I recently had the misfortune of booking a Kashmir vacation with Duke Travel, and I regret to say that it was a complete disaster. The coordinator for the tour, Rubina, made big promises of 3-star accommodation, but the reality was very different. Our stay at German Residency in Srinagar was nothing short of a nightmare. The hotel staff were completely unprofessional and indifferent to our needs.
Despite staying for two days, we were unable to get hot water on any of the days, and Rubina ignored all our messages about this issue. It seems Duke Travel only cares about taking your money on the first day of the tour and then leaving you to fend for yourself.
When we arrived at German Residency at 11:30 am, the hotel refused to give us a room until the official check-in time of 2 pm, even though Duke knows about our arrival timings. Even after finally getting a room, we had to follow up at least four or five times just to get basic amenities like towels, extra beds, a kettle, chairs, and a table. The staff were completely untrained and didn’t even bother to serve water at the table during meals.
Our experience at Grand Hill View in Gulmarg was slightly better, but they too failed to provide hot water. Ahmed Resorts in Pehalgam was good, but they wouldn’t let us order anything additional to the buffet they provided. Dinner was only available until 9 pm, which was inconvenient.
But the worst part of the tour was the houseboat in Dal Lake. Duke Travel promised Lake Crown Group of House Boats, but instead, they allotted Dharma Palace houseboat, which was filthy and unhygienic. This boathouse doesn’t even have a safe entrance gate from Dal Lake. You have to cross through a wooden plate from another boat house, which was very risky and may fall into lake while entering the boat. It’s not at all safe and easy task for kids and elderly people. The towels were dirty, and the cutlery was not cleaned properly. The breakfast buffet only offered bread and jam, and we had to pay an additional Rs. 1200 to order food from outside. The dinner served was of low quality and third-class. The personnel was rude and unhelpful, and they charged for every bottle of water, with no complimentary bottles offered.
Overall, my experience with Duke Travel was nothing short of a nightmare. I strongly advise against booking with them or any travel agency for that matter. Do your own research and ask friends who have already visited Kashmir. Book hotels with good ratings and feedback from Google. Avoid Duke Travel at all costs - they may speak sweetly, but they will not care about you once they have your money.