OBEROI AMARVILAS Agra, India 🇮🇳【4K Hotel Tour & Review】A Pure Wonder!

Watch this video if you want to see what it’s like to stay in one of the best hotels in India, the Oberoi Amarvilas, a 5-Star Hotel located within the Taj Mahal Gate in Agra, India. This hotel is truly a wonder of its own with incredible staff and beautiful facilities and finishes throughout. Pure classic Indian luxury.

🎥 In This Video:
-Hotel & Brand Overview
-Location Graphic Relative to Taj Mahal
-Taj Mahal Sunrise Impressions
-Full Hotel Common Areas
-Entrance & Courtyard
-Lobby & Lobby Lounge, The Bar
-Bellevue Restaurant (full Breakfast Buffet)
-Esphahan Restaurant (full Thali Dinner)
-Beautiful Pool & Outdoor Lounges
-Why the Service is So Good
-Premier Balcony King Room Tour

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✋🏼 Videos & Playlists Mentioned in Video
➟ 🇮🇳 India Hotels & Resorts Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL83ZLLu2Le8PPd5CViwVuKqGL7-EFGAbR
➟ My Favorites Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL83ZLLu2Le8Ols1LZ2GbrVjIGvwMtkCa6
➟ Oberoi Udaivilas: https://youtu.be/PiZhqMdSFoU
➟ Oberoi Mumbai: https://youtu.be/oDChOpq0tvM

💸 Rate Paid
Rate Paid: $427.63 USD
Category: Premier King (Upgraded to Premier King w/ Balcony)
Inclusions: Breakfast & Dinner

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🎶 Background Music in This Video
⇢ “Enchanting Rain” by Vaayu
⇢ “Pilgrimage” by Global Echoes Vol. 2
⇢ “Tangerine Sunset” by Global Echoes Vol. 2
⇢ “The Lotus Flower” by Ensemble Baby Oriental
⇢ “Wind and Grass” by Global Echoes Vol. 2

↪ Video Chapters ↩
0:00 Intro & Hotel Info
00:57 Extended Drive to Agra, My Thoughts
04:35 Property Arrival
05:22 First Impressions
06:01 Entrance & Courtyard
07:33 Lobby
08:35 Lobby Lounge
10:34 Hotel Location Guide
12:00 Outdoor Pool Areas & Grounds
16:16 Heading to My Room
16:32 Full Premier King with Balcony Room Tour
23:09 A Bit of Room Service
23:34 Need to Know FAQs
23:43 The Bar
25:15 Dinner at Esphahan
27:13 Taj Mahal Sunrise Tour
29:35 Bellevue Restaurant Breakfast Buffet
31:36 Fitness Center & Final Thoughts
32:19 The Flip Flop Score

This is NOT a promotional video. I pay for all of my flights and hotels (and I always tell you how much!) so I can be as honest and impartial as possible. I do not receive any special treatment that wouldn’t otherwise be publicly accessible, in fact, the hotels and airlines have no idea about my visit and that’s the way I like it!

#oberoi #amarvilas #tajmahal

“I have chills. I honestly didn’t think it could  live up to the weight of expectations. A part of   me feels a bit devastated to be leaving.” For those of you new to the channel,   thanks for stopping by, my name is Kevin and I am  The Flip Flop Traveller- a fairly literal title. 

I think the internet is in need of a whole lot  more honesty when it comes to airline and hotel   content and that’s why I’m here. I make trip  reports and high end hotel reviews and I always  

Self fund my trips. In fact, you’ll always be able  to find the exact price I paid in the description   below. I don’t alert any companies that I’ll be  filming because I want as normal of an experience  

As possible. So, in this video today, I’m going  to give you nothing than my own personal, honest   and unbiased opinion based on my own experience. I don’t usually write notes in the style of the   one I read in the opening about hotels that I’m  reviewing, but when I left Amarvilas, I was so  

Struck with- I don’t even know what- that I felt  I needed to write it down so I could remember the   weight of it months later when editing the video. This is the last video in this India series, and  

Perhaps my last India video for a little while, so  you’ll excuse a bit of reflecting in this review.  India, on a global scale, may as well be  undiscovered when it comes to hospitality. Yes,   I’m well aware of the history of brands  like Taj and Oberoi and the likes,  

But just because some people know them  doesn’t mean all people understand them.  I will be the first one to admit that India is  an acquired taste for many foreign travelers,   but in the next minute, as we drive from the dusty  streets of Rajasthan to the literal Taj Mahal,  

I want to define a concept that likely  thousands of vloggers have failed to do.  You watch a favorable video about India  on Youtube. At some point the creator   will inevitably say something along the lines  of, “India has got me. It’s a feeling that I  

Cannot explain, it’s almost spiritual.”  Meanwhile their viewers are watching,   thinking, “What the hell does that even mean?” Let me tell you what it means and who may enjoy   India. India is a basket of experiments and  opportunities. It is a developing country in  

The purest form of the phrase, why? Look at India  and look at just about every other developing   country on earth. With a few exceptions, many of  the others are in some way plagued by violence or   in some way subject to- let’s just say less than  democratic rule. That’s where the experiments and  

Opportunities come in, two things only possible  without the violence and strong arm rule.  This is by no means a political  statement or video, but I think   it bears saying. I’m trying to step gently. What does this mean? It means things develop more  

Organically, slowly but consistently and messily. Everything you’ve heard about India is possibly   true, but likely without context. This is  a country of hundreds of cultures, colors,   and creeds vibrantly moving forward with the  single goal to make the country better for the  

Next generation. That’s the spirit I think every  other content creator is struck by. India shows   you what is possible, for better or worse, when  certain barriers developing world barriers don’t   exist. If you enjoy watching development  in real time, as I do, you’ll enjoy India. 

This means incredible homegrown hospitality, it  also means struggling to deal with modern day   pollution. This means having vibrant lively mega  cities, it also means struggling to fight poverty   within those cities. This means having some of the  most beautiful sights on earth, but also, it means  

You need to setup your expectations appropriately,  if you ever expect to enjoy your time here.  I’m not here to promote any specific  country, but when I see an opportunity   to help travelers open doors which would  otherwise be locked, I kinda feel like  

It’s my duty to at least give them the key. We are getting close now. If you’ll notice   the street styles have a changed a bit, that  is because we are actually now inside the Taj   Mahal’s expansive grounds. Yes, this hotel doesn’t  just have a good view, it’s literally on site. 

And here we are now, welcome to Amarvilas. If you head down to the description you’ll   find my next five videos to come out as well  as other bits and pieces like the soundtrack   titles featured in this video. On your way down  there, don’t forget to subscribe- I release  

Full length videos every Thursday and Saturday. Arriving at Amarvilas is nearly as over the top   as it is understated. When arriving, there are no  over the top gestures or showers of rose petals   or live musicians. What there is though,  is the undivided attention of the staff. 

Besides the type of resort that you arrive to  via boat- where a gaggle of staff will greet you   on the dock, I don’t know of any other hotels out  there which instantly center the universe on you,   quite like Amarvilas. You’ll be met at  your car and guided through the courtyard  

Where your history lesson will begin- and I  don’t mean that in a pandering way, at all.  Stepping inside the reception hall you’ll be  greeted by four more staff who will drape you   in garland and blessings before escorting  you to the Lobby Lounge for a refreshment.  

Let’s break off and get a better view. Similar to Udaivilas, which I posted about   a few weeks ago, linked above and below,  Amarvilas is sort of a sanctuary within   a sanctuary within a sanctuary. Immediately you’re in the front   courtyard which welcomes all guests  of the hotel’s 102 rooms and suites. 

Clicking that thumbs up button, subscribing and  sharing this video with friends and family are   the easiest ways you can support the channel  and they’re all free for you. If you’d like to   support even further, my Patreon is linked in the  description below. Thanks very much in advance. 

