Our December 2017 trip to Aurangabad

We were a group of 17 close family members that wanted to visit Aurangabad and its nearby places of Ajanta and Ellora from Dec 26 to 29/30, 2017. We contacted Mr. Narayan Soni of Anjaneya Multi Services Tours and Travels over JustDial and he organised a complete end-to-end 3 nights / 4 days package for us.

I wish to hereby capture our experiences. The overall plan was very detailed and included pick-up and drop to/from the railway station and airport. We had already booked rooms in MTDC Holiday Resort, but otherwise all aspects including breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner were arranged by Mr. Narayan. Also excluded were incidental expenses like toll fees, parking fees and entry fees at the monuments.

Overall we had a very pleasant experience! Mr Narayan's services were simply outstanding! He and his driver would show up at our hotel at 8am and stay with us till 10pm or 11pm as needed! He would consult with us regarding the plan for the day, and many times gave us very valuable advice and suggestions! He took us to some very good restaurants (Thaat Bhaat, etc.) and also to some local dhaba-type places for a more local and authentic culinary experience. He ensured we had mineral water bottles available throughout the trips, and also in our rooms in the hotel at night.

Some particular instances where Mr Narayan went much beyond our expectations: In one of the dhaba-type places that we went for lunch, he actually went in to the kitchen and took charge to ensure the dishes were prepared according to our taste (not too spicy, etc.)!! Near Panchakki, where the road traffic was jammed due to a narrow approach road, he actually got down, and manned the traffic for a good 15-20 mins to ensure smooth flow of traffic! While departing from Aurangabad, we left in three batches - 2 batches by trains on 2 different days, and one batch by air. He made sure to be there till we checked-in at the airport / loaded our luggage on to the trains, telling us we were his responsibility till then!!

There were several other delightful moments as well: We all got a welcome kit at our hotel that included new bath towels and toileteries, chocolate packets for eating on the minibus, imported chocolate boxes as farewell gifts, and an ad-hoc surprise birthday celebration with a large Monginis birthday cake over dinner for one of our kids!

Thanks to Mr Narayan's scheduling efficiency and also excellent suggestions, we were able to cover more places than we initially planned! We finally covered: Ajanta and Ellora caves, Bibi ka Makbara, Panchakki, Hanuman Temple, Aurangzeb's tomb, Daulatabad fort, Prozone Mall, and a very unexpected drop-by to his house (where his family very graciously served us coffee, tea and snacks)!!

Overall, Mr Narayan ensured we had an excellent experience throughout! He has clearly gone far beyond our expectations, and we have been very, very lucky to have availed his very excellent services!