Hotel Sheela

Hi Myself and my daughter are going to Agra on the 8th April and we are thinking of booking in at the Hotel Sheela. Has anyone stayed there and if so what do you think of it? It looks really pretty and its recommended in the Lonely Planet but it would be nice to get some feedback

Thanks Julie

Hotel Sheela

Hi, Julie!

Agra is far from my favourite city in India -- in fact, my advice to people going there is ';get there before sun-up, see the Taj, and be on your way to somewhere else by breakfast time';. Because of this, I have to say that I found Hotel Sheela an absolute pearl. It is one of very few hotels which allow you to actually do what I advise and still get a good night%26#39;s sleep before your Taj visit, because its location is about fifty metres from the ticket office to the Taj (so close that if you get an autorickshaw to take you to the Sheela, you will have to get out and walk for the last 200 metres, as the area around the Taj is an autorickshaw-free zone). We didn%26#39;t even arrive there till around 12:30 after midnight, but the room (which we had pre-booked by phone) was waiting and comfortable, and we woke up, without any prompting, at 5:20 (the office wasn%26#39;t open that early and we had to wake someone up to open the large gates, which are locked at night). After a quick shower in our ensuite, we were out the gate at 5:40, and there, just up the street, was a deserted ticket office ready to open at 6 a.m. There%26#39;s an ATM opposite (you%26#39;ll need it... the Taj%26#39;s entry price for foreigners is twice the cost of a room at the Sheela), and by the time we used that, four or five other early-risers had turned up, and then the office opened for business. We strolled around the Taj grounds as the sun came up, with only about twelve or twenty people in the place.... the only way to do it (I can say that with some confidence because we spent two-and-a-quarter hours there, and after around 7:30 it was starting to get VERY crowded, and you couldn%26#39;t line up a photograph without having 689543728 people crowding into it; when we left, and walked out past the same ticket office, there were tour buses jostling for space in the car park, school groups being ushered in, and a queue at the office which would have taken at least an hour of waiting for the potential customers. We went back to the Sheela and breakfasted, and then strolled back out, and by that time it was even worse... the first day-trippers from Delhi had all turned up, and there were almost as many touts as customers; think of Disneyland on a half-price day).

So, with that location, allowing that ';sunrise scenario';, the Sheela would have to be recommended even if it were basic in the extreme. However, our room was reasonably new ( if plain) and in good condition; we had our own shower and toilet, and everything was clean; and the grounds of Sheela (well-fenced and bolted from the outside world) are pretty and park-like, worth a few minutes just to stroll around in. Altogether a very pleasant experience in not-so-pleasant Agra.

I thoroughly recommend the Sheela!

Hotel Sheela

Thank you so much for your helpful comments I am really loking forward to this now.

It sounds absolutely ideal and in such pretty surroundings. We are planning to travel from Agra to Haridwar, do you know how I buy train tickets and where the trains run from?

I know this may sound a weired question but I have never been before and am a little worried about these things. I would really appreciate any advice you could give.

Thanks Julie

Hi, Julie!

When we were in India in 2004, all the major stations were computerised, and you could buy tickets from anywhere to anywhere from any of them. At places like Delhi and Mumbai there are special booking facilities just for tourists, but this is mainly to deal with the queues and language problems that may otherwise beset you at regional railway stations. However, if you are travelling from Agra, there shouldn%26#39;t be any language problems when you%26#39;re buying tickets... can%26#39;t promise about the queues, however!

You need to play around with this site: www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_metro_trns.html. It will tell you all the timetable information you need. Always hit ';all classes';.... although it doesn%26#39;t sound like it, ';Sleeper Class'; is about as desirable as actually travelling on the railway line sleepers.

I found one daily train from Agra Cantt to Haridwar: Train 2477 (Utkal Express), departing 1058 anf getting there 2030. 1058 is a good departure time (858 would have been better) as it will allow you plenty of time to see the Taj and get to Agra Cantt, which is quite a way from the Taj (I think it took us around 20 minutes by autorickshaw).

hello ..

just roaming around for my own specifics got around to see your post.

i am an indian citizen.

and to your latest querry ..

i would suggest that you use a website ..

www.irctc.co.in

after little bit of registration, u can plan your journey and most probably u can also pay online for E tickets and see all options ,and get a printed ticket with you before you start travel

as said above , SLEEPER CLASS or SL is only for general everyday travellers for work and will most probably ruin your mood if you dont like crowdy atmosphere, try to selects the AC 1 or 2 or at least ac 3 classes