Giant Step/De Ole Folks At Home - Taj Mahal

Advantages: One of Indias most famous buildings, most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world
Disadvantages: None

...The Taj Mahal in Agra has to be one of the classic images of India and one of the World's major landmarks. I was once told you should only really go there with a lover, but I wasn't any less in awe just because i was in a group of 20, 17 year olds. It''s one of those places, along with the Great Wall of China, that I've always thought of as a place that you have to visit at some point in your life. Admittedly I ended up there quite by accident - if you can call having a fight cancelled and then missing the flight out of Delhi an accident.... but there you go. Agra was the centre for the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. And the Taj Mahal is infact a tomb. Built in 1631 by Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan as a tribute to his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died giving birth to their 14th child... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: One of the world's most famous hotels
Disadvantages: Pay the extra for the heritage rooms - the tower is poor

...On the day I started writing for Ciao, I wrote about the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers and to this day it remains my worst rated review of all time. Like many newbies I hadn't a clue what I was doing and the ratings reflected that. I have left most of my dreadful newbie reviews unchanged - to remind me that we all have to learn - but after the recent events in Mumbai, I can't leave this one unaltered any more. So please, ignore the existing ratings and give it a read. Introduction I hope that members will forgive me for being slightly morbid, but I had no idea that when I wrote about this hotel it would one day be the centre of one of the worst terrorist outrages of recent years. Every time I switched on the radio last week there were updates on the situation in Mumbai at the Oberoi and Taj hotels. I have clear pictures in my... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: The sheer beauty of the mausoleum.
Disadvantages: None

...It had been my dream to go to the Taj Mahal for so long. Its sheer beauty seemed to grab a hold of me everytime I saw a picture of it. My eyes were fixated and I found myself unable to tear myself away from the different pictures I came across. I desperately wanted to see the amazing mausoleum for real. Soon my time came as my family had decided to visit the North of India in order to see Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. I was so excited at this prospect and made sure that I had 1 whole film just for the Taj Mahal. When the day finally came for us to visit it, my cousins and I decided that we would close our eyes before entering the grounds so that the first thing we saw was the tomb in all its glory, not blocked by obstacles. The streets were so dusty and the weather was muggy. Despite feeling lethargic due to the sweltering heat, we carried... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful