More Traveler Reviews of The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra
Superb
from A TripAdvisor User on 2005-06-04
Delightful, spacious room with a truly unforgettable view of the Taj Mahal. Lovely public areas, excellent service and food and one of the most beautiful hotel pools I have ever seen. Very efficient and comfortable arrangements for transporting guests to the Taj Mahal.
Definitely worth the expense
from NRT on 2005-05-14
Everything about this hotel is fantastic. The grounds, the common areas, the pool and the rooms. Also, the view of the Taj Mahal is amazing. I understood that the hotel was close to the Taj, but I was surprised how close it actually is (it is much closer than it appears in the pictures posted on the hotel website). Every room has an incredible view of the Taj, and the rooms with a balcony are best.
In addition to the quality of the facility, the service is first rate. Oberoi is noted for excellent service, and the Amarvilas lives up to the reputation. Also, the food at the Indian restaurant is incredible. It is the best Indian food I've ever had, and I would highly recommend a meal there.
I know that this hotel is pricier than others in Agra, but I'm sure that it is worth the expense. I think we went past most of the other major hotels in Agra, and I have to say they looked pretty basic (even those that are supposed to be "luxury" hotels).
The only other hotel that looked decent was the Mughal Sheraton, but it is not the Amarvilas. The Sheraton does have an excellent Punjabi restaurant called Peshawri. If you are in Agra for two nights, have one dinner at the Amarvilas, and one dinner at Peshawri.
The Only Place to Stay in Agra(vation)!
from A TripAdvisor User on 2005-05-05
OK its a bit pricey but this hotel really is THE place to stay in Agra.
Firstly the views of a Taj on the hotel's website and brochures aren't a marketing gimmick - you really do get a great view of this wonderful building from the rooms, the lounge, etc. It actutally seems closer than the hotel's marketing photos seem to show.
The hotel itself is really plush with all of the facilities you could expect.
Staff are very helpful and the no tipping policy doesn't leave you fumbling for rupees every time you need to help from any member of staff. You can leave tips in an enevelope when you check out which is better.
The hotel offers a free 'golf cart' shuttle service to the entrance gate to the Taj which is a nice touch.
Other than the main tourist attractions such as the Taj and the Fort, I didn't like Agra as a city much and found the touts a real pain. However, this hotel is an oasis of calm and a wonderful retreat after a day in Agra.
We ate in the Indian restaurant which was very good.
Overall, you can probably visit the main sites in Agra on a single day trip so may not need to stay over in this city, but if you do then its well worth pushing the boat out to stay at this wonderful hotel.
Adorable Amarvilas
from A TripAdvisor User on 2005-03-31
We stayed in January as part of a tour in a terrace room overlooking the Taj it was amazing there is nothing to fault whatsoever!
The view of the Taj at dusk is spectacular, the pool is unbelievable, the indian restaurant is to die for,a total experience AAAAAAAAAAAA+
Probably one of the best hotels in the world second to the Peninsula in Hong Kong
Perfect place to stay
from chikuben on 2005-03-24
This hotel was the best hotel I have ever stayed at. The Oberoi group really knows how to do luxury right - immaculate grounds, the most perfect location in Agra, wonderful staff, and the great "no-tipping" policy where you give your tip in one lump sum at the end of the stay, make it a relaxing place to stay in a hectic country.
The view of the Taj Mahal was perfect. I assumed it was a advertising gimmick and in reality the Taj Mahal would be very far away, but it was very close by and looked amazing at sunrise and sunset!
The rooms were very luxurious and well-kept. The teak wood floors and the gorgeous Indian furniture really enhanced the beauty of an already beautiful room. The marble bathrooms were also wonderful.
The restaurants were good, but catered more to the foreigner with foreign and Indian bottled water on the menu (the Indian water is perfectly fine and much cheaper) and had a large amount of sandwiches and soups. Indians make Indian food better than they do American food, so do try the Indian items on the menus!
