Amiram Hayardeny's My China Experience

India Trip – Day Thirteen: Back to Delhi... Again

Nine o'clock departure from Haridwar to Delhi.  We weren't prepared for the unbelievable ride.  Not in a good sense.  It's merely two hundred and fifty kilometers.  One hundred and sixty miles.  We left at nine in the morning and arrived at two thirty.  Indeed, we had a thirty minute stop in the middle of nowhere for a drink.  On average fifty kilometers per hours, about thirty something miles per hour.  And we wouldn't even hit that if it wasn't for our very skillful driver, Kishan.  Kishan navigated between trucks, cars, bicycles, water buffalos, and many other vehicles sharing the roads.

We did see some pretty sites along the way.  Veggie cart with the fruits and vegetables nicely organized to appeal to the potential customers.  And believe it or not, the drying cow dung nicely organized along many of the roads we drove by.

In Delhi, waited for us the good old Clarks Inn.  Let me be as straight forward as I possibly can here.  If you want a restful night,  if you want a peaceful stay, if you're looking for a reasonably priced hotel with a reasonable return for your money – Clarks Inn is NOT what you're looking for.  Poorly placed – besides a crowded shopping mall, and at the bottom of a wedding hall, it can't provide a restful stay.

Unusually, we had the misfortune of staying here twice, ten days between.  Both stays started on the wrong foot, and were somehow corrected afterwards.  When we checked in for the first time, we noticed a loud, electric noise coming out of the wall.  We called, complained, and the room was changed to the “presidential suite”, which was indeed large, well furnished, but freezing and had little hot water coming out of the barely dripping shower.  Let me make a disclaimer here.  Unlike what some may think, I'm not the kind of guy who calls reception for every missing towel, or a hair on a pillow.  But I have my bar.  I am particularly sensitive to noise.

Therefore, before we checked in I told the guy at the reception desk, that I don't care for any luxuries, all I want is some peace and quiet before our long flight back home tomorrow.  He nodded, and went ahead to assign us to room 207.  We went up, and were reasonably happy with the room.  An hour later, the furniture in the room started a samba.  From reading about it, I realized that we were exposed to a Dance party, what some call “Trans Music”.  I am not your Dance, House, or Trans expert, but I can count decibels.  I started signing to my wife that we had to get out of there if we want to keep our hearing.  To make a long story short, our room was changed, and as I'm typing this, we're still not sure if the peace shall be kept or not.

Again, this hotel is suffering from schizophrenia.  It has the multiple personality of hotel and wedding hall.  Unable to decide which one it wants to be, the hotel guests are paying the price.  Let me state unequivocally. A hotel cannot be on top of, at the bottom of, or neighboring a wedding hall.  The reason is simple: noise.  Today's weddings generate noise levels of an aircraft carrier at times of war, of trans parties where all participants are barely conscious.

Bottom line: our hotels in India, despite all the warnings were way more than reasonable.  Some were flat out outstanding.  All with one exception had plenty of hot water, internet access - cabled or wireless.  All with one exception were quiet and welcoming.  It was a good experience.  Ten was given to the best hotels we had.  One to the worst.

Clarks Inn in Delhi – avoid at all cost.  I would cancel a trip or fire my travel agent if I had to stay here for an hour.  Zero of ten.  There are some circumstances here that must be stated.  The hotel doesn't have a chance.  It is next door to a crowded shopping mall, and has a wedding hall on the third floor.  It can't possibly serve its guest in a remotely reasonable way.  Don't come here.

Khimsar Fort Hotel in Khimsar Fort – beautiful place, a real fort, very hospitable, nice breakfast.  Rating nine of ten.

Pushkar Resorts in Pushkar – nothing fancy, but very quiet, very hospitable and probably the best hotel in the area.  Rating nine of ten.
 
Clarks Amer in Jaipur – nice room.  The eighth floor has guests rooms, a restaurant and a bar all next to each other.  If you like drunk people laughing and having a good time while you're trying to sleep – this is the place for you.  But again, the room was very nice and our rating is eight of ten..

Clarks Shiraz in Agra – small but reasonable room.  Nothing to write home about.  Excellent breakfast.  Needs a complete overhaul.  Six of ten.

Laxmi Villas in Bharatpur – Ten.  Stay even if it's out of the way.  Outstanding.

Maidens Hotel in Delhi – The room was spacious, and the hotel looked like it just went through major renovation.  Ten of ten.

Country Inn in Haridwar – Compared to the neighboring guest houses, the Country Inn is fabulous.  I'm not sure that an overnight stay in Haridwar is justified.  But if you must, Country Inn is not a bad choice.  Prepare yourself for life in a railway station, as the railway tracks are about twenty feet away from your room window... Seven of ten.

Enlightenment of the day: Adjust your expectations, if you're still pissed, call reception and demand what you pay for.

Posted at 11:36PM Feb 14, 2008 by Amiram Hayardeny in Personal  |  Comments[3]