About Hotel Sheela in Agra & Places to visit apart from TajMahal ?

yhpb

Did anybody stayed at Hotel Sheela near the TajMahal East Gate in Agra recently?.Can somebody give me some details like What kind of rooms are avilable there & the tariff details,whether it is clean..how is the staff.. etc..
I will be arriving in Agra at around 2:30 PM on 16th of March & will be leaving Agra around 11:30 AM the next day.
So, can some body suggest me a good itenary?.I am planning to visit either agra fort or Fatehpur Sikri apart from TajMahal?.Which one is better..Agra Fort or Fatehpur Sikri?

Thanks in advance,
-Hari.

steven_ber

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Bengal Tiger

go for hotel sheela if you willl, but dude, dont shell out 500 bux for just a return trip to the fort and fateh-pur sikri. you can go to delhi for lesser or thereabouts i think !!!

Bengal Tiger

find other hotels in agra here ----->> http://cityguides.indiainfo.com/agra/hotels.html

ddutta

Agra Fort Vs Fatehpur Sikri
Both the places have historical background / value. If you have time & interest then go for Fatehpur Sikri. Please hire / take with you a good guide (the person who really knows all the details about the place & can explain the history behind ) . Otherwise it will no point to visit these places merely as a visitor ie just for the sake of visit .

04274108

We took the bus to Fatehpur Sikri from the Agra bus station. I don't recall the exact price but it was definitely less than 50Rs per person. The buses leave every 30 minutes and leave FS for Agra up until 6pm. The trip takes about 90 minutes each way though but its quite an experience if you haven't taken a bus in India. There is a ticket booth at Agra station and the guy working there can point you to your bus.

We also stayed at the Hotel Sheela. You can see my review in the hotels section. They were the ones who told us how to get to FS by bus.

lyndy

Hi Bengal Tiger-we thought it was a bargain trip! To each his own, I guess.

edwardseco

Good place with a good garden, no AC..

drumbrake

Is AC needed in early February?

cazaresil

My second favorite place in Agra is Itimad-ud-Daulah's tomb. It's a beautiful tomb, described by some as a "jewel box in marble". It features the same pietra dura work that you see at the Taj, but with smaller dimensions. It's a magic place.

You should go to the Red Fort because of its historic value. Remember, the Fort was built by Akbar, the greatest of the mogol emperors. Agra was by then capital of the empire. You will see there the Musamman Burj, an octagonal tower where Shah Jahan, the emperor who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal, was imprisioned by his son Aurangzeb. Ironically, Shah Jahan would have straight view with no interference to the Taj for the rest of his life, because he remained in that place until his death. His body was of course buried in the Taj as well. So, not only the Fort is nice, but also has an immense historic value. Go for it.

Regarding Fatehpur Sikri... I think the Jami Mashid mosque in Fatehpur Sikri is one of the most beautiful in all India. I would stop as well.

Kapumana

The place is ok - clean and good garden but be VERY careful of the big guy at reception. Don't know is he's the owner (although he said not). Sure he's friendly but he is also slick - make sure you don't run up a bill - pay as you go. There were numerous rows with people over bills when we were there last year. Some one asked for a receipt and he looked like he'd been shot! Laundry costs an outrageous amount when going via him and when we arrived late and dusty and he asked if we wanted beer (which we did) it came wrapped in brown paper - he said it was illegal and charged about three times the price. The rest of the place and staff were fine and it is very convenient.
You could probably do the fort and Taj in the p.m. you arrive and possibly Fatehpur Sikri early the following morning. Don't shell out for expensive taxis - there's a bus. If you're going into Rajasthan after you could probably just go on from FS.

Good luck

edwardseco

In answer to drumbrake, no..

drumbrake

Having just got back from Agra and a shorty visit to northean India in February, I can verify for myself that aircon is not needed at this time of the year.

However, hot water is! And that perhaps is where the charms of Hotel sheela fail - having to rely on buckets of hot water after a long journey is not something I wanted.

Therefore, for anyone thinking about staying at Hotel Sheela, yes it is very convenient for the Taj, and the rooms are reasonable, but it is far from luxury and the cheaper rooms (if the more expensive ones are full) are quite sparrten.