Fusion food, German beer and a kickass Sufi night. That pretty much sums up my incredible experience at Factory, by Sutra. A co-working space and brewery set against a Factory theme is among the most happening places among the many breweries at Sector 29. Spread over three floors, the majestic space, dim lighting and rustic ambiance teamed with a feet tapping playlist will set you to your party shoes just right. The jute ropes, retro frames and gorgeously done bar and old school couches gave me excitement jitters.
The amounts in this guide are listed in Indian Rupees and U.S. dollars, simply because the vast majority of my readers are from the U.S. And, as always, I do not accept comps or press trips, so everything listed in this post is something I personally paid for with my own money.
Bundi: I loved our accommodation in Bundi! We booked at this homestay at a cost of $19 a night, I was sold. We had a beautiful room with an incredible view over the fort and palace. The owners were so welcoming and it was in a perfect location. Bundi is home to uniformly terrible accommodation, so this homestay is basically the only decent place in town. And the homemade dinners? Phenomenal!
Jaisalmer: I chose this wonderful guesthouse in Jaisalmer at a cost of $45 a night. Jaisalmer is home to a living fort, which means you can stay inside its walls. As cool as that sounds, I strenuously recommend not doing so. The hotels are damaging the walls of the fort due to excessive water usage, and the Indian government is even trying to pay hotel owners to leave in order to protect the complex. The guesthouse we stayed in was a 5-minute walk to the fort and I loved being able to look out on to it. The staff were so chilled-out and kind, and they helped us book a kickass tour to the desert and ghost town. Our room was gorgeous and spacious, and the rooftop terrace had a great view of the city. I loved it.
12Go Asia is my favourite travel discovery from the trip, as it made booking trains online so easy! My tip is to aim to book the most important and longest legs of your trip three months in advance, which is when tickets are released. I waited until several weeks before my departure date to book the trains and all of the ones I wanted to take were fully booked.
Uber and Ola (the Indian version of Uber) are also game-changers for India travel. They also make haggling with rickshaw drivers so easy. Just open up Uber to see what the cost would be, and then you have a maximum price for the journey. Just showing the rickshaw drivers that it was 200 rupees on Uber made a huge difference and had them dropping their prices immediately. Or, of course, you can just take Ubers around the cities, as keep you isolated from the pollution for a while.
This year, I started using Airalo, which sells local e-SIM cards for travellers. What that means is that you can buy a virtual SIM card online before you arrive in India, and then as soon as you land in the country, can switch on your data and start using it.
Travel insurance will cover you if your flight is cancelled and you need to book a new one, if your luggage gets lost and you need to replace your belongings, if you suddenly get struck down by appendicitis and have to be hospitalised, or discover a family member has died and you need to get home immediately. If you fall seriously ill, your insurance will cover the costs to fly you home to receive medical treatment.
As usual, a great post to be bookmarked!
1) Were the guest houses significantly cheaper than the hotels, or were they just where you preferred to stay?
2) Did you generally pay in Rupees, and if so, what is the best way to convert your money?
Love reading these. We are a couple (55 and 60 ) four grown up kids and first grandson is now three.
Been planning our RTW trip for so many years now.
Always something stopping us ( looking after elderly parents ) a dog etc.
Finally able to go for it and Covid!
Just shows we should never put it off but we are so hoping to finally get cracking in 2021!
Planning first stop one month in India . At least six months in total then back to the UK and plan doing it all again the year after ( but via Africa / Dubai ) the next time.
Easing lockdown reading your blog.
Thank you and Hapoy New Year !
Hi Lauren, High Five to you for enjoying life to its fullest.
I loved Jaipur and would love to go back to explore the Rajasthan. It is my dream to explore India for a year. Did you buy the entrance tickets, commute tickets, and hotel booking in advance? Thank you.
This website is the result of tens of thousands of hours of my own, personal on-the-ground research. I pay for all my travels myself, don't take sponsored trips, travel anonymously, and refuse to touch AI; all to ensure my recommendations are ones you can trust.
