the modesty of Indira Gandhi's bungalow on Safdarjang Road but...

koshkha 20.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, New Delhi