Recent hotel experiences in Delhi eg Namaskar / Star View

BabyBlue

Hi
Quick question re hotels in Delhi.
I know there are lots of reviews so sorry to repeat but many of them are quite old & I wanted to hear from people who have stayed in Delhi recently.
I need a decent clean option with cable TV for 300 - 850 rupees? Don't mind Pahaganj, Ramnagar, even Karol Bagh though I suspect that will be out of budget.
Has anyone recently stayed in Hare Krishna, Namaskar Hotel or Star View in Pahaganj?
Booking tomorrow so this is all v last minute - any up to date help much appreciated!
Thanks all

BabyBlue

Hi again,

Just to narrow it down, please can anyone give recent experience of Hare Krishna guest house in Pahaganj, Star View hotel in Pahaganj or Hotel Godwin Deluxe (not Godwin Grand) on Ramnagar?

Thank you!

kullukid

Hi,i stayed at the Starview a couple of yrs ago & it was ok for budget & clean but the room i had did not have windows, i think you can get much better for a bit more money. I was in Delhi this Dec & met a scottish lass who was staying at the Harekrishna or it may have been the Harerama, she wasn't impressed & also had a room with no windows this was after moving from her original top floor room with windows which was very noisy as it's near the restaurant which is open all night, this place is a favorite with Israelis. If you can stretch to RS1100 there is a really nice quiet clean place called www.hotelprincepolonia.com you can email them at polinter@vsnl.com I've used it about 5 times now & it's in an excellent location just off Paharganj. KK

BabyBlue

Thank you for that but I'll need a room for more than 1 night so may be a little too far out of my budget.
Thanks though - will bear it in mind!

Lugubert

I really should be more adventureous, but I keep returning to Hotel Ajanta, on Arakashan Rd., which starts at the second intersection north of Paharganj.

Last time, I had no advance booking. No room available of any kind. No response to my question if they knew another place on that street crammed with hotels.

So, I zipped up the bag I use to protect the straps of my slightly worn backpack. When they thus realized that I probably wasn't looking for their most luxurious suite, they promptly found a room at Rs. 600. Double bed, not too much clearance around it, but a healthy TV set. Indian toilet, no shower, across the aisle. Fine with me.

On the following day, I had a chat with their travel agency lady, who two months earlier had sold me a probably way too expensive but well working Golden Triangle plus Ranthambore No Tigers Park package. She was terrified when I told her my room number, and immediately promised to get me a better room at the same price. Said and done: slightly larger, and a private bathroom still at Rs 600.

Can't remember the room number, but three years ago, I, alone, had a room there with two separate beds and my own bathroom with lukewarm and lukewarm water. (It was 47 deg C outside.) Very good value at some Rs 700.

Casey

We stayed at the Hare Krishna this past March. Our room was clean and the bed comfortable enough. I was surprised at how quite the place was. We were emailed a price but when we arrived two days later, the price had gone up. I mentioned that I had an email with a quote and they gave us the original price. Overall, I would stay there again if I needed a place in that price range.

unclelach

Has anybody stayed at any of the above places recently?

I found the Centaur convenient to the airport once but it has had bad reviews and may have closed.

The YMCA has some plusses ie good location, plenty of rooms and a well furnished dining room. It does feel rather bleak tho.

Hotel 55 was fun and well placed. The manager was ever obliging but the rooms were a little expensive for the rather shabby standard.

Surya Shelter was rather like Hotel 55 but over in Karol Bagh.

As I'm arriving in Delhi in early February I would be glad of any updates, opinions, cheap alternatives. My preferred budget is for 1 - 3 star places except for overnight when convenience may outweigh cost worries.

unclelach

I know that some IM members have favourite hotels in Delhi which have been freely nominated.

I have bumped up my last post because I'll be passing through Delhi several times in the coming two months and am curious about some of the places I have stayed in the past (as much by accident as choice).

ranjan154

Check hotel Rak International in Paharganj, one of our member Maywind is staying there at the moment.

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wichy

Last November me and 2 my friends stayes for 1 night at Hare Krishna. It costs 450 rupees - a very simple room without a window (a bed and a small table, a fan and AC - nothing else) and very simple private bathroom. Everything clean but a bit depressive. And I've seen the biggest cockroach in the bathroom - but it was alone (thanks God).

Than I've stayed about a week at Star View and was really pleased - not great, but clean, not a big window - but there is one :-) , good bed, 2 chairs, TV, AC, a mirror, a wadrobe and a small table, the bathroom is not very big but much more comfortable, than in Hare Krishna Guest house. Main minus - it's a bit noisy if you have a room not far from the road - but the same in Hare Krishna. Main pluses - I like the location - it's easier to get to the hotel as it's not in the centre of Main Basaar and the street is a bit wider, and the Malhotra's restaurants just around the corner - everytime I went to have lunch the main problem was - whould I go to the South indian or to the North Indian restaurant

Anyway - if you'll be book the room - have their confirmation email with you as at the both places they like to raise the price and have a look at some rooms before you take one - they're very differ from each other.

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Past the point of no return...

mangrove

Wow Wichy! What do you do when you see a huge cockroach? I've seen plenty in South Africa - but was told to spray them there as they multiply quickly. I wouldn't want to have to squish one, that would be disgusting. Do you just let it go? I'm not going to carry spray around...

wichy

Could you imagine... It was my first morning - just in two hours since I/ve arrived. I'd like to have a bath - and have seen that king of cockroach... so I can't - as I always dreaded even very small ones. So I had to go for a walk - and when I came back in 5 hours - he still was sitting behind the door and waiting for me... so I had to call a boy and asked him to kill the monster (I've seen - they laghted at me... bad boys ) It was the worst moment in India - but as I've arrived to Jaipur and have seen the usual cockroaches in my room - I've understoot I don't afraid them at all - it's nothing in comparence with Delhi's cockroache's king

mangrove

Haha - I hope I don't have the same experience! You were actually pretty brave to leave for a walk, I'd be scared to know where it would end up. Sounds like a good plan that you had someone from the Hotel help you. I did not know that Delhi cockroaches were so big - eww!

Did you find cockroaches very common?

wichy

I really couldn't spend a minute more in the one room with him... One of us should get out - as he didn't want and was stronger - I had to go

I stayed in 9 hotels - and have seen a big one in Delhi and some small monsters in Jaipur - since than I've started to observe a room before I take it - and hadn't find any in other hotels... I think it's the only way for me.
By the way - the next morning we'd checked in to Jaipur hotel and had told them that they have lots of cockroaches ( we insist we don't want to live with them... they told we can change the room - but I know - it's no good - is there are some cockroaches in the hotel - they're in everyroom).. so the next morning they started to poisoning them in the whole hotel (we were waken up by the noise )

mangrove

Well, I guess the lesson is to check a room before booking it! I almost feel bad for the cockroaches. But at the same time, I don't like them either