Great Hotel with Great Restaurants
from CraigCT2 on 2005-03-17
We spent 2 nights here in February 2005. As this was our first destination in India, we needed a quiet, luxurious place to recover from our flight and the 4 hour drive from Delhi to Agra. The Amarvilas fit the bill well. We had a very spacious room with a deck overlooking the pool and the Taj Mahal in the distance. The bathroom was also quite large. There are two restaurants at Amarvilas - one continental and one Indian. A huge breakfast buffet, included in our rate was served in the continental restaurant. We had dinner in both restaurants - we ordered the excellent vegetarian thalis on both occassions. There was entertainment in the Indian restaurant as well as out by the pool at dusk. Service was flawless from arrival to departure. In all a wonderful experience.
Great Hotel. Great Location
from DaveHarrop on 2005-01-02
My wife and I stayed at the Oberoi Amarvilas for one night in January 2003 on our way to the Taj Mahal. The hotel is palatial, the service fantastic and I got a sense that the staff took real pride in their hotel and serving their customers. We arrived in the late morning and was quite hungry. Breakfast had finished but the staff made us breakfast anyway which was delicious. Rooms are fantastic with great views of the Taj. Well worth building into your itinery if you're planning a visit to Agra.
Stunning!
from GAN_trip on 2004-11-29
Arrival at the villas is part of the experience . The space allocated for fountains and columns is vast, the lobby - worth a photograph itself. In so many ways it vies to be a tourist atrraction in its own right - you quickly feel you are in your own palace and tourists should be visiting you! The staff here know the difference between service and obsequiousness - they are confident - happy and seem to take a real delight in the hotel and the looks on the faces of guests.
We stayed in a room with a balcony overlooking the fantastic pool and with a great view of the Taj Mahal. November is a great time to visit as the heat and humidity are fine. The hotel has placed lamps that give off a vapour with the aroma of bergamot - ( while we were there )
The Indian restaurant was first class and friends of ours used the more international restaurant which they were less enthusiastic about - In many of the places I stayed when you just can't face another curry - an international menu is just what you want - but it will not taste like home.
The proximity of the Hotel to the Taj ( 600m) allowed us to get there at first light - before the majority of tourists and be back for a late breakfast - what more could you ask
The only place to stay in Agra
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-11-15
If you can afford it, this is by far the best, dare I say it, the 'only' option in Agra. The hotel is absolutely stunning with a location that you can only dream of - every room in the hotel has unspoilt views of the Taj Mahal surrounded by a carpet of trees. This is not just the usual marketing hype - I cannot stress how good the views really are, and include your bedroom, spa and communal rooms.
We stayed in a deluxe/standard room, which was impeccably furnished with a mixture of traditional furniture and modern amenities: it is both comfortable and elegant with a bathroom that was simply delightful - always a bonus for me! If we'd splashed out a little more for a superior room then we'd have had our very own balcony with a view of the Taj too! The only downside to the room was that it smelt a tad musty/damp at the time we stayed (Nov 04) - no doubt a teething problem with the ventilation for this relatively new hotel but worth mentioning to your travel agent ot the hotel when booking as some rooms maybe better than ours in this respect.
The service was superb and there is a policy of no direct tipping to individual staff in the hotel, which in no way affects the attentiveness of the staff who go out of their way to be helpful and professional at all times (it is also a welcome change from many other 5 star hotels in India where staff can be too obtrusive in their bid to gain as many tips as possible - you may make an undisclosed communal tip at check-out).
The spa facilities and pool are fabulous too - make sure you take an evening dip, lit only by lamps and the stars!
Dining - food, setting and service - is just what we'd come to expect, excellent!
Definitely recommended!!!
Deluxe hotel with a stunning view on the Taj Mahal
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-08-30
This hotel was extremely luxurious. The room was very spacious, comfortable and well appointed. The staff was very nice and professional.
Our room had a stunning view on the Taj Mahal.
The place to stay in Agra!
