Bespoke India Travel Reviews 

We were looked after so well everyone from Sanjay to the staff in India were spot on with service and achieving the best experience for us nothing was too much trouble.
Two friends travelling together we were blown away by our trip India is a beautiful place to visit even with its realities of life. All our guides,drivers,accommodation and itinerary made it a memorable trip of a lifetime it all ran very smoothly even when all around you is hectic.
We hope to return and will use Bespoke India without a doubt.

TRIP OF A LIFETIME: TIGERS AND SO MUCH MORE
BESPOKE INDIA TRAVEL

In March 2023 we went on a long planned and twice cancelled trip to India, mostly with the aim of seeing tigers, but also to begin to understand this complex and colourful country. Our itinerary, creatively put together by Sanjay from Bespoke India Travel, based on our requests, began with sightseeing in the colour and chaos of Delhi, the beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and then the history and culture of Jaipur (Rajashthan). After this we visited three national parks in central India: Kanha, Pench (Madhya Pradesh) and Tadoba (Maharashtra) where we experienced several glorious sightings of tigers including seeing a tigress with five four month old cubs, as well as seeing a multitude of birds, other mammals, trees, reptiles and insects. Our trip culminated in Mumbhai, a fast moving and developing city where we relaxed and recovered in the modern luxury of the beautiful heritage Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
Although we were thrilled to achieve our aim of seeing tigers in the wild, we gained so much more from this holiday. All the places we stayed in were delightful and ranged from a beautiful old colonial style heritage hotel in Delhi to a boutique heritage hotel in Jaipur established in circa 1885 and run by the founder’s great grandson and his family. Here in this old world tranquil environment we were invited to take part in Holi celebrations with the hosts which we greatly enjoyed. In Agra we stayed in a very modern luxury hotel with a lovely pool and then in the National Parks stayed in three very different excellent eco-lodges. The Taj in Mumbhai was far and away the best hotel we have ever stayed in for luxury and relaxation.
We also got a sense of the contrasts of India: the madness of the city roads and the peace of the agricultural landscape and parks; extreme wealth versus extreme poverty. We got an idea of the different religions and the importance of religion to this country in an increasingly secular world; how these religions it alongside each other; the challenges India faces and how the UK’s involvement contributed to where it is now. It stimulated us to come away and try to learn more about its history, culture and politics.
What else? The food was delicious and exciting and we bought a rice cooker as soon as we got back! We were given a cookery demonstration by our host at our hotel in Jaipur with lots of helpful tips. The weather was very variable (early to mid-March) with (mostly) comfortable heat during the day but very chilly early mornings (we needed gloves and a hat!) and the occasional thunderstorm. Accommodation was universally very comfortable although public toilets often left a lot to be desired.

Our guides and drivers were fantastic. Special mentions must be given to Bhannu (guide) in Delhi, to AZ in Agra, Mansingh in Jaipur and to Chitra in Mumbhai: each in his/her own way worked so hard to give us a wonderful introduction to these beautiful cities and to their culture; also to our amazing driver, Satatnam who quietly negotiated the terrifying traffic and was so friendly and helpful; also to Yash, Rahde and Gaurav at Kanha, Pench and Tadoba who each tirelessly gave us the benefit of their knowledge and wisdom to give us the best possible experience of the parks. Chitra made it her personal quest to find me a teapot in Mumbhai along with her long-suffering young driver! Dinesh from the Delhi office made it his business to ensure we had the best possible experience.

Finally we must thank Sanjay for putting together such a wonderful trip for us, tailor made to meet our needs for excitement and adventure coupled with sufficient luxury, rest and relaxation. Overall, we found our trip both exhilarating and exhausting and even lifechanging: definitely a trip of a lifetime.

We recently got back from an amazing 6 week tour of India. Sanjay was brilliant. Following Zoom calls and emails he established our interests and preferences and put together a fantastic itinerary. We started in the north with visits to Amritsar, Dharamshala and Shimla, and then on to to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Jodhpur, before heading south to Kochi and Kerala. Along the way we saw the reality of life for many in cities and rural India; visited palaces, forts and safari parks; enjoyed accommodation ranging from high quality hotels to friendly homestays and a houseboat; and hugely enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the Indian people everywhere we travelled. Sanjay and his team provided excellent drivers and guides, with full support available at all times via WhatsApp messages and calls for any queries or advice. Overall, a truly memorable holiday. I have no hesitation in recommending Sanjay and the Bespoke India team.

The organisation was spot on, the hotels comfortable and varied, the experiences rich and full on. The company certainly knew their stuff and we felt very safe, even on the bonkers roads!
Some of the guides were a little full in for us but others listened carefully and adapted the itinerary.
We loved the home stay in Agra especially as we got to chat to the owner etc and fellow travellers during our shared meals. The hotel in Varanasi was in a perfect spot to view life and all its rich tapestries. The Darjeeling experience was very memorable, especially as the hotel still looks like and is run in old colonial style. Again, a great position for walking out into the melee of life. Unfortunately, it stayed cloudy for all but a glimpse of those illusive Himalayas. The Oberoi in Kolkata was astounding and very welcome in such hot weather.

Superb tour of Himachal and the Punjab themed around textiles. The itinerary was packed and very interesting, and all accommodation was excellent. Hemant, our lead Indian guide was superb, and all local guides were interesting and helpful. We were also fortunate to have Sara with us as our textile expert and lead traveller. We saw much more than the average “tourist trail” and it was a truly memorable experience.

I have come back from a lovely holiday in the North of India at the foothills of the Hymalayas. The tour was very well organised. We met local weavers. Our leader Sara and our guide Hemant were great.We stayed in beautiful hotels and the food was excellent.
Dorothee

We're back from a superb experience in Kerala organised by Sanjay of Bespoke India Travel. He gave valuable advice in arranging our trip and made us feel confident about enjoying ourselves. And that we certainly did! There were so many highlights but perhaps the best was travelling on the Backwaters in your own crewed boat. All hotels were great and travelling around Kerala with your own driver made it all flow effortlessly. Thoroughly recommend using this company.

We chose Bespoke India because of Sanjay's obvious enthusiasm and knowledge of tourism in India. He took the time to listen to our trip requirements and made several suggestions including incorporating Holi celebrations and a train journey which enhanced our experience! We had a marvellous, memorable trip that flowed smoothly throughout. The hotels, representatives, drivers and guides were first rate and we felt confident with the service we were receiving. I would not hesitate in recommending Bespoke India, thanks for the memories, Sanjay!

We can only reiterate the other positive comments and reviews that have been written before. Sanjay put together an amazing 2 week tour for our first visit to India in Kerala. All the hotels, staff, drivers and guides were all absolutely excellent. We loved every minute of our holiday and intend to return to India for further exploration. Without doubt, we will be calling Bespoke India and Sanjay to help us sort out the next trip.

Our Bespoke India Travel holiday exceeded all our expectations. From start to finish we were treated like royalty from the pick up at the airport to our final guided day. The representatives in each city greeted us and made sure all our transitions were smooth. Our guides were faultless, please pass on our feedback, and our driver was exceptional, delivering us safely and calmly to each of our destinations.
Our accomodations in each city was five stars. We were delighted with the recommended upgrade to the Samode in Jaipur. The balance of older hotels with newer ones was perfect, thank you!
I would especially like to add that we were late to book this trip but Sanjay pulled everything out of his hat at short notice and exceeded our expectations.
We will be sure to use Bespoke India Travel again.

Sanjay is obsessive about detail and service and really takes the time to listen to your personal needs. His detailed personal knowledge of places and suppliers really showed through in the Kerala tour he put together for us: Seamlessly integrated itinerary. Helpful, polite, prompt and knowledgeable driver with spotless, comfortable car. Exceptional hotels, some smaller family-run, some larger eco-chain hotels but all providing the very highest standards of welcome, service, cleanliness, location and food. And the fabulous two nights on a houseboat, just the two of us, the three crew and the most amazing food!

We are so grateful for the personally curated tour created by Bespoke India Travel, which included the main tourist attractions but also enabled us to experience more of the “real India”.

We have recently returned from a trip to India arranged by Sanjay. The hotels we used were fantastic with helpful and friendly staff. The local guides were extremely knowledgeable and fun to be with.
We had a problem with transport at the start but a quick WhatsApp to Sanjay and it was sorted straight away. Things do occasionally go wrong but it is the way that they are sorted which makes a great tour company which undoubtedly Bespoke India Travel is.

Our two weeks in India (Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan) could not have been better organised and executed. Sanjay put together an excellent itinerary and everyone involved in our trip (local reps, guides and driver) was faultless. Special mention and kudos to our driver, KD, who remained calm, attentive, reliable and safe no matter what the prevailing conditions.

