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India is not short of accomodation. But after a few trips we now know that we prefer the Guest House or Home-Stay option. The service is usually more personal and warm, and we got so much advice from various people we stayed with. Booking hotels online is a hit and miss affair- they sound fantastic until you get there- very seldom do they live up to the blurb that they advertise ( unless, of course, they are well known 5 star places!
We have often arrived at places without booking accomodation- usually just a wander around will solve the problem. And the Lonely Planet Guide also gives a good indication of what to look for.
The best example of a Guest House in India would have to be Lutyens Guest House, in Delhi. (I have placed info & pics in my Delhi accomodation tip)
This type of accomodation is the best.- for us , anyway.
Home-cooked meals-
Gardens
Friendliness of Staff
Personal Touch
You will learn about the city you are visiting , and get unusual travel info.
Comfort
Personal requests are always accomodated
More flexibility Leave a Comment Theme: Pension/GuesthousePrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 39 Prithviraj Road New Delhi
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The hotel is situated at Assi Ghat, which is a fair walk along the ghats to get to the Dasaswamedh Ghat, which is where the evening Ganga Aarti is held, every evening at sundown. Our room, which had a really comfortable bed & modern bathroom, also had a wonderful little marble-latticed balcony.......tiny, but fine for 2 people to sit on.The room was a good size, and spotless.Bedding was also colourful & ethnic, and there was a writing desk, & television. I also have to mention- CONSTANT supply of hot water.
The hotel staff were helpful & unobtrusive, and the food in the dining room was superb......vegatarian mostly, but also some meat dishes. There is a musical trio that play music while you dine, and they were surprisingly good. We ate most of our meals there, but breakfast & lunches are served at a sunny patio style roof garden,filled with flowers. I really do recommend this hotel...........its very good value, and really stress-free.
The very best thing about this hotel is the view.......unobstructed...of the Ganges river.So much happens on this river.........we loved just sitting on our balcony, and watching. The sunrise was magnificent,and at sunset the river glitters.
This hotel has beautiful antiques, and great paintings. The owner must be a collector. There seemed to be something new every day. Marble floors and crystal chandeliers. A communal balcony runs the length of hotel, and has tables & chairs where one can sit, relax and have a drink. The view of Ganges is awesome.
Every day there are fresh flowers in rooms.
Location is great because it is away from main ghats, where noise, crowds and touts can be bothersome. But take care if walking backfrommain ghats at night- its dark, and a torch is useful.Do not walk alone.
. Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Hotel Ganges View Assi Ghat VaranasiDirections: Assi Ghat ( which is a fair way from main ghats) but about 15 min walkWebsite: http://www.hotelgangesview.com/index.htm Other Contact: hotelgangesview@yahoo.com
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Home from home. This wonderful place is an old haveli that has been tastefully converted into an hotel. The rooms are clean, the beds are comfortable, and the bathrooms are modern and tiled. There is always a good supply of hot water. Most of the rooms overlook Lake Pichola- and the windows have mosquito-netting, which means you can open the windows, and not be bothered by flying insects.We have stayed here many times- the service is fantastic,with a personal touch that is way above average. Yash, the manager, is helpful in every respect. He can arrange transport -onwards or to collect from airport or rail station.
The rooftop restuarant not only has a wonderful view, but serves the best food in Udaipur.The breakfasts are included in tariff. I highly recommend staying here to anyone.
Laundry can be handed in at front desk in the morning- and will be ready by 6pm.
Internet is available
Marble floors and staircases. Beautifully cool. Arched mughal -style windows, with stained glass. The view is unsurpassed. Breakfast at sunrise, or sunset drinks- the rooftop is the best place to kick back and relax. The simplest way to explain the service here is- They make every guest feel very special.
The area where Jaiwana is situated is also very convienient- most attractions are within walking distance.
Guests can also savor the picturesque sight of the mountain ranges around Udaipur and view of the famous Lake Palace Hotel.. The roof top restaurant with its carved pillars and arches overlooking the lake is popular with the tourists Leave a Comment
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Good reasonably priced accommodation is sometimes difficult to find in Delhi.This Guest house is an excellent choice and I highly recommend it.
Our stay at this little Guest - House was one of the best we have had in India. Being quite small (5 rooms only) , there is a very homely, friendly and relaxed ambiance. There are two larger rooms, and despite the others being smaller, they are very comfortable. The beds were great.