Opened in 2001, the hotel wows you as you walk in  with its massive lapis blue and gilded gold dome   which hovers over the entry rotunda. The hotel was  designed by Bill Bensley but in a good way, is one  

Of his more reserved works, designed to reflect  the Mughal heritage of the Shah Jahan dynasty.  Since it’s opening almost 23 years ago, the hotel  has not seen a top to bottom renovation as most   hotels would have had during this time. If you  look at photos of the hotel from 20 years ago,  

Likely the only differences you’ll see will be  perhaps the silk textiles on the cushions and the   image quality itself. This property was built to  age like fine wine- and it certainly has. At the  

Far end of the lobby, we get our first view of the  Taj Mahal and it is sure to take your breath away.  From the lobby, we walk over to the Lobby Lounge  which is frankly one of the more beautiful rooms  

Or venues that I’ve ever seen. I had a cup of tea  here while the staff went over a few of my check   in details. After confirming some things, we then  proceeded up to my room where the check in was  

Completed. Before I get into my first big point,  let’s just admire some of the finer details.  Silks, a local marble inlay  technique named Parchin Kari,   woven textiles, teak wood ornaments and  flowers are the languages we are speaking here. 

So, my first big point. They know why you’re  here. I don’t imagine there are many guests that   spend a week or two at Amarvilas. The main draw  here is surely the Wonder of the World itself,  

The Taj Mahal. My guess is that 1-3 nights would  be the average stay duration and due to this,   your time at Amarvilas will be spent in a way to  maximize things, so to speak. When I got to my  

Room, I was asked about my plans to visit the Taj.  I asked about the easiest way to visit for sunrise   and the response was something along the lines of  “absolutely, we will arrange it for you. Tomorrow  

The sun will rise at 5:25. Please come down to  the lobby 40 minutes prior and we will have a   private morning guide waiting for you.” The guides  they arrange do not work for Oberoi, but they are   vetted extensively and are also quite reasonably  priced considering you’re booking through a hotel. 

Let’s get a better look at where exactly we are. Agra is in the north of India in the mega state of   Uttar Pradesh, or UP as it’s locally called. Agra  does have it’s own airport, but, how shall I say-  

It’s not really used. At the time of writing it  only had 4-5 flights per day from cities such as   Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.  The vast majority of visitors to Agra arrive via  

Delhi, which is a 3.5 to 4 hour drive to the north  or by land from Jaipur which is five hours to the   west, if you’re on a Golden Triangle loop. Once we zoom in a bit, we can see what makes  

Amarvilas so special. Here is the Taj Mahal,  here is Amarvilas and here is a whole bunch of   protected land. Every one of the rooms in the  hotel has direct Taj views and as the staff   put it, the only thing that will every change  that is if the trees grow taller than the Taj. 

When touring the Taj, you’ll take a  golf cart from the hotel entrance here   to the ticket entrance here and then  you’ll walk around inside the complex.  Note that, along the interior roads, only  Amarvilas can transport it’s guests by vehicle.  Alright, let’s go explore the absolutely  stunning outdoor pool and surrounding  

Grounds. If you notice there are a lot  of cut’s in this part of the video,   its because it was 115 degrees or 46 degrees  celsius and my iphones weren’t having it. I’d   get around 40 seconds of filming before the phone  would overheat- so all of this was pieced together  

From three different iphones which I was rotating  between. Thank god for backups to the backups.  As we talk around, let me tell you a bit  about Oberoi. I’ve covered the company   history extensively in my Oberoi Mumbai  video linked above and below, but today  

I want to focus on their future, in two ways. First up, the hotels themselves. They currently   have 19 properties, 12 of which are in India,  with 8 in the official pipeline. The interesting   bit about their pipeline though is a term you’ll  see written all over it. Seven stars. Yes, we’re  

Skipping six and going straight to seven. Oberoi  has plans to build five seven star hotels in India   in the coming years, likely in places you’ve never  heard of- and that’s kind of the point. Tirupati,   Gandikota, Visakhapatnam, Pichchukalanka  and Horsley Hills. Right after I googled,  

“What is a seven star hotel” I checked  out each of these cities and I can   understand the attention they are getting. The second piece about their future is also   my second big point. In 1966, Oberoi opened  what is now known as the Oberoi Centre of  

Learning and Development. The institute has  a variety of programs which range from full   on scholarship cum internship programs all  the way through to graduate hotel management   programs and just about everything in between. The guest as God is a mantra held in high regard  