I have absolutely no hesitation in giving Bespoke India Travel the highest praise. There was simply nothing to fault with the holiday from start to finish. Not only did Sanjay (patiently) support us in planning our holiday of a lifetime, through many different options but he was always quick to come back to us with practical solutions to our proposed itinerary. We had a dream holiday planned and the support that Bespoke India Travel gave us from the moment we arrived was flawless. From being met from the airport, to hotel drop offs where the agent ensured we were checked in ok, putting us on the train, I could go on. I confidently say that anyone wanting to organise a holiday to India should book through Bespoke India Travel, stop looking at anyone else. They cannot be better.

We waited a long time to make it to India, having had our trip on hold with Sanjay since it was postponed in March 2020… but it was worth the wait! Both the country and Bespoke India Travel surpassed our expectations… we’ll definitely look to use the company again and have already recommended them to friends and family.

Sanjay’s suggestions for the tour were great - including staying a couple of nights in Delhi (which we hadn’t originally thought about), his hotel suggestion there (the Claridges), and adding in stops at places like Mathura enroute to Agra. Nice to talk to someone so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a country when planning a trip!

The driver and vehicle supplied were excellent- we certainly felt safe in the hands of our kind driver, Brij. The guides who met us at the various sites and cities we visited were professional, knowledgeable and friendly - they too gave excellent suggestions and advice. The manager in the Delhi office was brilliant at keeping in touch with us throughout our trip - making sure we were happy with our hotels and enjoying ourselves. Local managers also met us at each new hotel to help us check in, ensure we were happy and to go through the details / timings for the trips organised for that location.

All in all a super trip with great customer care from Bespoke India Travel.

Impeccable organisation, first class service, excellent choice of locations, experiences & hotels but most of all the Bespoke India team. The holiday went without a hitch & I cannot praise Sanjay & his team enough.
Thank you Sanjay.

Sanjay at Bespoke was fantastic. We were very pushed for time to organise a complex trip to India and Bhutan and Sanjay walked us through the visa systems and hotel bookings. He did masses of work from his end and was incredibly patient with us haha. The trip worked perfectly from start to finish. We had excellent guides, hotels, food... everything.
The pricing from all the comparisons i looked at was excellent (although Bhutan is not a cheap location!).
We felt massively looked after throughout. I can't recommend highly enough

Sanjay was extremely helpful when I contacted him regarding a visit to India for me and my grandson. Under his recommendation I visited Nittaka an Ayurvedic Retreat which was absolutely amazing and somewhere I wish to return to. The drivers were especially courteous and helpful especially to my grandson. Next year me and my husband hope to visit the North of India and we shall definitely be using Sanjay and Bespoke Travel without any hesitation. Many thanks!

Sanjay’s obvious expertise and enthusiasm for India persuaded my wife and I to choose his company to put together our tour of north India and the Himalayas covering 3 weeks. It was a 70th birthday treat for me and also a chance to visit my place of birth. We spent a few days at the start and end with friends in Delhi and the 3 weeks in between were expertly planned and managed by the Bespoke India team. We are just back to our home in Scotland and I can say, without reservation, that the tour was first class. Our guides and drivers were excellent, we were always met by a company representative at each new destination and we managed to see many of the most iconic sights of India, including a tiger in the wild, the Taj Mahal, the sacred Ganges at Varanasi and the marvellous scenery of the foothills of the Himalayas. We even saw Mount Everest from the plane back to Delhi, an unexpected bonus. Our special request was a visit to the town of Hazaribagh, where I was born, and a visit to nearby Giridih, were I spent the first 2 years of my life. Both were memorable experiences. To conclude, I would absolutely recommend Bespoke India Travel. It is a small company but provides a personalised, first class service.

I had always been wary of going to India because so many friends had had really rough experiences many decades ago. However, thanks to the excellent organization and advice from Sanjay, I had an excellent, practically perfect trip. From being met at the airport to being dropped off at the airport, everything was so smooth and transparent. My driver for the 10 days, Mr. Rohit, was wonderful and made the trip so enjoyable. The inns and hotels had indeed been carefully chosen to make sure I would be completely comfortable but not stuck in some "international" faceless large chain. Thanks to Sanjay and the many guides and companies he works with, I can't wait to plan my next trip to India.