Before our trip to Agra, we had a look back at the episode of An Idiot Abroad where Karl Pilkington visits the Taj Mahal. While most travel shows focus on the nice parts of a tourist attraction, there’s a show like An Idiot Abroad which shows you the good, the bad and the ugly of a destination. In that episode they clearly showed the gloomy Taj Ganj and the meager accommodation options in Agra. Was it really as bad as they say?
After a long day of travelling from Jaisalmer to Agra (via Jaipur), we were glad we had arranged our stay with Hotel The Idea Inn, a mid-range hotel just off Fatehabad Road. The check-in was a breeze and we immediately got to relax in our comfortable room.
Hotel The Idea Inn
Located near Fatehabad Road, Hotel Idea Inn is a modern hotel with comfortable deluxe rooms and a great restaurant. The service was also impressive. Staff always welcomed us when we passed the reception and made sure we were having a pleasant time at the hotel (especially Akhilesh from the reception).
Hotel Room
We stayed in one of the 25 air-conditioned deluxe rooms at Hotel Idea Inn. While some of the bathroom fixtures were starting to show their age, the hotel room was clean, spacious and well-decorated. I especially liked the intricate ceiling with accent lighting. Apart from the flat screen TV, the room featured an electric kettle with coffee and tea, a dresser and a small seating area. WiFi was only available at the lobby when we visited but the hotel reception said they will improve the service to make the WiFi available in the rooms.
The Restaurant at Hotel The Idea Inn
Agra is not the kind of place you’d want to be walking around too late at night so having an in-house restaurant was definitely a plus for Hotel Idea Inn. We tried some of their Indian dishes and left very satisfied. Make sure to try their shahi korma, it was delicious!
While we planned to eat out many times, we always ended up dining at our hotel. For an extra service charge, we had our meals delivered to our room. This was a great option since after a long day of sightseeing we just wanted to relax in our room.
Western or Indian breakfast are included with the room. While simple, the breakfast was good and filling. The Indian breakfast included poori (deep-fried bread), chana masala and Indian chai. The Western breakfast included cheese omelet, toast and tea (Indian chai).
Location: Fatehabad Road , Agra, India
Hotel Idea Inn is located in Fatehabad Road, a main road close to many hotels, tourist shops and restaurants. This a cleaner, less chaotic place to stay compared to Taj Ganj. We visited most tourist attractions by cheap auto-rickshaw ride. A trip the Taj Mahal set us back 30INR (50INR on the way back).
READ MORE: A Tale of Two Taj Mahal Experiences
Disclaimer: We were hosted by Hotel The Idea Inn during our stay in Agra, India. Thoughts and opinions in this post are our own.
Hotel The Idea Inn
Address: 44, Bansal Nagar, opp. Hotel Howard Plaza,
Fatehabad Road, Agra, India 282002
Phone No: 0562-4030936, 3264470
Mobile No: +91-9760346369,7417027214
Email Id: info@hotelideainn.com, hotelideainn@gmail.com
Website: http://www.hotelideainn.com/
What do you think of Hotel The Idea Inn? Did this review inspire you to stay in this hotel? Let us know.
