INDIA
It’s big, it’s noisy and it might just send you crazy. India is no picnic. But we promise you there’s no other place like it for mind-boggling sights, incredible food and sheer diversity.
They say people either love or hate it.
Guess which camp we’re in!
THE WAGAH BORDER CEREMONY: AN INDIAN-PAKISTANI PANTOMIME
The Wagah Border Ceremony at the India-Pakistan frontier is a daily ritual that combines the serious business of national security with pure pantomime – here’s our front row account
DELHI
Hotel City Star
Hotel City Star
Nights
5
Cost
2920 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating ****
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 4 Location 4 Comfort 4 Facilities 5 Food 4 Value for money 3
What we thought
Very comfortable for our first and last few nights in India, with good wifi and modern, new fixtures and fittings. 15-minute walking distance to the main bazaar. Good buffet breakfast, too.
AGRA
Coral Tree Guest House
Coral Tree Guest House
Nights
1
Cost
2200 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating ***1/2
Friendliness 5 Cleanliness 3 Location 3 Comfort 4 Facilities 3 Food 3 Value for money 3
What we thought
Beautifully decorated room, away from the noise of Agra. Family run, the meals are on a communal table in the family’s living room. The food was a little basic, however – particularly breakfast.
JAIPUR
Umaid Bhawan Hotel
Umaid Bhawan Hotel
Nights
3
Cost
3800 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating **
Friendliness 1 Cleanliness 3 Location 3 Comfort 2 Facilities 2 Food 3 Value for money 1
What we thought
Oh, where to start?! This was a splurge for us – 3 nights in a heritage building suite. The awful attitudes of the staff were only matched by the ridiculous noise coming from the restaurant until 11:30pm and from 05:30am – largely due to the sound of tables and chairs being moved continuously on what was the floor above us. Despite our complaints, nobody would do anything about it. Shame really as the room itself was lovely. Try a lower floor if you’re still tempted as Trip Advisor reviews are very good!
BUNDI
Shivam Guest House
Shivam Guest House
Nights
1
Cost
900 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ***
Friendliness 4 Cleanliness 2 Location 3 Comfort 3 Facilities 3 Food n/a Value for money 3
What we thought
Basic but large room in a typical family homestay. Cheap and cheerful but the family made us feel welcome. The daughter’s also a pretty mean henna tattoo artist. The food gets great reviews on Trip Advisor but the restaurant was closed when we were there.
PUSHKAR
Saijan Bagh Heritage Home
Saijan Bagh Heritage Home
Nights
1
Cost
1500 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating **1/2
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 3 Location 3 Comfort 3 Facilities 2 Food 2 Value for money 3
What we thought
Lovely heritage building, fairly basic rooms. A 15-minute walk away from the noise of Pushkar, it also has a swimming pool, although this was closed during our stay. Breakfast was basic but the Indian set menu of stuffed parathas and pickle did the job for me.
UDAIPUR
Sun Heritage Home
Sun Heritage Home
Nights
2
Cost
1208 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ****
Friendliness 4 Cleanliness 5 Location 3 Comfort 4 Facilities 3 Food n/a Value for money 5
What we thought
Lovely heritage home and without a doubt our favourite accommodation in Rajasthan. Super-clean, bright, modern room, quiet location and comfy bed – what more do you want from a room in India?
RANAKPUR
Roopam Resort
Roopam Resort
Nights
1
Cost
1300 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating **1/2
Friendliness 2 Cleanliness 3 Location 4 Comfort 2 Facilities 1 Food 2 Value for money 2
What we thought
Pretty grim in all honesty – the only thing in its favour being its close proximity to the fabulous Jain Temple. It’s also the only budget accommodation in town so it’s probably worth it for one night.
JODHPUR
Krishna Prakash Heritage Haveli
Krishna Prakash Heritage Haveli
Nights
1
Cost
2000 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating **
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 3 Location 4 Comfort 1 Facilities 2 Food 1 Value for money 1
What we thought
A lovely heritage building let down by a very poor room – awful lumpy bed, extremely noise vintage aircon unit, old and dated furniture etc. Worse still, we had what was probably the worst excuse for a breakfast in our whole Asia trip.
Website
JAISALMER
Silk Route Hotel
Silk Route Hotel
Nights
2
Cost
1250 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ***1/2
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 5 Location 2 Comfort 4 Facilities 3 Food 3 Value for money 4
What we thought
Newly built, everything is clean and comfortable which makes for a welcome change in India. It’s situated in a pretty poor neighbourhood, which might put some people off if first impressions are important. However, the local community are very friendly and even put on a traditional music show outside our room on one night!
Website
BIKANER
Chandra Niwas Guest House
Chandra Niwas Guest House
Nights
1
Cost
800 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ***
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 3 Location 3 Comfort 2 Facilities 3 Food 3 Value for money 3
What we thought
Decent guest house accommodation for one night, although the bed was extremely hard. Can’t really complain, though given the price.
MANDAWA
Mandawa Heritage Hotel
Mandawa Heritage Hotel
Nights
1
Cost
1300 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ***1/2
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 4 Location 4 Comfort 5 Facilities 3 Food 2 Value for money 4
What we thought
Beautiful heritage house and a large room with superb and comfortable four poster bed. We would have made it our favourite in Rajasthan if only the food had been better. Our mutton curry literally consisted of pieces of mutton fat in a sauce – and our complaints were met with indifference. A real shame but maybe we were just unlucky….
