Review: Oberoi Amarvilas and a visit to the Taj Mahal

Ahhhh..it brings back my memory when I first saw Taj Mahal in person. It does look like super nice hotel. However back in the days we were in student budget so we traveled from New Delhi and back on the same day. It was rough to do it in one day. But we did see a leash bear begging for money on the way.

Hehe reminds me of visiting the Taj Mahal as a kid in the 90s, cramming 5 family members into a Hindustan Ambassador plus a driver for a day-trip from Delhi. Your trip seems a bit more luxurious :p

Thank you so much for this; something I definitely plan on doing...

Regarding the hotel, the rooms looked well kept, a bit shabby, if I may say so, from the pictures...Did it feel that way in the room? Or am I just unfortunately comparing it to new US hotels...?

Twin beds, huh?

How did you arrange transportation to all of these hotels over the course of the trip?

@ Oscar -- What am I missing?

@ blueline7 -- They definitely weren't the most modern rooms, though I found them to be charming without being shabby. This definitely isn't a place to go exclusively for the rooms, though. I don't think the pictures did it justice.

@ JetAway -- We had a driver with us the entire time. Gotta love how affordable that is in India!

Stayed here with the family on my trip to India a couple years back. Was a fantastic location, but I spent a little to much time on that toilet you pictured... 😉

Couldnt agree more about how breathtaking the Taj Mahal is in person. Spectacular.

"Amans and Oberois, damn you for ruining my impression of virtually every other hotel chain!" You are finally getting it! Next time your in Bali (yeah you love it but 10 years ago let alone in the 80's)You will find whats left of old Bali is in the regions where the Aman hotels are and the Bali of old exists. Oh and you do villas in Bali and Thailand not hotels. Excited by the Park Hyatt Sydney, 85% of the money s in the view, The Langham doesn't have the view but is a much more refined Hotel within a few minutes walk of the Park Hyatt and is in the residential area and not the tourist area. The Russell Hotel is sublime, if you can get in but don't do points. Your realiseing that the best things in life are not free!

I will break one of my cardinal rules for those who read this the superlative view of the Opera house, Cumberland Hotel, have a draught beer on the roof top for 5.00US. then walk under the bridge or through Argyle cut to the Paragon Hotel for the most famous local view of the Bridge and the Langham is in the middle. Stay at the Russell, and have a meal at the Atlantic restaurant all for less than the rack rate at the Hyatt (it only has rack rates unless you are using points and god be your bank manager if you want a view, half the hotel faces the foundations of the bridge!)Yes it's a blog about spending points but I read it for the luxury?? component of course I make allowances for the American hotel chains.

@Oscar it's a blog about travel and the perks if you want to make inuindos about some thing other than that it's none of your bushinesses and not relevant here or is your name Frank!

Butlers in high end hotels is becoming quite common practise. The only issue is that in most cases, unless in countries where staff is trained well, it remains a marketing ploy. Having a butler at an Aman (and even there, it's an exception, given that everybody in house takes care of you) is quite different from having one at a St Regis where training is poor, like in Singapore where our butler, though charming and polite,was just a former waiter who had been trained really lightly (unless you're staying at the flagship property in NYC).
However, seeing a list of services available is a really good thing. Most travelers don't have any real experience when it comes to using their services (it's not like if we all had butlers at our homes :D), tend to feel discomfortable for using them (lack of knowledge and maybe even fear because of symbolism) and therefore don't use them. By explaining these services you basically encourage the guest to use butlers without feeling discomfortable, whose cost is incorporated in the room rate !

It will really be helpful for your readers to state what it cost you to stay in your trip reports: What you paid, or how many points you burned, or if it was a stay that a sponsor provided. Some of us non travel bloggers just can not afford the mega bucks you guys pay. It will also be helpful if you put this info on TOP of the post so if it breaks our price point we...stop reading & go to the next travel blog. Just a few suggestions.

Dang it, Taj Mahal just moved up on my go to list now, thanks a lot!!

Ben- Where is the link to the Maldives portion of the trip?

@gpapadop, Lucky stated right at the beginning of the post that this place was ~$400/night

We spent New Year's here in 2004.. The view of the Taj is just magical; probably ranks as one of the best views I've ever had. I sat on the balcony each morning drinking coffee and taking it in... truly spectacular

@ Duncan -- Will be staying at the Park Hyatt Sydney in a couple of months and of course could never afford it, though I'm using points. Saving up to hopefully do the Aman Bali experience next time I'm there, as I've heard amazing things. If only they weren't so darn expensive!

@ gpapadop -- It's in the first paragraph of the actual review. 😉

@ John -- I haven't posted it yet, as that's next.

Agree you have to see the Taj Mahal in order to really understand its beauty. My favorite picture from my trip to India is a picture of the Taj Mahal taken from across the river at the Fort at sunset. I wish we had stayed at the Oberoi but that was not in the budget for that trip.

Ben- Your breakfast plate is full of Indian food. How did you like the food while you were in India? Did you get sick at all?

@ John -- Loved, loved, LOVED Indian food! Only got sick once... on a five hour car ride to Delhi. Worst five hours of my life. I'll stop there...

Luck is right, seeing the Taj "in person" is a completely different experience from seeing pictures of it. It somehow seems to shimmer in front of you - it's like it's alive, moving. In pictures it's just pretty. In person it's utterly amazing, almost transcendental.

Of course I'm sure it looks even better with a "ladies high value ticket"...

I've been to India twice on business, total of 4 weeks, gotten sick from food once. I recommend staying and eating in good quality hotels, or eating in restaurants you've carefully "vetted" beforehand.

I was in India for two months. I agree eating in good hotels helps and choosing high end restaurants. I watched everything I put in my mouth. I had no ice for 60 days and drank a lot of bottled water (make sure the bottle is opened in front of you). I missed getting a really nasty bug by 5 or 6 days. Two of my coworkers went out to eat together and both got giardia (sp?). If I had been in country at the time I would have been at dinner with them.

In India, do people respect personal space or is it pretty much pushing and shoving at tourist destinations?

@ Dan -- I think in the US people are extreme with personal space. For example, you see empty seats on the subway/train all the time where people choose to stand instead of sitting next to someone. People definitely get a bit closer in India and push quite a bit, though not much worse than other places, in my opinion.

I am not sure why tourists to India insist on taking a taxi or private car for long distances. In cases where the train is impractical, I would think a bus would be more comfortable. Of course bus service runs the gamut in terms of quality, but I'm sure you can find a high quality bus service on such busy routes. A good bus will be more comfortable than a private car, or god forbid, an auto rickshaw, for anything more than a couple of hours. On rough roads the motion of the bus will be less, simply because it's a much bigger vehicle. Sit near the front or middle if you get motion sick. Take a taxi at the other end to get to your final destination. Buses are safer and you won't get nearly as many stares from pedestrians.

Hi Lucky--
I love reading your reports. Did you post a report for your flights to/from India. I'm wondering which airlines are the best in that region and it would be very helpful if you posted a TR on the flights. thanks!

@ NYCFLYEr -- Sadly never got around to it. I flew American on a service which has been discontinued in the meantime, unfortunately. Nowadays if flying to/from India I'd say you're generally best off using Star Alliance miles.