PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This huge hotel and convention center at the edge of town tends to feel very busy, which can prove a real nuisance. Nevertheless, the red-sandstone buildings (more reminiscent of a modern library than a palace) are wonderfully set on 10-hectare (25-acre) grounds with well-tended gardens, lovely walkways, fountains, and pergolas -- you can even take a camel ride through the grounds. Unfortunately, the hotel's size and the rather brusque staff can make your stay here memorable for the wrong reasons: Here you pass through a security scanner on your way in (a silly homage to terrorist paranoia), but you're more likely to feel threatened by the large numbers of tourist and conference groups that regularly flood the newly enlarged lobby area. One revamped wing has given rise to so-called Palace Rooms: Escape here to avoid the crowds. Approached via a red carpet, these spacious guest rooms have wood-paneled floors and little semi-private terraces that look onto the garden. Along with various in-room freebies (snacks and wine), Palace Rooms also come with a free massage, which you can enjoy in Agra's largest health club. This is also a good option for parents of kids disinterested in Agra's architectural pleasures; youngsters can lose themselves at Leisure Mall, which offers a bowling alley, virtual reality games, and other kinds of entertainment you never came to India for. Facilities: 4 restaurants; tea lounge; bar; disco; pool; putting greens; tennis; health club; spa; travel and transport counter; airport transfers; florist; beauty parlor; barber shop; 24-hr. room service; babysitting; laundry; doctor-on-call; currency exchange; Wi-Fi enabled; squash; jogging track; bowling alley; billiards; aerobics; children's play areas; virtual reality games; helipad.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's India, 3rd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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