Choosing where to stay in Delhi is a big issue for parents who are expecting a long stay. We have experienced two of the options on offer and both have their advantages....
Svelte Suites
Two great things about Svelte. 1. As the name suggests you get a bedroom and a living room. 2. It's attached to an air-conditioned mall. Svelte is the perfect place to bring your new arrival. In the heat of summer and the dust of winter, it's a haven from the elements. Having a living room is ideal for middle of the night feeds, allowing one of you to get some rest. Being attached to the mall also means you won't go stir-crazy in your room. We even bought a stroller so we could take walks around the mall and visit the many great restaurants and food courts. If you don't have a little one, visit the cinema - bigger and better than any multiplex we've visited at home.
But the best thing about Svelte is the community of parents and couples hoping to start a family. Breakfast time turned out to be one of the nicest times of the day - a chance to commune with others from all over the world, doin' what you're doin'. Here I learned that it isn't the affluent few that get involved with surrogacy; just everyday folk with a shared, incredibly strong urge to become parents. We mortgage our homes, we save like we've never saved before and we will stop at nothing to reach our goal. (It's about time governments that make it difficult for us get that - I'm certain every one of the people we've met will make exceptional parents and raise kids that will be a credit to them.)
(Final bill came to around £GBP80/INR6800/$US125 per night)
Tulip Apartments
Tulip got a bad rap on blogs recently. And it does sound as though one of the apartments, B40, is to be avoided. We moved into E-177 and it's great. OK, so the decor isn't what you'd choose, but it's clean, air conditioned and big! We chose a 3 bedroom apartment on a recommendation because we have family coming to stay but we have space to turn the third bedroom into a laundry! For families with new arrivals, having a washing machine is brilliant (and a big advantage over Svelte). It's also close to two shopping areas - M-Block Market and Kailash Colony Market.
This is certainly closer to 'real life' in up-market Delhi but for long stayers, you can get into something more like a normal routine. Other advantages are wifi, satellite tv and a proper kitchen.
Because Noah arrived early, we experienced both of these accommodation options. Our first week was spent at Svelte and now we've settled into a month at Tulip. On reflection this was the best of both worlds. First a haven of tranquillity and an introduction to some wonderful people, then something that more closely approximates to home.
(Final bill came to £GBP47/INR4000/$US75 per night)
Svelte Suites
Two great things about Svelte. 1. As the name suggests you get a bedroom and a living room. 2. It's attached to an air-conditioned mall. Svelte is the perfect place to bring your new arrival. In the heat of summer and the dust of winter, it's a haven from the elements. Having a living room is ideal for middle of the night feeds, allowing one of you to get some rest. Being attached to the mall also means you won't go stir-crazy in your room. We even bought a stroller so we could take walks around the mall and visit the many great restaurants and food courts. If you don't have a little one, visit the cinema - bigger and better than any multiplex we've visited at home.
But the best thing about Svelte is the community of parents and couples hoping to start a family. Breakfast time turned out to be one of the nicest times of the day - a chance to commune with others from all over the world, doin' what you're doin'. Here I learned that it isn't the affluent few that get involved with surrogacy; just everyday folk with a shared, incredibly strong urge to become parents. We mortgage our homes, we save like we've never saved before and we will stop at nothing to reach our goal. (It's about time governments that make it difficult for us get that - I'm certain every one of the people we've met will make exceptional parents and raise kids that will be a credit to them.)
(Final bill came to around £GBP80/INR6800/$US125 per night)
Tulip Apartments
Tulip got a bad rap on blogs recently. And it does sound as though one of the apartments, B40, is to be avoided. We moved into E-177 and it's great. OK, so the decor isn't what you'd choose, but it's clean, air conditioned and big! We chose a 3 bedroom apartment on a recommendation because we have family coming to stay but we have space to turn the third bedroom into a laundry! For families with new arrivals, having a washing machine is brilliant (and a big advantage over Svelte). It's also close to two shopping areas - M-Block Market and Kailash Colony Market.
This is certainly closer to 'real life' in up-market Delhi but for long stayers, you can get into something more like a normal routine. Other advantages are wifi, satellite tv and a proper kitchen.
Because Noah arrived early, we experienced both of these accommodation options. Our first week was spent at Svelte and now we've settled into a month at Tulip. On reflection this was the best of both worlds. First a haven of tranquillity and an introduction to some wonderful people, then something that more closely approximates to home.
(Final bill came to £GBP47/INR4000/$US75 per night)