Kept spotlessly clean, the rooms are cleaned & linen changed every day. Televisions in each room, and free internet access is available. The bathrooms are tiled and modern, and the shower ALWAYS had enough very hot water.
Breakfast is served to order each morning in the communal Breakfast Room, and was always good. Service prompt and with a smile.
Upstairs is a lounge/sitting room., and there is a tray available 27/7 for tea or coffee. Free bottled water is also available.
The small outdoor sitting area with cane chairs is filled with plants, shrubs and potplants.
What does make "Eleven"extra special is the kindness, hospitality and genuine warmth of Ajay Anand, the owner. He went way beyond the "call of duty" in every respect. Arranging transport, giving us information of any sort re shopping, eating and sightseeing. He even personally took us to the Railway station to catch our train onwards to Rajasthan. I cannot thank him enough.
When we missed our train connection from Delhi to Haridwar (on return from Kolkata) because of fog delays in Delhi, Ajay found some emergency accomodation for us nearby- his place was fully booked. He also arranged a car & driver to take us to Haridwar the following morning.
Again- he helped us on return from Haridwar (we had a whole day to pass in Delhi before our flight home) by offering us a room in which to rest & freshen up, and store our luggage.
It is this kind of special kindness that will make me stay at "Eleven" whenever I am in Delhi again. I cannot think of any place that we have ever stayed where we felt so relaxed, and had such a good rapport with an owner or manager(except our favourite hotel, Jaiwana, in Udaipur). It is what makes one want to return.
Eleven is situated in a leafy, green area of South Delhi called Nizamuddin East, and surrounded by beautiful white homes. There are huge green trees everywhere. and birds.
Hamayuns Tomb and other famous heritage Mughal monuments are within short walking distance.
From Nizamuddin East to Connought Place is about 10mins in an auto-rickshaw.
If an airport pick-up is required, it can be arranged. We stayed at Eleven on our first stop, Delhi.Our flight arrived from Sydney at 6am, and we were promptly met by a friendly driver. We were welcomed at Eleven by a pyjama-trousered Ajay, who was also wearing a welcome smile. Its that kind of place. Very casual, very friendly. Welcoming. Thank You Ajay. You will always be a friend.
Proximity to great monuments of historical value.
Home atmosphere
Wonderful green locality- in best area of Delhi. Leave a Comment
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I Stayed here three times, at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of my trip and can say it was one of the Better hotels that I stayed in
Prices from 350r for a single en-suite room, 440r for a double en-suite room , Including a Good Breakfast and ½ hour internet access,
Rooms are a bit small but are clean and do have satellite TV and a small window
Good location, Fairly Quiet yet only a 5 minute walk to New Delhi Railway Station
Friendly and efficient Staff
Airport Pick-Ups and City Tours can be arranged at a fair price Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: less than US$20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 916 Chandiwalan, Main Bazar, Paharganj, New Delhi, 110055Phone: 91-11-23589107Website: www.smyleinn.com Other Contact: email - smyleinn@hotmail.com
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We were tired, and so this place sufficed. It has a nice garden, where we all ate lunch. Its about 50 metres from the Taj Mahal. Its a good hotel for its price.
Its pull card is its beautiful and tranquil garden. A pleasure to eat there.
Like I said, garden is lovely. Full of Bougainvillia and other bursts of colour. After a long Train ride the Colour, and the tranquility are God sends.
Menu is very Basic but food is good and cheap. (see the menu on teh web page)
Rooms have warm water, but when the door is closed the concrete of the rooms feels very institutional. However they are clean and spacious.
If you feel closed in watch TV. There will be a Cricket game to watch.
Bargain when you get there. We did and we got our room for 300 Rupees. Our friends paid 350. So there you go. Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: less than US$20 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: Taj Ganj - AgraDirections: Taj Ganj. About 20 metres from the Eastern Gate. Phone: 2331194 All the rickshaw Wallahs know where it is. Phone ahead. Its often booked out. Especially in December-January and July-August (so the man said)Website: http://www.hotelsheelaagra.com/
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It is true that The Hotel Sheela is Ideally located Right Next Door to The Taj Mahal, BUT Now you Really pay for the privilege !! Also, As this is now the Number One Hotel in Lonely Planet for Agra that No doubt has contributed to the excessive prices that they now charge !!
But having said all that it is still a good place to stay, the en-suite rooms are clean and do have satellite TV.
Single room rates start at 450r, But only after a lot of bargaining !!