DELHI
Sai Miracle Hotel
Nights
3
Cost
2000 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating ***
Friendliness 2 Cleanliness 4 Location 4 Comfort 3 Facilities 3 Food 2 Value for money 2
What we thought
Located just around the corner from the main bazaar the noise from the street isn’t as bad as you might think. Unfortunately, the noise from the rooftop restaurant is another matter. A corridor telephone is also used for answering room service calls which echoes throughout the building. The earliest one we heard was at 06:10 and the latest at 01:00 – and we were woken up by it each time. The room itself is comfy enough but after 3 nights’ broken sleep we wouldn’t go back.
Website
SRINAGAR
Himalayan Resort
Himalayan Resort
Nights
1
Cost
2500 rupees per night
What that included
Full board, air-con, wifi
Rating **1/2
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 2 Location 3 Comfort 3 Facilities 2 Food 3 Value for money 2
What we thought
We only stayed here as the houseboat on Dal Lake (see Young Alzira) was double-booked and we were provided with this as an alternative for one night. Given the same tariff applied it doesn’t compare, however.
SRINAGAR
Young Alzira Houseboat
Young Alzira Houseboat
Nights
2
Cost
2500 rupees per night
What that included
Full board, wifi
Rating ****
Friendliness 4 Cleanliness 4 Location 5 Comfort 4 Facilities 3 Food 4 Value for money 3
What we thought
Lovely setting right on Dal Lake, with excellent food and friendly staff. We had the honeymoon suite at the rear, complete with four poster bed. Recommended.
MULBEKH
Paradise Guest House
Paradise Guest House
Nights
1
Cost
1500 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast
Rating ***
Friendliness 4 Cleanliness 3 Location 4 Comfort 2 Facilities 2 Food 2 Value for money 3
What we thought
Good location on the Srinagar-Leh highway, including great views over a historic monastery towards the mountains, behind. As it’s right next to the road, noise from passing traffic (particularly lorries honking their horns) can be a problem.
LEH
Padma Guest House & Hotel
Padma Guest House & Hotel
Nights
9
Cost
2000 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, wifi
Rating ****
Friendliness 5 Cleanliness 5 Location 4 Comfort 3 Facilities 4 Food 4 Value for money 4
What we thought
We almost walked away from this place when we first arrived to find lots of building work going on almost everywhere. However, putting that aside, this turned out to be a gem of a place to stay – super friendly and helpful manager and staff, with killer views across to the mountains and good wifi. A new hotel building with a further 21 rooms is scheduled to be completed by early 2017, although we understand these will be more expensive than ours. Recommended.
TURTUK
Khan Homestay
Khan Homestay
Nights
1
Cost
1400 rupees per night
What that included
Half board
Rating **1/2
Friendliness 2 Cleanliness 3 Location 5 Comfort 3 Facilities 2 Food 2 Value for money 2
What we thought
Basic homestay in a spectacular and remote village location. Ideal for a night, although we didn’t get much of an opportunity to interact with the family owners.
KARZOK, TSO MORIRI
Goose Homestay
Goose Homestay
Nights
1
Cost
900 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast
Rating **
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 1 Location 3 Comfort 1 Facilities 2 Food 2 Value for money 3
What we thought
Extremely basic homestay accommodation, including possibly the most uncomfortable bed we’ve ever slept in. Located beside the remote Tso Moriri Lake, it was actually our best choice from three in the village we looked at. Expect plenty of noise from the resident donkeys throughout the night, too.
MANALI
Rock Top Inn & Cafe
Rock Top Inn & Cafe
Nights
2
Cost
2920 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, wifi
Rating **1/2
Friendliness 2 Cleanliness 2 Location 4 Comfort 3 Facilities 3 Food 3 Value for money 2
What we thought
Over-priced, although in a good location overlooking a raging river below.
CHANDIGARH
Hotel Classic
Hotel Classic
Nights
1
Cost
2800 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ***1/2
Friendliness 3 Cleanliness 4 Location 3 Comfort 4 Facilities 4 Food n/a Value for money 2
What we thought
Not much to look at from the outside but this was actually the perfect place for a quick overnight as it was situated half way between the Stand 43 bus station (where we arrived late evening) and the railway station (where we picked up our train to Amritsar at 7am the following morning).
AMRITSAR
Hotel Puri Palace
Hotel Puri Palace
Nights
1
Cost
2000 rupees per night
What that included
Bed & breakfast, air-con, wifi
Rating **
Friendliness 1 Cleanliness 2 Location 2 Comfort 2 Facilities 2 Food n/a Value for money 2
What we thought
Quite possibly the rudest hotel manager we came across on our Asian trip. And, after being shown two dirty rooms we finally accepted one more only so we could use their wifi to look for somewhere else. It gets good reviews on Trip Advisor, though. No idea why.
AMRITSAR
Hotel Akaal Residency
Hotel Akaal Residency
Nights
1
Cost
1780 rupees per night
What that included
Room only, air-con, wifi
Rating ****
Friendliness 5 Cleanliness 3 Location 5 Comfort 4 Facilities 4 Food n/a Value for money 4
What we thought
Perfectly placed within the main bazaar area of Amritsar and just a five-minute walk to the Golden Temple. Book an executive room for the most modern furnishings, air-con units etc. Recommended.
Website
