Tom On day 5 of our India Travel Itinerary, the focus was on…Taj Mahal! We started the day early, waking up at 5am and had breakfast at 5:30am…
At Hotel Atulyaa Taj, we were able to arrange for early breakfast if we wanted to go for the sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal. This time, packed breakfast was picked up at the lobby, consisting of hashbrowns and sandwiches. Surprisingly, the hashbrown was hot, crisp and delicious! After the hearty breakfast, we took a short walk from our hotel to the entrance of Taj Mahal…
Travelling to Taj Mahal for the very first time
As we have already booked and printed our tickets to the Taj Mahal the day before, we headed straight to the entrance of the Taj Mahal…
We reached the entrance of Taj Mahal at 6am and we noticed that there was already a super long queue to enter. Next, we noticed that there were separate queues for men and ladies for security checks before entering the premise of the Taj Mahal. The security checks took us 15 minutes (be prepared to be frisked!). By the time we entered, it was closer to 6:30am and was already a little crowded. Hence, if you really want to be there when the sun casts its first gleams on the Taj, it might be a good idea to wake up at 4:30am instead.
Although it was crowded, we were still able to get many “nobody” shots and beautiful close up shots of the Taj Mahal. The first view was simply…WOW…
Discovering little secrets about the Taj Mahal
Even after seeing the Taj Mahal yesterday from the rooftop of the Hotel Saniya and preparing ourselves to finally visit the Taj Mahal, we were still awed by this majestic architecture…
As we walked around the grounds of the Taj Mahal, we learnt several interesting facts about the Taj Mahal
– The Taj Mahal was built between 1631 and 1648 by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife – Mumtaz Mahal
– Shah Jahan was an architect himself and he was instrumental in designing the symmetry that you see all around the gardens and main building.
– It was said that for the Taj Mahal to be built, 3 factors were aligned (Shah Jahan was rich, architecturally talented and really loved Mumtaz Mahal. For instance, if Shah Jahan was only a rich emperor who was architecturally inclined but did not really love Mumtaz Mahal, then perhaps a mini Taj Mahal would have been built. Or if Shah Jahan was rich and loved Mumtaz Mahal without being architecturally inclined, it could have become a big structure that may not have lasted till this day.
– Marble was chosen as the material to build the Taj Mahal because it represented divinity and also because it could withstand harsh weathers. In fact, to clean the Taj Mahal, workers only have to use sponge and water. No chemicals required.
– Some locals actually didn’t like the Taj Mahal because it used alot of money which could have been used to aid the poor. It was also said that the hands of the workers who built the Taj Mahal, were cut off so that they would not be able to rebuild such a structure. So there were unhappiness surrounding the construction of the Taj Mahal – which essentially was a mausoleum (or tomb) for Mumtaz Mahal.
You can actually download an audio app that allows self-guided tours of the Taj Mahal. The instructions led to various parts of Taj Mahal before giving us interesting little snippets such as…
We particularly enjoyed little information such as the “leaning minarets” which are tilted slightly outwards. This is such that if the minarets did indeed fall, it would still leave the main building of the Taj Mahal unscathed. The other cool thing is that there are two gates of the Taj Mahal that frames the main building (first gate entrance) and the entire Taj Mahal (second gate entrance). Reminded us of how the arches at the top of the La Pedrera in Barcelona, framed the La Sagrada Familia. Both works of architectural geniuses…
Of course, at the end of the day, we also spent a copious amount of time marveling at the architectural intricacies of the Taj Mahal through…PHOTOS!!!
A Luxurious Afternoon at the Hotel Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate
We ended our visit of Taj Mahal at about 9:30am and headed over to the ticketing centre (now almost empty) to pick up our bottle of water that comes with each purchase of the Taj Mahal tickets. Now, we were at a dilemma. We were back in Hotel Atulyaa Taj at 10am and had nothing planned for the afternoon. Our next flight out was at 6:30am the next morning and intially we wanted to arrive at Delhi in the wee hours so that we could save on a night of accommodation. At this point, we could either
1. Continue with what was planned and place our staff at Hotel Atulyaa while we headed out for the rest of the day (because check out time was 12pm). OR
2. Find a decent hotel to chill and perhaps do a traditional Ayurvedic massage.
Not particularly thrilled by option 1 because of the sweltering heat outside. We decided to start our search for a decent hotel. It was then that we stumbled upon the Hotel Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate. As we had some unused Agoda dollars, we managed to reduce the cost from $100 to $55USD. Of course, the best part of staying at the Radisson Blu Agra Taj Hotel is the infinity pool!!!
