My daughter, a friend and I spent a month in India last spring.  It was a fantasy come true.  Cut corners on food and time there if you have to, but stay in the best hotel possible.  We hired a car and driver through our hotel rather than go out in public transportation.  The cost of a five star hotel there compares with a one bedroom/no service here in Colorado ski country. The cost of hiring a car and driver is more than worth it - good drivers provide tours the you design or focused on a subject that you suggest, safety in infamous traffic, advice, information and convenience you can get no where else.  You can search for places hard to find and stop anywhere.  The general hotel service is excellent beyond description.  It sort of feels like being in an old movie.  Food is served throughout the day at no cost - we only went out to eat when we wanted to explore some culinary treasure.  The people were just outstandingly polite and kind; they were good natured and beautiful.  Traffic in the streets was wild but the vastly different, crazy scenes were what we came for.  We truly loved Delhi. Pune, Agra and other places we visited.  The power in the cities, the antiquity, beauty and most of all, the people there were more than we expected - more exciting, more educational, more fun, on and on and on....   We found incredible bargans.  I can't imagine shopping there and not finding out-of-this-world treasures.  Taking a train, looking for "antiques", visiting temples, shopping - I can honestly say that every day and nearly everything we did was a real adventure.  The whole place is an archelogical wonder.  We learned so much about so many things...  India changed me - I try to be kinder, more compassionate and concerned when I see someone from another country - that was the way we were treated there.  We love India and will go back as soon as possible.