India Accommodation
*Tip #1 City taxes are often added, the amount you see on booking.com isn't normally the final amount, once you have gone almost as far as confirming you should see the city tax above the room cost (if it states 0 then the tax is included in the room price).
​
DELHI
Grand Godwin Hotel
As this was our first stop on the world tour we wanted to book into someone a little less budget, more western just to help us find our feet and adjust to the Indian culture.
​
*3 nights (29th August- 1st September), private double room 4,865 Rupees (roughly £58) with city taxes and other city charges it came to roughly £70
*Breakfast was an extra 350RP for both of us (roughly £4), we only had it one morning, it wasn't the best, some cereal, toast and some Indian cuisine
*Airport pick up came with our stay too which was really good, Delhi is roughly 1 hour from the airport (as you have to factor in the chaos of the roads)
*Another great addition we received was a free day tour of Delhi, a driver took us around the city in a hotel car and dropped us off at each of the main monuments
*The concierge was extremely helpful and helped plan our route for the following few weeks in North India
​
​
BIKANER
Vino Guesthouse (booked through bookings.com) / 400 Rupees a night
As recommended in Lonely Planet.
Train station pick up was available
This was our least favourite LP recommendation however I don't think there is much choice in Bikaner.
Rooms were very basic, no sheets on the bed, no toilet paper, no air con but we had a ceiling fan (which didn't really do much) and a big side fan that made the room smell like manure when turned on.
Unfortunately the food wasn't great and turned out to be one of the most tasteless meals we've had in India. The host Vinod was however very friendly and helpful and we organised a camel safari .
​
JAISALMER
Guesthouse Toffu (booked through bookings.com)/ 550 Rupees a night
Great accommodation, big spacious room with air conditioning. Great rooftop restaurant overlooking the city with fort view and the food was really tasty. Only 15 min walk to the fort. Would definitely recommend this accommodation, however watch our for the host Toffu when he says he can book things and tells you he knows better buses to get than the initial ones you were looking at, our Deluxe Bus he promised us turned out to be a rickety tin can with no fan or air conditioning (it was a painful 6 hour journey to the next town).
​
JODHPUR
Dylan Café (booked through bookings.com)/ 298 Rupees a night
As recommended in Lonely Planet
One of our favourite stays in Rhajastan, basic rooms but at a budget price (value for money), the hosts (brothers and cousins- a whole family affair) were all lovely and so relaxed. The rooftop chill out area was where many spent an evening playing cards and having some beers with other travellers. A few minute walk from the centre clock-tower and about 30 minute walk to the fort. Would definitely recommend if you want a relaxed atmosphere and a budget price.
​
​
JAIPUR
Hotel Nahargarh Palace (booked through bookings.com)/ 550 Rupees a night
Train station pick up available
Nice clean hotel, lovely rooftop fort view where you can sit and have dinner. Food was really nice. This is a hard one to recommend as there was no air con or window just a fan, we were on the third floor, in September - it was unbearable to sleep.
​
​
AGRA
Sunita's Homestay Guesthouse (booked through booking.com)/ 950 RPs
Lovely family run guesthouse. Very large fan room with plenty of space, air conditioning available at an additional cost.
Shower couldn’t really be called a shower more of a trickle (had to wash using taps).
Home cooked meals of a variety of dishes were tasty but at a price of 300RPs each which isn't cheap, I was ill so could only eat a small bit of rice & some banana but was still charged 250RPs. Location is perfect, right next to the east gate of the Taj, 5-10 minute walk to the Taj ticket office. Would recommend the accommodation because of the very friendly owners and location to the Taj.
​
VARANASI
Paradise Inn (booked through booking.com)/ 667 RPs a night
Great location a few minutes walk from the Ganges and one of the main gats along the river.
Clean room, 2 fans (although we were still quite hot), window looking out towards the river (in the distance), shared bathroom with this accommodation but it was very clean (there was only us and one other guest who was on the floor below with another bathroom). Owner was at first very quiet and seemed unfriendly which surprised us as most of the reviews said that he was very nice, friendly and they felt like part of the family. When it came to booking our train he was then very helpful (maybe as a commission was in it for him). He has a travel agents next to the accommodation.
Would recommend for a cheaper option in Varanasi (most places are expensive), the location was perfect and room big and clean.
​
JALGAON
Hotel Plaza (couldn't book through any sites, had to email them)/ 990RPs a night
As recommended in Lonely Planet.
Location right next to the train station so no bartering with tuk tucks, its just a few minute walk. Host was lovely; very attentive and informative. Rooms were really nice, modern, white stone minimalist, clean, big and cool (1 fan was enough), towels and soap given, plus there was hot water (a luxury). Wi-Fi shared with the restaurant next door was non existent in the hotel, the host said it was available in the reception but we could never link on to it, so we would have to wait until we were going to the restaurant for dinner to use it. Constant power cuts however this wasn’t a hotel issue but a whole town issue, the hotel had a separate generator that allowed one light to work in the room while power was out (sometimes it could be out for ages).
If you're going to Jalgaon as a base to get to the Ajanta caves we would defiantly recommend this hotel, cheapest option we found, close to main train station and very clean, spacious rooms.
​
MUMBAI
Sea Shore Hotel (couldn’t book through booking.com, had to go on their website to make a booking)/ 1335RPs a night
As recommended in Lonely Planet
Good basic clean room with fan, nice view out onto the sea. Late check out at 12.00.
Shared bathroom- the cleanest ever, after every use I think a cleaner was going in and re-cleaning. Drinks and small snacks/ breakfast could be ordered as room service. WiFfi limited in rooms and worked best in reception area. Manager was lovely and really helpful. Location 5 minute walk from India Gate and the Taj Hotel.
