Andrew,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to follow up with you in greater detail, as you had kindly requested.
First of all I have to applaud your efforts in arranging such a fantastic trip with such short notice.
All of our accommodations were very nice and comfortable. The only complication was, of course our arrival in Delhi. Both Leslie and I thought that this local Delhi company was sub par in comparison to the other companies that you had enlisted in other Cities. I felt that aside from being late, and that Shayne seemed a bit less than apologetic. It was also quite difficult arranging local travel with their hired drive who did not speak any English. While I should learn Hindi, it would behoove a travel company in Delhi to hire drivers that speak English as it is bad for business otherwise. However overall it was a minor complication in the grand scheme of things.
As for the positive notes. We found both the Oberoi hotels and the Leela Palace in Delhi to have superb accommodations and service; Udaivillas had the most spectacular property and the Leela, as far as city hotels are concerned is without rival. Tree of Life, in Jaipur, was also great, and we like that it was on the outskirts of the City. We both highly recommend this location as it was very clean, relaxing, and the service saw excellent. We also like how Tree of Life encouraged visiting the neighboring villages and contributed to the surrounding communities. Leslie and I felt like we were on hour honeymoon again with the level of attention that we received.
The guides in each city also great with just one exception:
Vikram in Udaipur was our favorite. He seemed to be the most punctual, informative, professional, and kind. We felt that he took the greatest pride in both is work and appearance.
Devin in Jaipur was also great. He did a great job of leading us through the Amer Fort, as well as through the streets of Jaipur and interacting with the locals, which is actually our favorite kind of touring.
The guide in Agra (I forget his name) was informative and took great photos of us.
The guide in Varanasi (I forget his name) left a little to be desired, as he did not know how to lead us to a couple of places we wished to venture to (shops and other locations). If was almost as if he wanted to lead us to preferred stores where he had a relationship with the clerks and managers in effort to receive some commission if we were to buy something. On the night that we attended the Aarti, however, we were greeted by another guide named Prem. We thought he was great. He was perhaps not as educated as the other guides but he made us feel very comfortable as he had a very kind and genuine demeanor. He seemed genuinely friendly and happy to guide us.
Again, overall it was a fabulous trip and we could not have done it without your professional and courteous guidance. We look forward to contacting you for our next trip to my Mother Land.
:u) Our sincere thanks.
In the interim I remain,
Yours on the water,
AABAD R. MELWANI
ESQ., CMM
ATLAS MARINE PARTNERS LLC
February 2012