Rooftop Infinity Pool of the Hotel Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate
Once our driver dropped us at Hotel Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate, we knew that we had arrived at a posh hotel. Our doors were opened and we were promptly welcomed. Next came a security check where our bags were scanned. As we entered the hotel lobby, a whiff of fragrance surrounded us – similar to that when we entered Raffles Hotel in Singapore years back…
As we were slightly early, the room was not ready yet. Hence, we chilled out at the rooftop infinity pool of Hotel Radisson Blu Agra before we finally got the go ahead to head to our room. As an apology for the wait, the hotel made a nice gesture by upgrading us to the luxurious Deluxe Room! That made the $55 payment for the room (although we would not be staying overnight), that much more worth it…
Hotel Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate’s Deluxe Room and Alive Spa Massage
As the room came with a 25% discount off spa treatments, we decided to book the 3:30pm spa treatment at Alive Spa. The Ayurvedic strokes were pretty interesting – a mix of delicate swirls and smooth flowing strokes that left us revitalised after the treatment. Our tummies were also massaged in a mix of circular motion that was strangely comforting…The total damage was 7000 rupess ($135) for 2 (1 hour massages).
We headed back to our room for a slew of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” before enjoying sunset at the infinity pool again…
Hotel Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate’s Palato Restaurant Buffet Dinner
For dinner, we decided to try out the buffet dinner at the in-house restaurant of Hotel Radisson Blu Agra – Palato Restaurant. The buffet costs 3400 rupees for 2 people (or $65 for 2 people). Not too expensive for SG standards but certainly expensive for India. Hence, we can’t wait to check out what’s on offer…
What we enjoyed about the dinner was service. Eventhough we were able to head straight to the buffet lines to get our food, we didn’t have to. We just had to tell the servers what we wanted and they would bring it over to our table. A slightly different experience as compared to the buffets that we’ve had in Singapore. Of course, the curries and stews were yummy as well! After dinner, we watched more “Whose Line” and soon it was time to depart from the hotel. Though it is probably one of our shortest hotel stays ever, it is one of the most memorable.
Our driver picked us up at 9pm promptly, to send us from Agra to Delhi Airport, where we were scheduled for our flight to Leh at 6:30am the next morning…
We travelled via the Yamuna Expressway – the route which we saw reports of gang activities, especially at night. We prayed for safety enroute and were delivered. Thank the Lord! Closer to Delhi, we also passed by the DND (Delhi Noida Direct) Yamuna Flyover. After circling round the airport (the driver kinda got lost), we finally arrived at Delhi airport close to 1am. Fortunately, we were able to enter the airport – something to be thankful as well (because usually passengers are only allowed to enter the airport 3 to 4 hours prior to flights). We are also happy to report that Delhi Airport (T3) is actually pretty good and clean. Modern with water coolers about. Hd OLED TVs were used and there were several 24 hours shops. There were also drinks machine that dispensed cheap water and snacks for 10/20 rupees ($0.50SGD!:O).
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Check out this video coverage of the Top 4 Things to do and attractions in Agra…
There were many sleeper chairs within the airport (air side). Though they were not particularly comfortable, it was certainly better than sleeping outside the airport or on the floor (something that we had to do a few days later…). After we woke up, we had a triple chocolate muffin and coffee at Costa Coffee before we boarded our flight from Delhi to Leh! What a wonderful trip to Agra and visit to the Taj Mahal!
Stay tuned as we visit the beautiful Himalayas from Leh, India!
Related Posts
You have just completed a post from our 13 days travel in India. Find out more about this trip from our posts below!
India Travel Itinerary Day 1: Singapore to Chennai to Jaipur (Hotel Pearl Palace) via Indigo
India Travel Itinerary Day 4: Train from Jaipur to Agra – Our first views of the Taj Mahal
India Travel Itinerary Day 11: Arriving in Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty after Kerala Boat Cruise
Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty Review: Simply the Best Luxury Hotel in Kochi
Thai Soul Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty Review: The Most Authentic Thai Flavours in Kochi India!
Colony Clubhouse & Grill Grand Hyatt Kochi Review: Fine Cuisine in a Modern & Casual Setting
Malabar Cafe @ Grand Hyatt Kochi: Kerala Cuisine at its best!
Top 4 Attractions and Things to do in Munnar
Top 6 Things to do and Attractions in Leh Ladakh India
Top 4 Things to do and attractions in Agra India
Top 8 Jaipur Attractions and Things to do in Pink City
Top 6 Attractions and Things to do of Kochi Kerala
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