Hi Simone,
In India there is a new Bread and breakfast scheme also started ( in view of coming 2010 Games).
You can search in google or in other travel blogs about bread and breakfast schemes run in Delhi
I think few of the foriegn tourists can share their experience on it.....
You can check the delhi tourism website too for the same
Also please be aware that wheather during that time would be humid and hot compared to Europe.....
Reply to this We particularly enjoyed using homestay accomodation rather than hostels and hotels while we were in India - they were immaculate and the people were very friendly and proud to tell you about their country and way of life. It was in the south but I'm sure that there must be homestays all over India? Check out IndiaMike.com for useful recommendations and reviews.
Popular homestays often get booked out well in advance so if you are confident the place is going to be good I would book ahead (none of the places we prebooked charged upfront). Hostel and hotel wise - if you are going to need to pay a deposit, I wouldn't prebook unless you are very confident of the quality. It is unlikely everywhere will be fully booked and it's good to have the option to actually look at the room you'll be staying in first - where budget accomodation is concerned, pictures and reviews are often not that reliable. We were travelling for a long time and we only ever got caught out with nowhere to stay once and that was in Japan where budget accomodation was scarce (we spent the night in an internet cafe instead).
Another piece of India travel advice we were given was to avoid eating meat - I'm not sure if it was a coincidence but we went veggie for the 6 weeks we were there and didn't get ill once (I was expecting to have a few dodgy tummies at the very least). Or maybe we just have stomachs of steel!
Check to make sure that the bottled water you buy has an unbroken seal - at the Taj Mahal you are given a bottle of water as part of your ticket and the seal on our bottles was broken. Maybe it was fine but we decided to give it a miss anyway just in case someone was refilling bottles with tap water... paranoid?!
Have a great time, I'm sure you'll love it.
Happy travels
Vikki
Reply to this It varies (many of them have different room options) but around 650 - 800INR for a double room with (hot water) bathroom aircon/fan. That includes meals too. We stayed in a fantastic one in Fort Kochin and the 800 included breakfast and all you can eat dinner and it was the most amazing food I have ever eaten. In Jodhpur we stayed at one that was more of a guesthouse type affair than a homestay (they had become so popular that they had expanded operations!) so the food was extra but the room was 350INR.
Reply to this Hi Vikki,
What was the name of this place in Jodhpur, if I may ask? And was it far away from the Meharangarh Fort / town centre? Also, whats the Fort Kochin place? Thanks.
Reply to this Hi Jai
The Jodhpur place was called Durag Niwas. It wasn't right in the centre - was near a funny department store and quite posh(ish) little complex of shops and a couple of restaurants. I think it probably would have been quite walkable to the Fort but we only had a day in Jodhpur so to make the most of our time we cheated and just got a rickshaw which cost around 20INR.
The Fort Kochin place was Beena's Homestay which again was a little bit out of town - a 10 minute walk or so but the food was absolutely amazing and they were very kind and generous people.
Reply to this Thanks Vikki. Its always good to know of these places. Shall help next time I am there. In fact, we managed to find a great homestay in Jodhpur as well. Was wondering if this was the same. I loved the homestay experience & would prefer that over a hotel stay most times.
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