This post is a continuation of my travel series “Beauties of Mumbai & Ahmedabad”.
I hope you’ve read my previous post, if not please find the link at the end of the post.
As I discussed in my previous post the journey from Mumbai to Ahmedabad left me with mixed feelings.
It was 10:30 by the time we reached Ahmedabad. We booked a taxi and headed to the hotel we pre-booked through Oyo rooms. We felt a sudden jolt like a shock as we reached the hotel (which was near Old ashram road). The striking images of the hotel rooms shown in oyo rooms didn’t justify the look of the hotel; this was a blow we were not prepared for!
Exterior view of the hotel (Image Source)
A staff member was waiting for us at the entrance as we informed them prior that we would arrive anytime soon. I kept telling myself that “Don’t judge the hotel just by its exterior looks!” I kept my spirit high and followed the person….As we moved ahead we passed through a walk way which was very shady and stinky, with pan spits everywhere. Still I kept telling myself that “Its OK, everything is going to be all right! It is just an old building with no other way in except this!”
The hotel lobby and rooms were OKish! Rooms were small but we had no other option left but to stay, so had to compromise on that. Also the room cleaning was not done properly before we were allotted those rooms, cleaning was done only after my request. Deepthi me and Rupali (one among 3 of Deepthi’s friends) shared a room, other two guys Karan and Vamshi settled in another room.
The staff of the hotel was quite helpful though. The hotel kitchen was closed by then, but on our request they got us food from a Punjabi Dabha nearby. “At least our hunger was served well” I thought!
By not letting the initial welcome of the city cloud our judgment, we decided to stop worrying about the comforts of hotel room and plan ahead for next day instead. We all decided on booking an OLA rental and cover places nearby Ahmedabad, first on the list was “Adalaj Stepwell”, we all agreed on that and called it a day. I was damn tired by the journey. That night I slept like a baby!
“Ding-dong!” The doorbell rang.
It was then we had our senses back and woke up from a sound deep sleep. The bell was to remind us of our complimentary breakfast. We quickly freshened up and before going for breakfast thought of making arrangements for our ride and checked Ola rentals. The price increased drastically! So we opted for a Zoom car and booked that instead. Time slot of 12 Pm was confirmed, so once that stuff was sorted out we left for having breakfast.
I can’t say anything but this….That day for the first time in my life I hated idly! It felt like rubber as I chewed and I gave up my thought of completing it and instead had Aloo bajji. It was very oily but there weren’t any other options either! Do not get me wrong when I say that, being south Indian I love idly with sambar and chutney than anything else and when someone defies it by making it in-consumable, makes me go nuts!
We were screwed in many possible ways that day and this was just a start! As we reached our pickup point for the car we booked, we were informed that wrong car was sent to us on our booking and need to wait until the changes take place from their end. After a long wait of 2 hours 30 min and repeated follow-up finally we were provided with a vehicle!
Yeah that’s me arguing with Zoom Car customer care executive!
It was already a bad start of our 4 day trip in Ahmedabad still our fate laughed at us as if that wasn’t enough! We left from there in the vehicle provided and after a ride of 10 minutes into the city, we were stopped by the traffic police and came to know from them that the number plate of the cab was not adhering with the rules and regulations, so we had to pay fine for driving that car! After this massacre we moved ahead hoping that moments to come will prove us wrong and bad impressions on Ahmedabad will just vanish!
As it happens, beauties of Ahmedabad proved me wrong and apart from few ups and downs, we had a pretty decent and memorable trip. I will post about it in my next post. Stay tuned guys!
Until next time…
Ciao
You can read the previous posts here:
Trivial Adventure #SiblingDiaries Part1
Peaceful Morning #SiblingDiaries Part2
Celestial Vibes #SiblingDiaries Part3
Impeccable Structure #SiblingDiaries Part4
I AM TAKING MY ALEXA RANK TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH #MYFRIENDALEXA VIA BLOGCHATTER.
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that was really a mood spoiler….. Though I always spent time of my own and select a hotel and book directly after reading reviews at tripadvisor…. only once we tried to experiment with oyo at Jaipur and it was horribly bad experience…..
After that experience we have stuck to our own rules and now follow that only……
We saw the ratings in oyo did not check for its reviews somewhere else. After that horrible experience i do not even dare to book a room without checking its reviews!
yes… that should a practice……. But I do not book oyo now…..
O my god ! Those were two long days. I best. While reading I was wishing oh man no more surprises. But neither the less. It ended well. Looking forward to next post.
Yeah i felt the same ki when will this trail of bad experiences stop!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Seems like a terrible experience! I hope you don’t have any in the future. Good luck!
Yeah we did not had much trouble in the days after that !
Thanks for stopping by sushmita 🙂
Booking new age services like Oyo and Zoom car i advance is no guarantee of its deliverance level! It happens!! Sometimes, I feel the good old way is not bad either!
I feel the good old ways are the best!
Thanks for stopping by Arv 🙂
You are welcome ?
Oh man. So sorry you had to put up with terrible service.
Yeah first day in ahmedabad was a nightmare but later it proved to be fruitful ? Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Oh my seems like you had bad luck all around. Being a South Indian I know how much perfect idlis matter. Hope to read more and hopefully the good parts of your adventure
Ha ha yeah Aks…planning to post another story by tomorrow. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Can totally understand the frustration. Went through the same scenarios on a trip to Chandigarh last year. Start to wonder whether can trust any of these sites at all! But then again it becomes a story you share for a very long time. 🙂
yeah that’s the point! In the end we will have some bitter as sweet memories to share 🙂
Ouch!! All o fit sounds like such a downer and yet you are keeping a cheerful attitude Keerthi – thats laudable! I would have lost it by now and taken the happiness of several peeps 😉
Look forward to reading more on this….
Ha ha that was necessary to keep me going Shalz 🙂 Thanks a lot for dropping by! Will blog about our journey soon enough, hopefully by tomorrow!
I have faced a similar nightmare regarding hotel room from another service provider. Hope you were able to enjoy the remaining days.
Yeah disha we did enjoy next few days. Thanks a lot for dropping by 🙂
That might have been a mood spoiler to start with a trip in Ahmedabad. I usually do not trust Oyo coz the service level is not even budget, it is way below it. BTW going for a trip with siblings must be a lovely experience and the choice of names for your post is lovely!
Yeah it indeed spoiled our mood…but Thankfully next few days turned out to be eventful! Thanks a lot dropping by and showing ur appreciation 🙂
A bad hotel can really get to my nerves today. But back when I was a student, budget was the only concern and we did not have any OYO or the likes. Your posts always manage to bring back so many memories of a life lived long time ago.
I am glad that ur are relishing old memories through my posts Anupriya 🙂 Thanks a lot for ur kind words…
Oh dear! That’s a lot of bad luck coming together on the same day. Glad it got better though.
Yeah corinne, a lot to take in for that day. I am glad that it got better or else would have a feeling of ruined vacation in the end! Thanks a lot for dropping by 🙂