And practice by many hotel chains in India,  Oberoi over the years took it a step further   to simply say, “The Guest is Everything”.  Oberoi is known for discreet but thoughtful   anticipatory service. By a long shot and a  half, this is the hardest type of service to  

Pull off well and from early days, the company  realized they needed a way to create their own   internal talent pool and so the Center was born. Now, the reason why it is my big point for this  

Hotel is because it was the first time I actually  saw it in action. I had a few interactions with   staff in various roles in the hotel, only to  find out later they were all students. Now,  

Did I know they were young staff and was I already  impressed with their savvy about the topics we   were talking about- chiefy how Indian Hospitality  compares to the rest of the world? Yes. But   later when I knew more about how they  came to work at the hotel, or rather,  

Intern at the hotel I was honestly gobsmacked. These were truly the most poised, professional   and knowledgeable young staff I’ve ever met  at a hotel and to hear about their stories   and how they came to be part of the Center was  pretty special. What took it a step further  

Though was when I was giving feedback to some  of the managers or supervisors at the hotel. I   remember after I had dinner, I asked if I could  pull the F&B manager outside for a moment just  

To give a bit a of feedback. I just went into a  bit of detail about the staff I’m talking about,   the ones that worked for her at least,  and she was absolutely beaming with pride.  Say what you will about big companies and  corporations, etc etc- I’m probably right  

There with you and because of that, it  was so incredibly refreshing to see a   company investing in their talent and the  fruits of their labor all at the same time.  As for the outdoor areas, the shaded grotto  has to be the best part- on hot days,  

It was still wonderfully cool in here. Ok, let’s go check out my room for this stay.  For this trip I had a premier room with a  balcony. I will give you my favorite and   least favorite details about the room at the end  of the room tour, but as we’re looking around,  

Let me cover my very much related third big point  which is the timeless quality of the details in   the hotel in general, but especially in the rooms. Oberoi is not known for cutting edge room design,   it’s just not their thing. They have a design  formula which works for them and in most cases  

Has worked for me as well, if not been a bit  underwhelming in design. Of the four Oberois I’ve   been to, this is the one that flipped all of that  on its head. If you’ve ever seen an Oberoi room,   you can near instantly tell this is an  Oberoi, it does fit their design language,  

But it is just so much more elevated compared to  their other properties. The number of small but   pristine details in this room that echo  the Taj Mahal directly is stunning. So,   I’ll let you look around and be back in a bit. So as we head out to this incredible balcony,  

Let me start off with my least favorite  details. There’s actually only one of   them and it’s the bathroom. I’ll note  that of all Oberoi bathrooms I’ve seen,   this one was the freshest and most modern looking,  I do admit. But, it is simply not doing anything  

For the room. It’s a missed opportunity. Can  you imagine some tikri mosaic art built into the   walls? Maybe some marble inlay on the vanity?  I’m just looking for a bit of personality.  As for my favorite details, well these  are plentiful. First off we have the  

View itself. It will never get old and even  while staying here, there was this kind of,   “whoa” moment everytime you look out the window. Second detail are the triple cards to hang on   your door which you’ll find at every Oberoi, the  third is alerting the staff you have laundry for  

Pickup- and even more so, one of my favorite  things you’ll find in many Indian hotels,   the anti slam padding which will be used every  time staff enter your room. The hook the other   end to the exterior handle and viola, it  doesn’t sound like the room is going to  

Crumble everytime the door slams on the deadbolt. Last up are all of the inlay details, especially   the wooden chevron details and the marble inlay,  the lapis, turquoise and other gemstone work is   just stunning. When we take a look a the Taj Mahal  in a bit, you’ll see these exact details there. 

When I first arrived I had room service, a club  sandwich which is just about as good as they get   and wonderfully presented as well. Ok, let’s go explore some   of the other venues on site. First up just off of the lobby is the,  

Wait for it… Bar. Open throughout the day the Bar  is known for it’s signature cocktails and serves   them up in a very colonial era atmosphere. Next up, we are going to head downstairs to   the two primary restaurants, but first,  a few musical interludes along the way. 

