3 most recent reviews from TripAdvisor
Friendly Homestay 
by TessaTB on Dec 01, 2008
5 / 5
specialty lodging
My husband, best friend, and I really enjoyed our stay at Garden Villa. We called as we were arriving in Agra and the owner's son was sent to meet
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us at a popular spot (McDonald's) to guide us to the house. We were surprised to find it in a seemingly rural area not too far from the sights. It was fun to see buffalo and cows so close to the town (we got some cute pics). The house is in a gated community surrounded by rural landscape. When we arrived we were greeted by the very friendly and funny owner Raj and his son. Our bags were immediately handled by the staff and taken from the taxi to our room. We took a seat in the living room and spoke to Raj for a little bit and handed over our passports. We were taken up the Tulsi room and Raj showed us around the room. We were very pleased with the room. It was extremely clean and spacious even with an extra bed added. We had a good home-cooked meal for dinner and met two other friendly guests at the table. Unfortunately the first night wasn't so restful as their was a wedding happening close by and fireworks were still going off at 5:45 am (it's wedding season in India). Also when the other guests downstairs got up it got a little bit loud. But only to be expected in a house. The electricity also has a habit of going out every morning so I recommend heating some water in the evening before you head to bed if you want to take a shower in the morning. They did set up a great system though that certain lights still work during a power outage by the use of a battery. But I found that things like showering, blow drying hair, and ironing clothes were best done at night (at least during our stay for two nights). The bathroom is a nice size and the geyser really only takes fifteen minutes to heat up but that also means you have a shorter hot shower because it's kind of small (but good enough to wash the basics).
There is internet available on a computer downstairs for a charge. We didn't use it though. There was also cable television which was nice but there weren't any international news channels or any english channels besides a couple Indian news channels. Which is usually fine at such a touristy place but it was right after the Mumbai terrorist attacks so we were hoping to watch some CNN or BBC.
The breakfasts are quite nice. About three pieces of toast with jam, butter, and honey available, a large omelette and bananas. Also hot water was served for tea or NesCafe coffee.
Raj and his family were so friendly and helpful during the stay. You can tell they put a lot of care into the place and we had a great time there. I would definitely stay there again and would highly recommend it. It's always nice to stay in a modestly priced place in India where you can feel completely safe and welcome.
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Superb little place
by microcuts on Nov 25, 2008
5 / 5
specialty lodging
I very much enjoyed our stay at Garden Villa Homestay. The owner and his son are very pleasant and make you feel very welcome (by the way I'm sure the
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owner's wife is lovely too but I happened not to talk to her!).
Our room, Tulsi, was very large, clean and comfortable - in fact it was much better than I expected; far better than it needed to be at this price.
The location is excellent - it's within 10/15 minutes drive of both the Taj and Agra Fort yet it's out of the way enough to be free from the incessant horn-beeping which plagues India.
If you stay here I would thoroughly recommend taking dinner as well - the food was great and very good value for money.
Garden Villa Homestay fully deserves all the great reviews it has received - I would stay here again in an instant.
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Like Staying with Your Favorite Uncle
by Peggala on Nov 17, 2008
5 / 5
specialty lodging
After experiencing a night drive from Delhi to Agra, we were exhausted and somewhat shell shocked. To locate the villa, we called for directions and were told to wait
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at a certain intersection. In a very short time, the owner’s son arrived on a motor bike and led us away from the noise and pollution into a very rural area; amazingly just minutes off the main road. On our arrival at the lovely Garden Villa, we were greeted by our host, Mr. Rajbansh and asked to sit, unwind and talk with him. We were then shown to a very clean, comfortable and attractive room with its own bath and a balcony. The Garden Villa has its own electric backup system, so when the electricity went out, as it does in Agra, we lost our AC but still had fans and light. We woke to the sound of birds and were joined at breakfast by Mr. Rajbansh who told us the history of our day’s destination. For a very small fee we checked our emails on the house computer. Our two nights at the Garden Villa were a very pleasant experience. We felt safe and well cared for. My only regret is that we didn’t eat dinner in!
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