The restaurant attached to hotel serves good food, but again it is over priced Leave a Comment
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My friend Edwina and I developed this travel strategy after some time on the road and observations of the difficulties we had faced before. It is most applicable to the traveller coming by train or bus rather than by tourist car. We basically oberved three important facts:
1) You will get talked into anything when you are tired and straight off the bus/train etc.
2) You auto driver will often know some "very good places to go" - usually giving hefty commissions to auto-drivers!!
3) When you go to a hotel with a backpack on there is a good chance that you will be paying more etc because the hotellier also knows that fact number 1 will be in force!!
So we adopted a technique of spending at least 30 minutes just finding a seat at the bus station or train station after shoo-ing away all the touts and porters. This allows you time to unwind from the journey and also affords some fantastic people-spotting opportunites as you take in the sights of crowds milling around at the stations etc!
From here we would make our way to a central restaurant - note we never went to a hotel as there was much latitude for #2 to kick in and end up somewhere else. At the restaurant - take a coffee, chai, cold drink and relax a bit. Then one of your party (sorry, this technique only works with 2+ people) can go off without backpacks and looking fresh faced to check out a few hotels. Having worked out which one you like and reserving the room you are then free to finish breakfast/dinner/snack and head on there for a shower and see the town!!
The picture here is of Edwina with 5 business cards thrust at her on the street in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. We are sitting enjoying the rooftop view at our restaurant here before moving on to check out hotels! Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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This hotel rocks - this hotel is comfortable with period style suites that offer a homely atmosphere. Antiques from various periods and photographs from the family archives create an ambiance that suggests a private home rather than a hotel room. These suites have luxurious marble bathrooms. And Raj Style furniture. The Garden outside is Beautiful. And the Pool absolutely rocks. Its Large, clean and cool. With deck chairs, a beautiful garden full of Bougainvillea and a Victorian style Pool house that sells Hig Tea. So cool.
I have my own way to insure constant sanity. I usually slum it when I do hotels. Depending where we are and location. I like to spend less than $10 a night. But once or twice a week, I'll spend up to $80 on a nice place. For a treat. This Hotel is the place to do it. Oh the owner collects vintage cars. he has convertble Chevvy and an old Aston Martin.
Facilities include: Travel Desk, Barber shop, Courier service, Front Desk, Free Newspaper, Parking, Bar, Banquet, Restaurant, Safe Deposit Box, Conference Facilities, Luggage Storage, Swimming Pool, Barbeque, Tennis Court, Health Club, Village Jeep Safari, Doctor on Call, Laundry, Travel Desk Service, Dry Cleaning, Post, Baby Sitting, Currency Exchange, Newsstand, Wake up Service, Collection of Vintage Cars available on hire Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageDirections: Near Circuit House, Jodhpur, India , 342 006 Phone: +91 (0) 29 137 410
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This is a wonderful Hotel. It has only four rooms so you have to book. Their is no phone so you have to book by e-mail. Its family run joint and the owner Navneet Vyas is a fantastic man to talk to. The manager is Jimmy, and he is the coolest.
This Hotel, which am told is 500 years old was a house. it has been converted to a hotel. It contains an old Ladies room, a mens room upstairs where we stayed. The Ground floor is a common area where both guests and staff alike watch TV and chat about cricket. At night the family usually goes home to the property directly across but there is always someone in the hotel. Its usually Jimmy.
This hotel exudes charm but i give it the thumbs up for its staff. None better.
This Haveli is nicely maintained. It still has the feel of bygone times. The bathroom in my room exuded charm from yesteryear. Often I'd sit in the Balcony with a cup of Jimmy's excellent chai and watch the groups of Tourists come and go and the comes walking around languidly eating the Chapatis people gave them. Food is ok. The Tea is great.
This place has a hot shower (very Slow though), a tv downstairs in Family room. There is no telephone. there is a CD burning shop just adjoining the hotel and a small store that sells drinks and snacks. The owner of this shop is fantastic. A great cricket fan. When we left the shop keeper gave me a Rajastani Gift. Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: less than US$20 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageDirections: At the Station. Jimmy will be there to pick u up! or else, take auto till fort area. Walk in asking for Jain Temples. Hotel Suraj is adjoining the Temples. +91-2992-51623 Email Address: hotelsurajjaisalmer@hotmail.comWebsite: hotelsurajjaisalmer@hotmail.com
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on December 6, 2008
on March 19, 2007
on February 6, 2005
on September 21, 2006