Not the cheapest of prices however one of the cheapest options we found in Mumbai and would recommend for the location and clean facilities.
*One word of warning this accommodation is on a 4th floor of a tall building, so there are a lot of steps (around 85) to climb, so not wheelchair or pushchair friendly.
​
HAMPI
Rashmita's Guesthouse (booked through booking.com)/ averaged 899RPs a night however prices seem to change depending on what day of the week it is, especially weekends and if there is any festival or event on in the town the price doubles (we were quoted 2000RPs a night on a festival weekend)
Basic room, mosquito net, blanket and towels given. Laundry service available but our laundry came back smelling worse than when we gave it. Wi-Fi limited and temperamental.
Location right in the heart of the village.
Not a bad place to stay and one of the cheapest we found.
Sunny's Guesthouse (booked direct)/ price 1200RPs a night
As recommended in Lonely Planet
Decided to stay an additional 2 nights in Hampi but Rashmita's price had gone up due to the Hindu festival that was taking place in Hampi that weekend, 98% of accommodation was booked on booking.com but when walking around there were still a few places with the odd spare room available at a massive inflated price.
Sunny's Guesthouse had basic rooms, grubby mosquito net that looked like it had hung there for decades.
Bathroom had a sewage smell, no sheets, no towels- when we asked for towels we got given tea towels.
In a normal circumstance we wouldn’t pay more than 300-400RPs for the room (LP quotes 200-700RPs) but as most of the accommodation was fully booked and other places we checked out had similar rooms, if not worse but for higher price we had no choice. We didn’t see it or use it but apparently they have a nice rooftop hangout- making this accommodation a popular place for budget backpackers.
​
GOA- Anjuna (North Goa)
Chill Inn Guesthouse (booked through booking.com)/ 1021RPs a night
Great room, biggest we had in India, came with a kitchenette area with sink and fridge. Showers were even hot and we had a seating area outside the room. The hosts were lovely, did our laundry and helped us with advise on how to get to south Goa (without spending a fortune on taxi's). Location 10 minutes from the beach. Would definitely recommend if staying in the Anjuna area.
​
GOA- Agonda (South Goa)
New Common Home (on booking.com however we just turned up as we could see they had lots of rooms still available)/ managed to get a room for 1000RPs a night across the road from their main site.
Comfortable room with fan and AC, a few seconds walk across the road to the beach. They have a beachside restaurant and also sun lounger on the beach, they gave use free beach towels to use while on the lounger.
​
KOCHI
Jasmine Homestay (booked through booking.com)/ 450RPs a night
Great little Homestay, small but clean room with the most amazing Host Joicy. As soon as we arrived she created us with the biggest smile, made us tea & snacks. We also enjoyed our morning breakfast which she made; coconut pancakes & steamed pudding.
Joicy us feel like part of the family.
Location great, right near the Chinese fisherman nets.
Would definitely recommend.
MUNNAR (Town Centre)
Rheinburg (booking through booking.com)/ 1600 a night
We had a big room with really nice deco. TV and hot shower. Near the centre of Munnar, up a little but of a steep hill but good location as not in the middle of the towns hustle and bustle. Would recommend.
MUNNAR (Mountains)
Honey Holiday Homestay (booked through booking.com) /1565RPs a night
Big room and bathroom with hot shower, TV and balcony . Lots of insects in the room when we got there and throughout our stay. The room hadn't been cleaned very well, dust and dead mosquitoes on surfaces. Communication with host was hard, he didn't respond to emails or phone messages & wasn't around. We wanted to organise a hike he said he'd get back to us but never did. Location in the mountains but in the middle of nowhere only 1 restaurant which is apart of another hotel to eat at. Wouldn't recommend unless bugs don't phase you and you want to be away from any civilisation.
ALLEPPEY
Mantra Heritage Homestay (booked through booking.com)/ 500RPs a night breakfast 100RPs
Fairly large room, very minimalist but clean & comfortable . Host was lovely & helped book the backwater tour for a better price than we were being quoted in the town centre. Breakfast was great- so much food. Location 10 minute walk to beach. Would definitely recommend.
VARKALA
Indigo Guesthouse (booked through booking.com)/ 633RPs a night
Very modern and well presented accommodation, nice bamboo features. Room was clean and a good size, with balcony. There is a kitchenette area downstairs where you can make tea and coffee. Great location only 10 minutes from the north cliffs overlooking the bay.
Would recommend this guesthouse.
​
CHENNAI
Gasthofstay (booked through booking.com)/ hard one to cost as we checked out a day early but paid 1340 with city tax.
As mentioned above we left early. The description had stated apartment with on site bar, room service and free laundry- all this was a lie. We had travelled all the way out of the centre an hour on a hot bus as we thought this would be a nice place to relax before our flight- it wasn't. It was in a block of flats in a residential area, where security had no ideas about the guesthouse. It was a room within a flat, with none of the perks and a host that didn't seem interested in being there and laughed when we pointed out an ant infestation all over our floor and bed. Would not recommend.
​
Hotel Sai Krish Grand (booked through booking.com)/ 2270RPs a night (with city tax)
A little on the expensive side but after the previous guesthouse we treated ourselves before our flight. This hotel did have room service and included a free breakfast (although a little on the small side). Food could be ordered to your room (no on site restaurant). Nice clean room, a proper hotel feel, clean bathroom with hot shower and we were also given a little pack with soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, talc- a nice touch.
Free shuttle to the airport was also given.
Would recommend if you need a stay 10 minutes from airport.
​
