5 star tour in every way - This is a long review but please stick with me until the end for the full review. I don’t write many reviews but I wanted to write a review for anyone that was like us and was looking to book a tour with Crystal India Holidays. We were looking for a 6 day golden triangle tour including 5 star hotels for 2 people. We came across this company on a third party travel site and decided we would book direct. Our booking was all done through emails directly with the company and payment was make upfront, in full, via a payment link they sent on email. The communication from the company was sparse and emails were often only short informal replies to my emails advising that I would get more specific information the day prior to the tour (which I did). There was no formal (letterhead/attached) itinerary from them like you might get from other companies (we did receive a typed email with a very brief outline of each day …eg. Thursday, Jaipur day tour) so I had become very nervous before leaving Australia that our tour may not exist. To our delight, on the first morning of our tour, our driver arrived in a lovely clean well kept sedan as promised and we knew from then we were in for a great trip. We had the most amazing driver for our 6 day golden triangle tour. Dharminder navigated the hectic roads so safely and he was such a kind and thoughtful person and he treated us like his personal guests. Our guides in each location were an absolute wealth of knowledge and they all spoke very good English. Our booking included 5 star hotels and all our hotels were outstanding (Hilton, Jaypee and Vasant). I wanted to share our experience in the hope it helps others, as I may have relaxed a little knowing that this is just how it works in India and I can now see it was my own expectations on the communication I was receiving that was casting doubt on the legitimacy of our tour, and looking back, they provided me with all the information I really needed prior to the tour…which was pretty much that the tour was confirmed. We would definitely book again with Crystal India holidays next time we visit India as it was such a hassle free holiday and what they provided us was all 5 star. I

Great and safe trip - Overall I would give this tour 4.5 in rating. Initially I was concerned--especially as a female traveling alone in India for the first time--as I did not receive confirmation from the tour operator (Crystal India Holidays) when I contacted them one week before my trip. However, Tripadvisor and the tour operator did connect with me one or two days before the tour, including verifying my request not to be taken to any shops (although they will if that is your preference). My driver, Pritam, was very professional and made me feel very safe throughout my trip. He showed concern for my comfort and went above and beyond to help me when I needed it every day. All my tour guides--Monu in Delhi, Sanjay in Agra, and B.L. (Kumar) in Jaipur--were super knowledgeable and educated me not only regarding the sites but also gave me insight into Indian culture. They too were attentive to my enjoyment and safety. Might I have been taken me to some places that catered to tourists? It's possible, but even so, almost every place I went to was of good quality as far as I could discern. I had a rewarding time in India, saw amazingly beautiful sites, and would not hesitate to go back given the chance. I feel confident in recommending this tour company.

Professional, safe, friendly people - I traveled with my woman friend from Delhi to Agra to Jaipur to our friend’s wedding in Hisar. She said that she felt safe the whole time. Owner Amit was very helpful in booking and helped us customize the tour activities and hotels. Our driver Jarnail was very courteous and helpful, always knowing where to find a safe ATM or clean roadside restroom. Every restaurant they took us to was clean and high quality, and we never got sick at all. Delhi tour guide was very knowledgeable. Taj Mahal tour guide Ajay was fun and friendly. After seeing the Taj Mahal he took us to J.K. Cottage Industries where we bought high quality inlaid marble in the same style. Fatehpur Sikri tour guide Syed was professional and experienced. Jaipur tour guide Kamal was warm and kind with a lot of colorful stories. In Jaipur Kamal took us to Ganesha Textiles where we ordered custom tailored high quality sherwani and sari clothing for our friend’s wedding that was ready by the end of the day. All hotels were quality with the last Jaipur heritage hotel Umaid Bhawan especially interesting. Finally we were dropped off at the wedding hotel in Hisar. Thank you for the great memories! High recommended 👍

Highly recommended! - Rajesh who was our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the places we were going to. We were also provided with a very comfortable vehicle where we went to a few places/monuments/temples in Delhi. A must-do!

My guide was very knowledgeable about... - <p>My guide was very knowledgeable about the history and sites. <br/> Even though the traffic was very congested in the afternoon, my guide and driver made sure that I could see as many sites as I could. I highly recommend booking this tour package.</p>

Good service, some improvements could be had - We used Crystal for our entire time doing the Golden Triangle, though there were a few things we planned on our own. I did the hotels and our fights as well as Elefantastic and the Safaris. The good: They worked with me as I developed my tour and allowed me to plan what I wanted on my own. We wanted to work in Ranthambore and I had to get a bit creative on the schedule since time was tight, flying into Delhi and then a Jaipur flight the next morning. I did have to find this alternative myself. They were wise about driving instead of the train as it also saved a bit of time and gave us some flexibility. The drivers were great, I couldn't ask for more on that front. Most of our tour guides were decent, with Agra being the best. She was good at getting us the info we needed for sites. Overall, we enjoyed our time in India and saw all the things we wanted to see. Needs improvement: Planning recommendations: I had planned Elefantastic on my own in the morning. Had I been told that Agra Fort is far better in the morning (just way too hot in the afternoon), I would have flipped my day easily. in advance My Jaipur tour guide informed me of this the day prior and there was no way to change it at that point. Once I tried to change the Elefantastic and could not, she kept pressing, saying she would schedule the Elephants at a different place. I had done my research and they are the best and known for their care of the animals (and they do not pay commissions to tour companies as far as I can tell) so I booked them on my own. Even after we were done with the Elephant experience, she kept bringing up that we should have changed it, several times. Finally, I had to say that I did not want to hear it again. Her value as a guide was average as far as telling us about things. We had time and I had my list of potentials and I just wish she had recommended things with the time we had. The Monkey Temple was a great addition that I had to ask for (though my driver was awesome at making the timing work, getting us a guy to play with the monkeys, and getting us bananas to go to another location to feed them, kuddos to him). The first car they put us in had such a strong deodorant that you could not breath. They promptly changed drivers/cars for us, again, big kuddos for this, and we never had to deal with such again. It does say a lot when a company is so responsive and finds a resolution so quickly. Our Delhi guide was just OK. I had to keep asking her, what should we know about this, which is not what you should have to do. She did help come up with a good plan for the day though. Overall, they were fairly priced in comparison to others I looked at and did cater to the schedule I wanted. We enjoyed our time touring with them.