I was there in early December
Overall: 
Positives: Spacious rooms, quiet location, fantastic food, congenial hosts, free pickups
Negatives: Absolutely NONE
I was there in early December, 2007, stayed 5 nights and wished I'd stayed 5 weeks! Not that there's lots to do in Bikaner, but just to stay within the compound of the guesthouse and eat the fantastic food (and learn from) of Mama Raj! There is free rickshaw pickup from the train or bus station, make sure you pre-arrange with Jitu, the current "manager", because many of the rickshaw wallas either don't know where it is, or they won't take you there since Vinayak doesn't pay commission. I had a rickshaw walla (from town) yelled at me to not stay there because they don't pay commission!
I paid Rs250 for one person but still got to stay in a huge room. All rooms have private baths, hot water is available and will be brought to you in buckets from the main house. They are planning to build 3 more rooms (single rooms with shared bath) this summer (2008).
Jitu also arranges camel safari (Rs750/night, 2 full days, all inclusive!), taxi and rickshaw tours of the area at very very reasonable prices, mainly because he doesn't take commission from the taxi or rickshaw guys. I had to buy a new mobile phone and he took me to the cheapest place (price wise), then "harrass" the owner to give me an additional 5% discount!
You are treated as a family member at this place, not just a foreign guest. They are a caring bunch; and like one previous poster said, I'd go back to Bikaner just to stay at the Vinayak!
Any information you'd need or even haven't thought of would be supplied. All the scams, dangers, travel arrangements would be spelled out to you. That's why I love eating dinner there, so all the "roommates" can gather and exchange ideas and information.
One "warning" about the camel safari - it's on a camel or camel cart (depends on how your ass feels at the moment), so it's s-l-o-w, and yes, the camel needs a rest during/after lunch, so if you're the A Type or hyperactive, take a prozac and chill out. Lunch can last up to 3 hours because everything is made from scratch, but oh so yummy!
Jitu is a zoologist, so if you want any information on the area's wild life, ask him before you go on the safari.
Positives: Spacious rooms, quiet location, fantastic food, congenial hosts, free pickups
Negatives: Absolutely NONE
I was there in early December, 2007, stayed 5 nights and wished I'd stayed 5 weeks! Not that there's lots to do in Bikaner, but just to stay within the compound of the guesthouse and eat the fantastic food (and learn from) of Mama Raj! There is free rickshaw pickup from the train or bus station, make sure you pre-arrange with Jitu, the current "manager", because many of the rickshaw wallas either don't know where it is, or they won't take you there since Vinayak doesn't pay commission. I had a rickshaw walla (from town) yelled at me to not stay there because they don't pay commission!
I paid Rs250 for one person but still got to stay in a huge room. All rooms have private baths, hot water is available and will be brought to you in buckets from the main house. They are planning to build 3 more rooms (single rooms with shared bath) this summer (2008).
Jitu also arranges camel safari (Rs750/night, 2 full days, all inclusive!), taxi and rickshaw tours of the area at very very reasonable prices, mainly because he doesn't take commission from the taxi or rickshaw guys. I had to buy a new mobile phone and he took me to the cheapest place (price wise), then "harrass" the owner to give me an additional 5% discount!
You are treated as a family member at this place, not just a foreign guest. They are a caring bunch; and like one previous poster said, I'd go back to Bikaner just to stay at the Vinayak!
Any information you'd need or even haven't thought of would be supplied. All the scams, dangers, travel arrangements would be spelled out to you. That's why I love eating dinner there, so all the "roommates" can gather and exchange ideas and information.
One "warning" about the camel safari - it's on a camel or camel cart (depends on how your ass feels at the moment), so it's s-l-o-w, and yes, the camel needs a rest during/after lunch, so if you're the A Type or hyperactive, take a prozac and chill out. Lunch can last up to 3 hours because everything is made from scratch, but oh so yummy!
Jitu is a zoologist, so if you want any information on the area's wild life, ask him before you go on the safari.