We had booked for the trip months in advance and the process itself was pretty smooth. As usual, I could speak with multiple agents to get the insights and drill down of the packages themselves and finally decide on the package I wanted.
Our trip was marred with the need to reschedule due to the In
diGo crisis and the support from the Travel Triangle team and the Travel Agent - Sierra Vacations - was swift and accommodating. We had thought that our trip was dead when the flight got cancelled but we rescheduled the flight to 2 days later and the agent was able to accommodate that like a charm. Once the trip began, it was as smooth as butter - there were no hindrances at all.
This is a far cry from other websites like MakeMyTrip that sell holiday trips which are absolutely inflexible. And it is for this level of customer focused experience that I would definitely recommend Travel Triangle to everyone.
On the hotels front, Magpie Pachhu Resort at Pelling stood out as the best in terms of the quality of the property, the service of the staff and the overall impeccable experience. The food at the restaurant offered a lot of variety and delivered in terms of taste and quality as well. The staff was the best - from reception, to house keeping to the folks at the restaurant - everyone were very polite, respectful and extremely efficient at their job.
The Udaan Nirvana Hotel at Darjeeling also delivered very good service and a warm stay. The staff was professional and polite. The food was good. The only challenge we had was the access to and from the hotel itself as it requires a hike to reach the Darjeeling Mall Road and can only be accessed via foot. If you are in a rush and are not fit, this is gonna be a challenge. People should note that and be ready for before booking yourself to the hotel. Apart from that aspect, the spot offers everything you would want from a premium stay - the spa services were a great addition and the food was pretty good too.
The Avianna Gangtok Prime Hotel was the final destination in our trip. Full marks to the location and accessibility to the WestPoint mall or the MG Marg (big shopping destination). However, it was the most disappointing part of the trip in terms of the stay. The service of the restaurant was objectively bad - they would not answer the call or disconnect the phone altogether. We need to reach out to the reception to get the help. You order food for 3, they wouldn't give you enough cutlery. You order tea, they only serve you the potential and nothing else. You cannot reach out to them for follow up as they are unavailable. Even when you reach them - an achievement, they are barely responsive and dismissive. You have to do multiple followups to get your house keeping done. The only saving grace is the folks at the reception who are accommodating and help coordinate when other services are dysfunctional. Lots of scope for the place to improve on.
The transfers and the cab drivers we get change from destination to destination. The transfer to Darjeeling was in a different vehicle and the tour in Darjeeling was a different one. They drivers were professional and decently patient with us as we hoped different places. The best driver experience was when our Sikkim trip began where the driver was an extremely positive and nice individual who would constantly offer information about the cultural history behind the places we were visiting and the things we should try out in the spots. He was with us through out the Pelling trip and the transfer to Gangtok as well.
Overall, this was another one of a great trips planned and executed via Travel Triangle.
Pelling was certainly the best portion of the trip and ironically, this was the part of the trip that we never intended to add but was something that the travel agents suggested we do in the trip. The natural and picturesque beauty, fresh air and a great stay definitely the best part.
My six year old was excited to see all the birds up close in the bird sanctuary. We loved the Orange Garden and the access to the river from the garden itself.
But the monastery near the skywalk was definitely one of our best memories.