Dinner was at Esphahan which offers  a choice of veg or non-veg Thali,   as well as a full a la carte menu- you won’t  be surprised that I went for the Thali. The   restaurant is very Oberoi in it’s classic  styling and features a live musician throughout  

The evening. Before I even get started about the  food, I’ll mention service in here was on point.  Started off with some papadams and chutney  and moved onto the kebab appetizers. Tandoori   prawn in a citrus cream marinade and  tandoor chicken in a saffron egg crust. 

For the main dishes we had Lamb korma, Chicken  Makhni, bengal fish curry, paneer methi makhana   and Dal esphahani along with raita and rice pilau. Dessert was a selection of small local treats and   cookies. After the meal, as is customary  at Oberoi, one of the chefs will come  

Out to ask how your meal was. I said it was  very good, but he very politely pressed me,   perhaps my poker face wasn’t as good as I thought.  I told him, each dish was prepared very well,  

I couldn’t fault it at all, but the selection  of dishes and flavors were a bit on the basic   side, I didn’t say this part, but almost a bit  cliche. I told him I understand why it would be  

Like this as this is possibly the first and only  Thali some guests will ever have, but I just said   I wish there was like another more advanced  offering as well. Something a bit more local,   a bit more unexpected. He took the feedback very  graciously and said he understood exactly what  

I meant. And so yeah, that was the truth. It was  delicious, I’d eat it all again in a heart beat,   but, elevating it would have been even better. I head back to my room after dinner to find   my flip flops very well respected- as  they should be and then to my surprise,  

Found the Taj Mahal not lit up at night, instead  casting a beautifully spooky “Shadow” insead.  The next morning was absolutely incredible and  I really have no words to properly describe it,   so I’ll just let you enjoy. The Taj Mahal is often described  

As Poetry in Marble, truly the world’s most  cherished expression of love via stonework.   What struck me though was the ornate amount of  detail everywhere and the amount of inlay work   covering the outside and inside. I did  go inside, which is surprisingly small,  

But photos are not allowed inside. Unless  you’ve been here or studied the structure,   likely you thought it was all white- or at  least all white carerra like marble. Never   in my wildest dreams could I have imagined  how intricately designed it actually is. 

I was back in time to catch the tail end of  breakfast service at the newly spruced up   Bellevue restaurant. This is also the all  day dining facility. On offer was a small   buffet as well as Oberoi’s famous breakfast,  though here the a la carte menu was a bit  

Smaller than I’m used to for an Oberoi- but  still plenty of great options to choose from.  So, as we look around and then  check out the fitness center,   let’s see if I can’t wrap this up neatly. Not only is the Taj Mahal it’s own bucket  

List stop, but this hotel is as well. If you’re  planning on visiting Agra or doing the full   Golden Triange or any other extended trip in  India, it would be purely foolish to pass up   on Amarvilas if you can fit it in your budget. I stayed here during super low season which  

Accounts for my nightly rate, but I would say even  at double my rate, it is still worth the stay and   you’ve never heard me say anything is blindly  worth $900 before, but what Amarvilas gives   you cannot be replicated anywhere. The access,  the ambiance, the service and the views. Two  

Nights here will likely fulfill decades worth  of wonder. Since it is likely a shorter stay,   I’d probably encourage you to take a look at some  of their beautiful suites- also something I never   suggest, but Amarvilas is simply an occasion  and I can’t ever imagine someone stepping  

Onto their balcony and thinking, “that’s it?” I really do hope you enjoyed this video today,   if you did, please be sure to click that thumbs  up button and subscribe with notifications on so   you don’t miss out on any of my upcoming content.  This might be the last of my India hotels for now,  

But I have lots of hotel content coming from  Vietnam, Mexico, Oman and the UAE in the next few   months to come- in addition of course to four to  six monthly trip reports. But before all of that,   I’ll see you next time on board Bamboo Airways.  Oh and thanks for watching until the end. 

As with all of the videos in this India series,  if you’re new here, feel free to click the link   above or in the description for my India playlist  which will have around 25 videos by years end.