Staying in Delhi

Connell

Hello people

I am going to be staying in Delhi for the first time in November, i will be there for 2 months studing, i will not have a great deal of time whilst i am filling my head with Geek soup, but once i have finished i am free to travel and explore this Fantastic country. so on that if anyone can give me advice on where to go things i should try (food) it would be a great help, Ive got bags of time and a healthy budget and no intention of rotating back to the rat race until i am skint or deported.

Ta.

kullukid

Hi, India is a very big place i think you need to be more specific on what areas interest you i.e. beach mountains etc by the way i'm in Leeds. kk

Connell

Thinking about Goa i like the beach and night life, love wild life, lions tigers and bears, there's a place in Darjeeling i would like to go to its the windamere hotel, sun rise's sun set's. anywhere i can have a good adventure and tell my gandchildren.

Judi

Darjeeling's fabulous - but I think you could give the Windamere Hotel a miss .... purely a personal view, we spent New Year 2004 there, and bizarre wasn't the word. A blazing log fire in the bedroom was a delight, but the food was dire, most of the staff not exactly welcoming and many of the non-Indian guests were a nightmare. Still, it was an interesting experience! We moved to the New Elgin, which was a far, far nicer place to be.

I can highly recommend Kolkata - we loved it, and especially our stay at the Tollygung Club. I cna give you further details if you are interested.

Maybe we should have a North of England IM Meetup - I'm near Otley!

Connell

Thanks Judi the two places you recommend sound great send us the info please.

How do you arrange a north of england IM meetup just post a thread?

Judi

Hi Connell

I'll post the details for both those places tomorrow (need to dig out the info) and I don't have time this evening, I'm afraid.

Re: Northern Meet - or any other meet for that matter, yes, just start a thread, see who's interested, and then we just choose a date, time and venue to meet up. It seems to work in other cities, so I don't see why we can't get it to work in Yorkshire, do you?

Connell

Thats Great Judi, leave it with me and i will sort it.

On ilkley- le- moor by Tat on ilkley-le-moor by Tat. sorry could not resist

Judi

Hi Connell

Here's the info. I promised you:

Kolkatta: www.thetollygungeclub.com

It's a 'country club' in the South of Kolkatta, set in 100 acres of gorgeous gardens. Have a look at the website. We found it a wonderful oasis when Kal got just a bit too much for us. The staff are very friendly, the food is good, you can swim, play golf, ride, play squash, walk or just hang out either in the grounds or the several bars. It's about 10 minutes walk from the underground, and about 15 minutes (max) into the centre of Kal. It cost about 2600 rupees for a double room (which includes temporary membership of the club). We were 'adopted' by several of the other guests there (all Indians, I might add). I really can't recommend it highly enough,for someone who wants a bit of luxury without paying an arm and a leg.

Darjeeling: Same goes for this one. www.elginhotels.com

I think we paid just about the same here as in Kal. It's reputed to be the oldest (i.e longest established) hotel in Darjeeling, and is in a very quiet situation, but just of the main square (Chowrasta). Log fires, wood panelling, great food, friendly staff ..... but not at all pompous like the Windamere. However, the Windamere is definitely worth a visit, for drinks on the terrace, say - it's got fabulous views over the valley towards Sikkim.

I can also highly recommend travelling to Darjeeling in at least one direction on the Toy Train. A fabulous trip, through fascinating countryside and real contact with local people!

By, the wind's 'owling ower that theer moor tonight, better not go wi'out mi 'at.

Nick-H

I think I've just added a couple of place to my want-to-see list! Thanks Judi.

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Connell

Thanks Judi i shall be visting them both. Maximum loaf.

Connell

Could i catch a train from Delhi to Darjeeling? and if so how long would it take and would the service be affected by the weather, it will be early Feb when i vist.

Judi

Hi Connell - sorry for the late reply, but I've been away for a few days.

Yes, you can get a train from Delhi to New Jalpaiguri, then either go by Toy Train, or jeep on up to Darjeeling. We went up by jeep, down by train, but that was because there is often fog on the plain in january/February - our overnight train was delayed by 7 hours, and we missed the train connection up. So, yes, the weather can affect the trains!!