India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [84]
Days 1 & 2: Mumbai
Though Mumbai is India’s busiest city, it’s also a perfect place to begin an unhurried vacation. From the airport, head either to the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower (only a Heritage Wing room will do), The Oberoi, or the Four Seasons; enjoy the warm weather on a sun-bed by the pool, or make your way to the hotel spa for the pampering you deserve after that long journey. Alternatively, stay at the more affordable Ascot, Colaba’s best-value hotel. Mumbai doesn’t have a wealth of historical attractions; it’s a city you experience rather than sightsee, and sampling the restaurants’ fare should be high on your must-do list. From your hotel you can also explore on foot the Marine Drive/Chowpatty Beach area, and if you’re at all inspired by Gothic Victorian architecture, plan a jaunt through Mumbai’s older districts. Stop off at the Gateway of India, from where it’s a 15-minute walk north to Fort, passing the Prince of Wales Museum as well as a host of Raj-era Gothic architectural highlights. From the museum, continue to Flora Fountain and beyond to Victoria Terminus Station. Wander back to the Fountain, taking in the impressive High Court building and the Rajabai Clock Tower, which overlooks the Bombay University complex. Some of the best restaurants in Mumbai are in this general neighborhood, so take your pick. If you want to sample the coastal seafood for which Mumbai is famous, go no farther than Mahesh Lunch Home in Fort.
Days 3 & 4: Goa
Fly to Goa, old Portuguese colony and beach paradise. Take your pick of accommodations, from sprawling beachfront five-star hotels to small boutique hotels. If pampering is part of your plan, book into the Nilaya Hermitage, a gorgeous getaway with a splendid spa, or head south to the quirkily stylish Vivenda dos Palhaços, where your Anglo-India host Simon Haywood and his lovely crew will arrange just about anything for you. If you can drag yourself away from the beach and poolside, explore Old Goa; most sights are clustered together, so it can be covered in a few hours. These include Arch of the Viceroys, built in 1597 in commemoration of the arrival of Vasco da Gama in India; Church of St. Cajetan, modeled after St. Peter’s in Rome; and Adil Shah’s Gate, a simple lintel supported by two black basalt columns. Southwest of St. Cajetan’s are the highlights of Old Goa: splendid Sé Cathedral, said to be larger than any church in Portugal; and the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Cathedral of the Good Jesus). Nearby is the Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi, while up the hill are the ruins of the Church of St. Augustine; below are the Church and Convent of Santa Monica and the Chapel of the Weeping Cross.
Days 5 & 6: Hampi
Take the biweekly train from Goa to Hampi, endure an overnight bus ride, or fly to Bengaluru the previous evening, from where you can get a convenient overnight train to Hospet. Check in at Hampi’s Boulders. Spend your time leisurely exploring the ancient city, whose isolated ruins are scattered among impossibly balanced wind-smoothed boulders and immense stretches of verdant landscape. Highlights are fabulous Virupaksha Temple and Vitthala Temple, dedicated to an incarnation of Vishnu and one of the most spectacular of Hampi’s monuments; also make sure to see the royal enclosure, which incorporates the ruined palaces where the Vijayanagara kings would have lived and held court. Not much survives, but you can still visit Hazara Rama Temple (where the royals went to worship), a small stepped tank, and Mahanavami Dibba (a platform where performances and entertainment were held). On the outskirts of the royal complex, you will see the zenana enclosure, marked by the two-story Indo-Saracenic pavilion, Kamala (Lotus) Mahal, and, just outside the enclosure, the awesome Elephant Stables.
Days 7 & 8: Kochi (Cochin)
Take the train to Bengaluru and from there fly to Kochi, where you should get a room in Fort Kochi (at either the Old Harbour