vjv.com

Excellent but for three problems

Everything was excellent except three issues:1 On arrival we were taken to our hotel, which did not have rooms available for us. Not surprising and that is not the issue. The problem was no alternative but to use the in house restaurant, which had drink and food at almost London top end hotel prices. Ridiculous compared to the prices we paid everywhere else in India. It is not that I cannot afford these prices, but I object to feathering the nest of already rich hotel owners rather than the struggling establishments of the type we used elsewhere.2. Your pre tour advice on tipping was ridiculously high when compared with internet advice. There are two problems here: a) we wanted to give our driver and tour guide generous tips, because they were excellent, which we did, but if they were expecting tips of the magnitude in VJV advice they may have been disappointed. I am not American, so I believe that normal service should be covered by salary and that a tip is cream on the top for better than expected service. b) the size of tip advised and even the size of tip provided greatly exceed the money I ever carry in cash and per person was more than twice the maximum that could be drawn at one time from an ATM. In the age of plastic money you need to radically rethink tipping expectations.3. On behalf of one of the other couples on the tour I would like to pass adverse comment on adding one single to one couple in a car designed for three passengers, while the other four couples travel in private at the same price. Even if the couple and single are compatible, three weeks together can be a strain. I understand it also posed a problem with luggage such that they had to carry hand luggage round their feet

Date of experience: Mar 23, 2026