Rediff On The NeT Travel: A travel feature on millennium new year destinations in India.


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INDIA GUIDE TRAVEL DESK EVENTS AIRLINES SEARCH	Millennium Destinations: Fast Facts Reaching any of the destinations suggested during millennium high season may pose difficulties, depending on where you are beginning your journey from. Airline reservations are more easily accessible and are a better bet. Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Sahara Airlines will all be flying -- inspite of the Y2K hysteria -- even on December 31 and January 1. Indian Airlines may club certain flights together on January 1 because of poor load but destinations will not get knocked out of the network even on that day. Seats are available on most sectors except to Goa. But Indian Airines has just introduced a special flight to combat the passenger rush to Goa and at the moment tickets are available. India has one of the largest rail networks in the world. Yet at high season the rail system invariably gets overloaded and finding a seat is an uphill struggle. Rail bookings will be difficult proposition for domestic travellers and availability is often better in more expensive classes. It may be easier to reach any of these destinations by breaking the journey into different sections and taking day trains. Foreign passport holders however can avail of the tourist quota that is available from the four major metros. Tourists need to merely head to the tourist ticket booking window at the station the day before their intended journey. The window usually opens at 0800 hours and it is advisable to queue well before it opens. Driving or utilising bus services are the safest/definite option. But again it depends on where you are beginning your journey and where you are headed. How to get to and where to stay in Varanasi, Calcutta, Goa, Fatehpur Sikhri, Wankaner, Pondicherry, Kanha, Jaisalmer, Hampi, Pune Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh How to get there Indian Airlines flies into Varanasi twice a day from New Delhi and once a day from Bombay. IC 7407 departs from New Delhi at 1030 hours and reaches Varanasi at 1325 hours via Agra and Khajuraho. The one way economy class fare is Rs 3,675. IC 806 departs from New Delhi at 0940 hours and reaches Varanasi at 1155 hours via Lucknow. The one way economy class fare is Rs 3,675. IC 806 departs from Bombay daily at 0700 hours and reaches Varanasi at 1155 hours via New Delhi and Lucknow. The one way economy class fare is Rs 6,635. Jet Airways flies into Varanasi daily from New Delhi. 9W 723 departs from New Delhi at 1040 hours and reaches Varanasi at 1150 hours via Agra and Khajuraho. The one way economy class fare is Rs 3,675. The Kashi Vishvwnath Express pulls into Varanasi daily from New Delhi. The Shramjeevi Express pulls into Varanasi daily from New Delhi. Tickets: AC chair car is Rs 500 per head. AC three tier is Rs 670 per head. AC two tier is Rs 1,100 per head. AC first class is Rs 2,100. Where to stay Rooms are available in the following hotels at the following prices: Hotel Hindustan International, C-21/3, Maldahiya, tel # 0545-351484, 351485: The tariff for a standard double room is Rs 2,500 per night plus five per cent taxes. Hotel de Paris, The Mall, Cantonment, tel # 0542- 346601. Fax # 0542-348520 US $ 25 for a single room. US $ 35 for a double room. Pallavi International, Hathwa Place, Chetganj, tel # 0542-356939: The tariff for a non-AC double is Rs 615 and for an AC double is Rs 825 per night. Suites are priced between Rs 1,050 and Rs 1,400 per night., Accommodation is available to suit all budgets. Apart from the popular hotels mentioned, there are a whole range of budget hotels in the city, especially near the ghats. Calcutta, West Bengal How to get there Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Sahara Airlines all fly into Calcutta from major metros. Hundreds of trains pull into Calcutta every week from all major metros. Bombay-Calcutta and New Delhi-Calcutta trains are often very full during this season as much of India is on vacation. Foreign tourists should not have a problem and will find tickets through the tourist quota. Air travel is a better option for domestic travellers. Where to stay: Rooms are available in the following hotels at the following prices: The Park Hotel, Park street, tel # 033-2497336, 2493121. Fax # 033-2497343, 2499457. Email: Park Hotel: The tariff for a standard double room at this five star hotel is Rs 7,500 plus 20 per cent taxes Hotel Hindusthan International, 235/1, AJC Bose road, tel # 033-2802323, 2472394. Fax: 033-2800111. Email: Hotel Hindusthan: The hotel is offering a package for December 31 priced at Rs 9,999 for a couple with two children per night. The package includes meals and entry into any of the new year parties happening in the hotel. The package can be extended by a day at a 50 per discount (20 per cent discount will be offered on food). The Kenilworth, 1 & 2 Little Russel Street, tel # 033-2828394, 2828395. Fax: 033-2825136, 2821381. Email: The Kenilworth: The tariff for a standard double room per night is Rs 3,600 plus 20 per cent taxes. Fairlawn, 13A Sudder street, tel: 033-2451510, 2458766, 2458767. Fax: 