Tuesday, October 19, 2010

India Accommodation Wrap-up

I bet you are just dying to hear about the rest of the places we stayed in India. So, before I move on to my (LONG overdue) posts about Singapore, here is the round-up.

#66
Hotel Sidhartha
Agra, India
800 Rupees (approx $18)/night


It was a five minute walk to the main entrance of the Taj Majal. That's pretty much all that needs to be known about this place. They also had a really nice old man running the joint, a restaurant serving up embarrassingly simple fare (is that ketchup on my spaghetti??), and a cow who slept in the front entryway every night.


#67
Goverdhan Hotel
Fathepur Sikri
900 Rupees (approx $20)/night


Just about an hour outside of Agra, Fathepur Sikri could easily be visited in a daytrip. But we decided to shake things up a bit and spend the night. Crazy! This purple cutey was right at the bus stop, and we had a great little room with a table and chairs outside the door to enjoy breakfast al fresco.


#68
Alka Hotel
Varanasi, India
850 Rupees (approx $19)/night

Thanks Google.
This guesthouse is said to have one of the best views of the Ganges in all of Varanasi. Which is clearly why I chose it. And while the view was just alright, the spacious courtyard/deck area was a relaxing place to enjoy a few beers away from the insanity that is Varanasi.


#69
YMCA
Mumbai, India
1800 Rupees (approx $40)/night


It's really, really difficult to find an affordable place to stay in Mumbai. Which totally blows my mind. It's INDIA for Pete's sake! The best deal we could find was at the YMCA (yes, that's the Young Men's Christian Association) who offered us a spotless room with two twin beds at the peak of our budget.

It was in a perfect location, on a quite tree-lined street in the heart of the backpacker hub. Within walking distance were some great little restaurants and bars and plenty of the sites we wanted to see. We grew to really like our little home-base, despite the children's marching band and karate classes that took place in our courtyard every morning.


#70
Baga Oyster
Baga, India
1600 Rupees (approx $36)/night


This was probably the most modern, legit hotel room we have had the pleasure of sleeping in. Flat screen TV, sleek furniture, a shower WITH a shower curtain (you'd be amazed how rare that is). We knew it was gonna be more than we wanted to pay, but after taking one look at the room it was hard to walk out. Luckily, I am an incredible negotiator, and managed to talk the price down from a steep 2500 Rupees. If there's one thing I wish I had learned earlier in this trip, it's that EVERYTHING is negotiable.


#71
Alcove Beach Resort
Vagator, India
1600 Rupees (approx $36)/night



As I mentioned before, staying in this little gem was like being on a real vacation. As budget-minded backpackers, we decided to forego the privelage of an A/C. But the pool (complete with restaurant and bar service) totally made up for it. The food was surprisingly fantastic, the view was great, and we had our own access steps leading right down to the beach. Fancy pants.


#72
Sheila Guesthouse
Arambol, India
350 Rupees (approx $8)/night



Another place I mentioned previously, here is where we finally found the 'cheap as chips' hut on the beach we were hoping for. Well, less of a hut really and more of a hotel room. Steps from the sand, a clean bathroom with plentiful hot water, and a balcony with an almost-view. The unbeatable price kinda made us wanna stay, well, forever.

#73
Hotel Olivia
Mumbai, India
1200 Rupees (approx $27)/night

We returned to Mumbai for one night before our flight to Singapore. And when the YMCA would not grant us a late check out the following day, I decided to boycott them. We were here two weeks ago, we're practically family!! So I stomped down the street in fury until we found a dingy little place that saved us a few hundred rupees and weren't so stringent in their policies. We ended up checking out at noon anyway, but it's the principal that counts.

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