CRYSTAL SAROVAR PREMIERE in Agra - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Agra Hotels › Crystal Sarovar Premiere Review
Updated: March 15, 2022

Essentials
• Location: On the major Fatehabad Road.
• Hotel website: sarovarhotels.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)562 711 0711
• Check prices for Crystal Sarovar Premiere

Review if Crystal Sarovar Premiere in Agra, India.

The rooftop pool and restaurant at the Crystal Sarovar Premiere hotel in Agra are very inviting.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – Popular, good-value, and impressive facilities, but not a great area.

Better value than most rivals across Agra, this low-key but upmarket hotel is instantly likable from the lively lobby to the variety of cafés/bars on-site. Rooms are a similar size to numerous others in the vicinity, but the décor offers more reminders of India. Views vary, and the rooms at the back of the hotel are more sheltered from the incessant traffic noise (but those labeled ‘Taj Facing’ are certainly not facing the Taj). Major selling points are the rooftop pool, which is particularly inviting at night, and the restaurant alongside with distant views of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. The only downside is the unpleasant area outside: noisy, dirty, and packed with buses and rickshaws, but with a decent selection of places to eat and drink.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – The Location

Address: Halfway along Fatehabad Road, a main thoroughfare through downtown. Set back about 75m from the road.
Area: One of the least pleasant areas in Agra. Still reasonably safe but dirty, noisy, and jam-packed with vehicles and traffic. And crossing the road can be very dangerous.
How to Get There: About 3 km from the Taj Mahal, 7 km from the Agra Cantonment Railway Station, which has most services to/from Delhi and Jaipur, and 13 km from the new airport. All are accessible by taxi or auto-rickshaw.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – The Basics

Guests: Caters for all, but is especially popular with Indian tourists, including those with children.
Views: Rooms overlooking the chaotic road may suffer from traffic noise. Views from rooms at the back are of residential streets and far quieter. The names (and photos on the website) of the ‘Taj Facing’ rooms are very misleading; the Taj is more than 2 km away.
Kids Club: No club, but better facilities for children than most Agra hotels. The Kids Zone (oddly, within the spa area) offers some toys for toddlers and games for older children in separate areas. Also, a tiny playground at the hotel entrance, and a special sitting area in the Lattice restaurant for the younger ones.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not really expected or provided at a hotel like this in Agra.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)562 711 0711
Email: cspa@sarovarhotels.com
Website: sarovarhotels.com

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – Amenities

Pool: More inviting than most. Large, with lounge chairs, and especially attractive at night.
Spa: The Nirvana Spa is surprisingly big and spreads across an extended corridor. Facials, massages, and scrubs offered using old-fashioned methods.
Fitness Center: Alongside the spa and reasonably well-equipped.
For Families: Kids Zone with games and toys. Tiny playground.
Other Facilities: Travel desk. Laundry. Business Center.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – Food and Drink

Restaurants & Bars: Lattice – Open all day at the lobby level for European and Indian cuisine. Open-plan kitchen, and very busy for buffet breakfasts. • Bello Italiano @Fizz – Premier Italian bistro at mezzanine level. Open from midday to midnight, with a stylish bar. • Sky Grill – Alongside the rooftop pool. Bar counter, and chairs spread across the terrace. Distant views of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort (smog permitting). Grills, salad bar, pizza, and live music from 7 pm. • Tea Lounge – Snack bar and coffee lounge at the lobby.
Breakfast: Not normally included, but worth paying for when booking or checking in.
Room Service: Available 24/7.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – Rooms

Room Types: Deluxe Rooms • Premium Rooms (Taj Facing) • Studio Rooms • Studio Rooms (Taj Facing) • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking in the rooms or public areas.
Best Room: Studio Rooms are particularly spacious, with full-length windows offering more superior street views (which do NOT include the Taj Mahal, despite claims and photos on the website).
For Families: Studio Rooms are perfect for families. With 2 double beds and plenty of space, they can easily accommodate 4 people.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – Local Transport

Walking: Streets around the hotel are dusty, potholed, crowded, and very noisy. Not at all pleasant for even the shortest walk, so take auto-rickshaws whenever possible.
Public Transport: Nothing of any use to tourists.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: Taxis (unmetered) are hard to find because they’re rarely needed in this area. If required, arrange through the hotel reception, or book an Ola cab. Plenty of auto-rickshaws and a few cycle-rickshaws can be found along the road.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

KFC – Unmissable and next to the hotel.
Grey House Café – On an upper floor for views, offering excellent food, pleasing prices, friendly staff, and bar. Next to the hotel.
Mocha Café & Bar – Yellow exterior stands out along the dusty road. Hugely popular among well-heeled youth for coffee, western food, and beer. Just across the road from the hotel.
The Salt Café Agra – Terrific views and ample seating. Busy hangout, with stylish décor, live music, and friendly bar. About 100m away. Turn left from the hotel gates.
Spice Darbar +91 86304 15796 – Fascinating décor and wide range of Chinese and Indian food. Welcome respite from the chaos outside, especially for families. Head right from the hotel gates.
Radisson Hotel Agra – Quiet setting and fine dining within the 4-star (ex-Prime Plaza) hotel.

Nearby Shops

Many shops along the road in both directions, but mostly for locals rather than tourists. The low-key and Indian-style TDI Mall is about 700m east; turn right at the hotel gates. Bit forlorn with many empty shops, but a few decent places to spend some Rupees.

Nearby Attractions

The Taj Mahal is certainly Agra’s, and possibly India’s, number one attraction. The hotel is equidistant from the ticket offices at the West Gate (3 km) and East Gate (3 km) by auto-rickshaw. Separate entries for men and women. Open from sunrise to sunset, but closed on Fridays.
Agra Fort – The grand Red Fort (Lal Qila) symbolizes power and resilience. Partly occupied by the Indian Army, tourists can still see multiple mosques, palaces, and other structures inside this vast monument located close to the city center. Open from 6 am to 6 pm on all days. (4 km).
Itimad-ud-Daula – Popularly thought of as the first draft of the Taj Mahal, and often known as “Baby Taj”. The tomb is the first marble structure built by the Mughals and features intricate lattice work. Open from sunrise to sunset. (8 km).
Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary – A haven for several species of birds and a must-visit for wildlife photographers. Apart from birds, it also houses pythons and Wildlife SOS, the largest bear rescue center in India, as well as the only elephant hospital in the country. (27 km).
Fatehpur Sikri – This majestic red sandstone fort is known for the Buland Darwaza, Jama Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chishti, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwani-i-Khas, and several other monuments on-site. Built in the 16th-century by Emperor Akbar to celebrate the birth of his son, Jahangir, in Sikri. Open daily from 6 am to 6 pm. Tickets can be bought online from various travel portals or at the fort entrance. (40 km).

Crystal Sarovar Premiere – The Hotel

The hotel is located in a not-so-pleasant area in the city center.

The Crystal Sarovar Premiere hotel is in the city center along a busy road.

The hotel dominates the area and is set back from the main road.

The hotel dominates the immediate area. Set back a little from the road helps to buffer traffic noise.

The hotel lobby is lively and packed with guests.

The hotel is always busy, and the lobby is lively and often packed with guests.

The Tea Lounge by the reception serves snacks, sandwiches, and drinks.

Opposite the reception desk, the Tea Lounge offers snacks, sandwiches, and drinks.

Breakfast is served at the Lattice restaurant.

Lattice is the hotel restaurant where breakfast is served.

The chic Bello Italiano @Fizz bistro and bar is locate on a mezzanine floor.

On the mezzanine level within the hotel is Bello Italiano @Fizz, a chic bistro and bar.

The rooftop pool looks very inviting at night.

The adequately-sized rooftop pool looks particularly inviting after dark.

The pool deck features colorful and comfortable lounge chairs.

Lounge chairs around the pool are colorful and comfortable.

The pool-side Sky Grill has a pleasant bar.

Alongside the pool on the hotel rooftop, Sky Grill has a pleasant bar.

Sky Grill offers pizzas, salads, and live music.

Sky Grill also provides pizzas and a salad bar, and live music in the evenings.

Sky Grill offers tables across the rooftop.

Tables at Sky Grill spread across the hotel rooftop.

The rooftop offers distant views of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

From the top of the hotel, distant views of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort are possible – smog permitting.

Nirvana Spa offers several treatments in multiple rooms.

At the hotel, the Nirvana Spa provides numerous treatments within several rooms.

Next to the hotel spa is the well-equipped fitness center.

The kids zone has a modest collection of toys.

Down a corridor within the spa area is the Kids Zone. The collection of toys is modest, but still better than anything offered at most rival hotels.

The kids zone has separate areas for toddlers and older children.

The Kids Zone is split into 2 areas: with toys for toddlers and games for older children.

The hotel also has a small outdoor playground.

There is also a small outdoor playground near the hotel entrance.

The colorful rooms and nicely furnished.

Rooms are colorful and more nicely-furnished than most hotels in the vicinity.

Rooms come with full-length windows offering interesting street views.

A feature of each room is the full-length window offering interesting views of the streets.

All rooms have corner sofas by the windows.

Alongside the window in each room is an inviting corner sofa.

Rooms offer views of the streets but not of the Taj Mahal.

Views from some rooms stretch across the backstreets, but none provide views of the Taj Mahal despite claims (and photos) on the website.

The hotel neighborhood has several good places to eat and drink.

The general area around the hotel is not that pleasant, but there are several quality places to eat and drink within a short walk.

On an upper floor in a building next to the hotel, the Grey House Café is superb. Fascinating views, delicious food, and pleasing prices.

The Salt Café Agra nearby is also an excellent place to dine at.

Similar to Grey House Café is The Salt Café Agra, about 100m west along the road.

Mocha Café & Bar nearby is very popular.

Dominating the area because of its 3 levels and bright exterior is the very popular Mocha Café & Bar. Just across the road from the hotel.

Spice Darbar has a vibrant decor and offers good Indian food.

Spice Darbar is particularly inviting and a welcome respite for families, less than 200m east along the road.

The restaurant at the lobby of Prime Plaza hotel nearby is also good.

Worth a short walk east along the road is the restaurant on the ground floor of the Prime Plaza hotel.

The neighborhood shops are more for locals than tourists.

Shops along the road outside the hotel are more for locals, and of minimal interest to tourists.

The East Gate ticketing office is about 2km away.

The ticket office and East Gate to the Taj Mahal is about 2km by auto-rickshaw. Check rates and availability: Crystal Sarovar Premiere

Crystal Sarovar Premiere Hotel in Agra, India

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