033-2441835. Email: Fairlawn Hotel: The tariff for a standard double room per night is US $ 60 plus 17.5 per cent taxes; it includes meals. Goa Velha, Goa How to get there Old Goa is 10 km from Panjim, along the Mandovi river. Travelling to Goa during this month is well nigh impossible. Flights, buses and trains are all booked. Indian Airlines has introduced a special flight to Goa from December 17 to January 14, thrice a week, to combat the passenger rush by diverting its regular Bombay-Calicut-Sharjah flight. IC 597 will depart from Bombay on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1300 hours and reach Goa at 1400 before continuing on to Calicut and Sharjah. This flight will depart from Bombay's international airport. At this time the only guaranteed way of reaching of Goa and that is by road with your own vehicle or by hired taxi. Frank Shipping may restart its catamaran service later this month but they have have not confirmed a date. Where to stay Getting a reservation in Goa at this time is a major challenge. Very few hotels have rooms available and the position is very grim. Popular and reliable hotels were booked up months ago. Chances of getting rooms at the following hotels may be fairly good but the position may change in a day or two: La Flamingo, near Panjim, Bombay booking tel # 022-6182289, 6186026: Rs 9,999 per couple for four days and three nights, meals included. Goa Highland Beach Resort, Bombay booking tel # 022-2693832, 2696844 (c/o Travel Shop World Wide). Or try the following agent that is offering millennium packages for various parts of Goa at tel # 022-8302631, 8245380. Fatehpur Sikhri, Uttar Pradesh How to get there Fatehpur Sikhri is 40 km from Agra Indian Airlines flies into Agra daily from New Delhi. CD 7407 departs from New Delhi at 1030 hours and reaches Agra at 1105 hours. The one way fare is Rs 1,450. Tickets are easily available. Several fast trains serve Agra from New Delhi --- Shatabdi Express or the Taj Express are the best choices. By rail it is a four-five hour journey. The Delhi Tourism office arranges buses or taxis to Agra from Delhi. By road it takes four to five hours to reach Agra. Contact Delhi Tourism Office (DTDC) at 36, Connaught Place, tel # 011-3314229. Rail tickets to Agra are easily available. Where to stay There are a number of places to stay in Agra. Some of the best choices are: Hotel Agra Deluxe, PO Box 7, Fatehbad Road, tel # 0562-330110, fax # 0562-331330. It charges Rs 1,200 pere night for a standard double room and rooms are available. A simple hotel offering basic facilities. The rooms are carpeted and are equipped with a TV and a telephone. The hotel provides a variety of food – Gujarati, Indian, South India, Chinese and continental. Agra Ashok, 6B The Mall, tel # 0562-361223-32, fax # 91-562-361620. A five star hotel, government owned. It has all the required luxuries including a coffee shop, pool, shopping arcade, and in house restaurants serving Chinese, Indian and continental food. Its rates are about $ 75 for an air conditioned double room per night. Located city centre and near the railway station Agra Ashok is a bit far from the Taj Mahal. Hotel Trident, Fatehabad Road, tel # 0562-331818, fax # 0562-331827, 331812. The hotel is offering a package for Rs 20,300 for three days and two nights for a couple which includes entry into the new year festivities and dinner, dinner on December 30, champagne breakfast on January 1 and taxes . Located city centre and near the railway station but not that near the Taj Mahal. A three star. It offers a swimming pool and comfortable rooms. Part of the reliable Trident chain of hotels. Hotel Great Value, 10-Bansal Nagar, tourist Complex Area, Fatehabad Road, tel # 0562-330225, 330249, fax # 0562-330349. Its rates for a standard double room is Rs 800 per night and rooms are available. Located city centre and near the railway station Great Value is not that close to the Taj Mahal. This hotel belongs to the U P hotels group and they are middle range hotels offering decent accommodation. The hotel restaurant offers Indian and continental food UP Tourism operates a hotel in Fatehpur Sikhri -- Gulistan. Contact UP Tourism in Agra at tel # 0562-360517 The charge for standard rooms is Rs 450 per night and for AC rooms it is Rs 850 per night. Wankaner, Gujarat How to get there Indian Airlines flies daily to Rajkot from Bombay. CD 7145 departs from Bombay at 1610 hours and reaches Rajkot at 1700 hours. The one way economy fare is Rs 2,440. From Rajkot, Wankaner is just 39 kms away. Several trains pull into Rajkot from Bombay. Where to stay Accommodation is available at the Royal Oasis and Residency housed in the Ranjit Vilas Palace, tel # 02828-2000 for Rs 1,850 plus 15 per cent tax. Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu How to get there Pondicherry is just about 170 km from Madras. Numerous buses connect Madras with Pondicherry. It will cost about Rs 1,000 or less to do the journey by hired car. Madras is connected by air to all major metros and air tickets will be easily available. Hundreds of trains pull in every week from all major metros. Where to stay Pondicherry is fairly full this season and a number of popular hotels are booked. But if you get in touch with the helpful Pondicherry Tourism they should be able to bail you out. Call 0413-339497 between 0800 hours and 1300 hours and between 1400 hours and 1800 hours. Kanha, Madhya Pradesh How to get there The sanctuary is about 160 km east of Jabalpur and the journey can take upto five hours. Kanha is nearly 270 km east of Nagpur. Indian Airlines flies into Jabalpur from New Delhi three times a week. CD 7629 departs from New Delhi on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 1025 hours and reaches Jabalpur at 1315 hours. The one way economy fare is Rs 5,700. It also flies into Nagpur twice a day from Bombay and daily from New Delhi. CD 7129 departs from Bombay at 0545 and reaches Nagpur at 0700 hours. CD 7629 departs from Bombay at 1900 and reaches Nagpur at 2015 hours. The one way economy fare is Rs 3,720. Several trains connect Bombay, Calcutta and New Delhi with Nagpur. Where to stay Indian Adventures runs a picturesque lodge, Wild Chalet, tel # 07649-77203 (Bombay booking tel # 022-6428244) where rooms are still available. They charge 1,130 per night per person with continental breakfast plus 30 per cent new year surcharge. Jaisalmer, Rajasthan How to get there Indian Airlines flies daily into Jaisalmer from New Delhi. IC 7473 departs from New Delhi at 1000 hours and reaches Jaisalmer at 1300 hours. The Jodhpur-Jaisalmer Express which departs from Jodhpur at 2255 hours and reaches Jaisalmer at 0530 hours daily connects Jodhpur with Jaipur. The daily superfast Shatabdi, that departs at 0615 hours, connects New Delhi with Jodhpur; the journey takes six hours. Where to stay Deoki Niwas Palace, Kishan Ghat Prol, Jethwai road, tel # 02992-52599, 51202. Fax: 02992-51202: The tariff for a standard double room is Rs 2,000 taxes included plus a surcharge of Rs 1,500 for the new year dinner. Himmatgarh Palace, Ramgarh road, tel # 02992-52002, 52003 , 52004. Fax: 02992-52005: The tariff for a standard double room is US $ 80 plus a Rs 3,000 seasonal surcharge. Hampi, Karnataka How to get there Hampi can be reached by road from Bangalore or Goa. Several buses connect Goa and Bangalore with Hampi. Bangalore is ten hours and 345 km away. Goa is also ten to twelve hours and 360 odd km away. Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Sahara Airlines all fly into Bangalore from the major metros. Hundreds of trains pull into Bangalore every week from all major metros. Where to stay At Hampi there is only one decent hotel run by Karnataka Tourism, KSTDC Mayura, tel # 08394-41574. This hotel is also fully booked for the new year but the manager seemed to indicate that there could be a chance of cancellations. It is therefore worth giving a try in a week or two. Dull Hospet, 13 km has several hotels and AC rooms are available at the fairly comfortable Hotel Priyadarshini, tel # 08394-28838 for Rs 550 per night. It is prudent to mention at this point that it is not advisable to wander around the ruins at Hampi at night as recently several tourists have been robbed. Pune, Maharashtra How to get there Pune is 170 odd km from Bombay. It is possible to reach Pune by road or train in four to five hours from Bombay. Several trains, leaving through the afternoon -- the Shatabdi, Deccan Queen, Indrayani (early morning train), Pragati -- connect Bombay with Pune and tickets are usually easily available. There are convenient, comfortable and fast bus services, departing from Dadar TT in Bombay, between Bombay and Pune. It is also possible to fly into Pune from Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore. Where to stay Pune hotels have mostly not hiked their rates for the millennium and rooms are also available. You may try: Hotel Sagar Plaza, 1 Bund Garden road, tel # 020-622622, 623623. Fax: 020-622633: Email: Hotel Sagar Plaza. The tariffs for this three star hotel are Rs 3,100 for a double room plus 20 per cent taxes. Hotel Woodlands, Sadhu Vaswani Circle, tel # 020-626161. Fax: 020-623131: The tariffs for this three star hotel are Rs 1,300 for an AC double room per night. Hotel Regency, 192, Dhole Patil road, tel # 020-629411, 629412. Fax: 020-626252: The tariffs for this four star hotel are Rs 2,599 for a standard double room per night plus four per cent taxes. Hotel Blue Diamond, 11 Koregaon road, tel # 020-625555. Email: Blue Diamond: This five star hotel will charge a couple Rs 5,200 per night for a standard AC double plus 20 per cent taxes; this includes continental breakfast. Holiday Inn, 262 Bund Garden road, Pune, tel # 020-637777. Fax: 020-634747. Email: Holiday Inn Pune. Bombay booking tel # 022-2068062, 2074905: Holiday Inn offers a millennium package. From December 30 to December 31 the package is priced at Rs 8,989 per couple for two nights and three days for a double room on twin sharing basis. It includes taxes, breakfast, go karting, use of the fitness centre. Two children under six will not be charged. Children below 12 and above five will be charged Rs 500 for stay and their meals separately. Children above 12 will be charged 25 per cent of the package. From December 31 to January 1 the package is not available and a regular tariff of Rs 5,500 will be charged for a double room on twin sharing basis.
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