To book or not to book.....

Whether you decide to pre-book hotels in India is often governed by the kind of trip you're taking and how long you'll be there.  Backpackers, often looking for the cheapest deal, usually won't book in advance and this is all part of the the adventure.  But if you're older (and perhaps wiser) and not looking for the big adventure, you might want to think about booking at least some of your hotels before you arrive.

My own experience is something of a mixed bag.  If travelling with someone else, you'll often be more relaxed about where you stay.  If the hotel is at the cheaper end, a friend to share the experience with really does make it easier.  If you're travelling alone, meals tend to take less time and you will almost certainly use your accommodation more as a retreat and a quiet space for reading etc and so it really should be comfortable. 

I've used three basic patterns in hotel booking during trips to India.

• High end backpacking
• Part booked, part chance
• Fully booked

High End Backpacking

I only call it this because the hotels I stayed in with friends were varied, the cheapest being INR 700 per night, the most expensive being about INR 3500 per night, which sits outside the normal backpackers budget.  First time or even hardened backpackers are usually looking for accommodation between INR 500 and 1500 per night and I've known groups boast about how cheap their accommodation is, although they can be just as willing to complain about just how basic it is.  In reality you can get reasonable accommodation for between INR 1000 and 1500 a night, particularly in less touristy places or smaller urban areas.  In bigger towns and cities, expect to pay more without huge increases in the quality of what's on offer.  This way is usually better if you have a good guidebook with a list of accommodation (I'd recommend Footprint or Rough Guide) or know someone who's already been where your heading and can make recommendations.

Part booked, part chance

This offers a bit more security because it gives you fixed points in your itinerary where you know that comfortable beds, hot showers and laundry await.  The idea is to alternate the quality of accommodation based on what's available.  I'd recommend the first night after arrival in a good hotel on the basis that most people fly through the night and don't sleep well so will want a good nights sleep when they arrive.  You could then chance accommodation, particularly in touristy areas where you know you'll get the choice.  On average, following this pattern, I'd try a 1 in 3 ratio, with a good hotel and then two cheaper ones.  There's also some sense in returning to the same hotel if you're using Delhi or one of the other big cities as a travel hub.  You can often arrange to leave a bag and collect it when you come back through, although you may need to make another booking to do this.  This is useful if you end up carting a lot of stuff around.

Fully Booked

This is the way I tend to go if I'm travelling alone, especially if I don't know the place I'm going to.  Sometimes the hardest job is locating hotels in the places you want to go and this is particularly hard if you're heading off the beaten track.  I tend to turn to the Footprint guide to India if I'm looking at a more remote location, but be aware this will normally mean a telephone call at an odd hour, often with someone with limited English. Another good place to look is IndiaMike http://www.indiamike.com/ which has lots of useful reviews and traveller stories.

Last year I spent a month in India on my own and pre-booking all my accommodation really helped.  I also arranged for Hotels to collect me from the train station, avoiding the 'your hotel has burned down/is full/is out of business' scam and allowing me to orientate myself a bit.

I've found its useful to do a simple itinerary in Microsoft Excel, this is useful for both budgeting and leaving a bit of tracking data back home so people know where you plan to be at what time.  I've given an example of the kind of itinerary I use below. This itinerary is fully costed with real hotels and flights/trains but it is in the mid to high range with some internal flights, first class rail and good quality hotels.  The itinerary takes you from Delhi to Rajasthan and on to Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh via Tamil Nadu.  Pretty action packed, and whilst not the cheapest it takes you from some of the highlights of Southern Rajasthan to lesser visited parts of the country.

		Depart	Time	Arrive	Time	Train/Flight No.	Travel Cost INR	Travel Cost GBP	Hotel Name	Hotel Cost INR	Hotel Cost GBP
											£0.00
26	Thurs	Manchester	08:40	Delhi	23:55	LX391	INR 33,679.20	£420.99	Comfort Inn	INR 3,500.00	£43.75
27	Fri	Delhi	13:20	Kota	19:40	12060	INR 524.00	£6.55	Umed Bhavan	INR 4,000.00	£50.00
28	Sat							£0.00	Umed Bhavan	INR 4,000.00	£50.00
29	Sun	Kota	09:00	Bundi	09:36	29020	INR 509.00	£6.36	Bundi Haveli	INR 2,500.00	£31.25
30	Mon							£0.00	Bundi Haveli	INR 2,500.00	£31.25
1	Tues	Bundi	17:35	Kota	18:50		INR 509.00	£6.36	Palkiya Haveli	INR 1,800.00	£22.50
2	Weds	Kota	08:50	Jaipur	12:50	12977	INR 883.00	£11.04	Pearl Palace	INR 1,800.00	£22.50
3	Thur							£0.00	Pearl Palace	INR 1,800.00	£22.50
4	Fri							£0.00	Pearl Palace	INR 1,800.00	£22.50
5	Sat	Jaipur	17:50	Delhi	22:40	12016	INR 585.00	£7.31	Comfort Inn	INR 3,500.00	£43.75
6	Sun	Delhi	06:15	Gwalior	09:35	12002	INR 519.00	£6.49	Usha Kiran	INR 5,000.00	£62.50
7	Mon							£0.00	Usha Kiran	INR 5,000.00	£62.50
8	Tues	Gwalior	23:36	Warangal	19:30			£0.00	Train	INR 0.00	£0.00
9	Weds				19:30	12616	INR 2,511.00	£31.39	Suprabha	INR 2,000.00	£25.00
10	Thurs							£0.00	Suprabha	INR 2,000.00	£25.00
11	Fri	Warangal	21:10	Chennai				£0.00	Train	INR 0.00	£0.00
12	Sat				08:15	12760	INR 1,706.00	£21.33	Annsun	INR 3,000.00	£37.50
13	Sun							£0.00	Annsun	INR 3,000.00	£37.50
14	Mon	Chennai	18:10					£0.00	Train	INR 0.00	£0.00
15	Tues			Hyderabad	08:00	12759	INR 1,900.00	£23.75	Sai Prakash	INR 1,540.00	£19.25
16	Weds							£0.00	Sai Prakash	INR 1,540.00	£19.25
17	Thurs							£0.00	Sai Prakash	INR 1,540.00	£19.25
18	Fri	Hyderabad	06:25	Delhi				£0.00	Train	INR 3,500.00	£43.75
19	Sat				09:05	12429	INR 3,858.00	£48.23	Comfort Inn	INR 3,500.00	£43.75
20	Sun							£0.00	Comfort Inn	INR 3,500.00	£43.75
21	Mon							£0.00	Comfort Inn	INR 3,500.00	£43.75
22	Tues	Delhi	01:15	Manchester	08:30			£0.00
							Travel Total	£589.79		Accom Total	£822.75

Discounts

Its always worth trying to get a cheaper room in India and this is often easier on the spot rather than booking in advance.  Be aware though that there are many advertised discounts for travel during the hotter part of the year (May June July).  These can be as much as 50% so always ask, whether booking by phone or email.  

Five of the best....

Here are five of my favorite hotels in India
Jaipur - Pearl Palace Heritage http://www.pearlpalaceheritage.com/
Ahmedabad - Hotel Ritz Inn http://www.hotelritzinn.com/
Gwalior - Taj Usha Kiran http://www.tajhotels.com/leisure/usha%20kiran%20Palace,gwalior/default.htm
Orchha - Sheesh Mahal http://www.mptourism.com/web/book_now/mpstdc_hotels.aspx
Chittaurgarh - Bassi Fort Palace - http://www.bassifortpalace.com/