361 Degrees Hospitality, Chef Tanveer Kwatra, Gurgaon Bloggers, Gurgaon Hotels, Hospitality Analysis, Hospitality Bloggers, Le Meridien, LM 100, Nouvelle vague, people pile, Sid Analysis, Starwood Hotels
Le Meridien Gurgaon is finally , well and truly up & running. Expectations are high and if the launch is anything to go by, i think gurgaon is up for some kickass times. Foodies will have nothing to complain about this development. I wish this one step of Le meridien Gurgaon taking over the erstwhile much promising Pullman, Gurgaon will be the leap Gurgaon is destined for , and much deserving
if anything about Pullman Gurgaon was worth raving about was its food. Chef Tanveer Kwatra Became the star of the city with his passionate efforts and a clear and progressive culinary vision. Thankfully , That remains the same.
Tanveer heads the Kitchens of Le Meridien, and Food tastes brilliant to say the least.
La Riviera( French /Italian / Continental cuisine ) is due for a Revamp now , and that would be the first major project for Tanveer with the New Employers. Best wishes , and Hoping for the best. Its interesting times for Le meridien in India. Starwood Hotels can look forward to this property as a decisive leap towards Growth in India, and Food is the Underlying secret to success for hotels in India which has never remained hidden.
I being one of those, loved the initiative and definitely its worth to consider the theme as the soul of the hotel ( Yes, Hotels do have a soul , will explain some other day , soon ). Delhi/NCR is a lot about these virtues and thus these small little efforts sets a meaningful path to connect with the travelers and dwellers of the city.
If you are curious what all is it about , You must stay tuned to what Le meridien is upto , while i promise to give you more in depth info & analysis on how the soul of the hotel is felt and appreciated , if et all , the hotel has one. Starwoods are definitely on a spiritual journey of success , and what better place than India to write that story.
This has been the story since a long time now. With the growth story of Standalone restaurants and quality Budget Hotels , the competition has grown for 5 star hotels , and not many would say that they have coped well. I believe there is a need for a serious change in attitude and relook at strategies , and most importanly understand that standards have to be kept much higher by 5 star hotels and meet them without fail , almost all the time , to maintain the distinction between a world class hotel chain and the upcoming and strong propositions of standalone restaurants.
Sidharth Bhan Gupta , is a Hospitality consultant, Who provides professional guidance and management in the fields of hospitality , travel and events. In short , Sidharth breathes hospitality every day through his professional endeavors with 361 Degrees Hospitality, a Hospitality Management firm.He is a graduate from Institute of hotel management, Hyderabad , and has worked with Taj Group of Hotels and has thus worked in few of the most iconic restaurants of the country. Sidharth in his role at 361 Degrees Hospitality , also does research on various cuisines and topics and loves to share his findings with people et large, through his blog posts and conversations. Sidharth focus a lot on fundamentals and basics of hospitality industry , and is always on a look out for areas of improvement in the industry practices and provides his insightful views on how to improve the same. He loves to travel and is an avid blogger on travel and hospitality alike, He believes in living his life to the fullest and consider travelling , learning and spreading knowledge as the key karma of human life.You can follow Sidharth's writings and views on :Hospitality Blog : www.361degreeshospitality.wordpress.comFB Page : Travel Group : Let's Trip Group( Food) : West Delhi: A Foodies Paradise Also known as West Delhi Foodies Note on Why i Began This. I am a hospitality professional and i am extremely passionate about the same , My quest to work and learn as many restaurants , cuisines , topics as possible motivated me to not remain confined to hotel jobs and dive into the whole wide world of gastronomy , mixology , travel , food , cultures , spirits , wines , hospitality trends and so much more of the beautiful things our hospitality industry has to offer. Writing about the same was only a matter of no choice , as its through sharing knowledge that one can learn more and more. I also believe in the value that Hospitality indutry is like my mother , as the industry feeds me and helps me make my bread & butter, thus writing blogs ,initiating/ Participating in discussions ,help market a new interesting concept or helping a suffering one with my inputs are my simple ways of giving back to the industry.The experience has been great as I, in the short string of 2 years has been able to positively contribute to the industry ( In whichever small ways i choose to do) and has in due course improved my knowledge and understanding of the industry.
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