varanasi

alexg

shiva ganges view is an excellent place to stay - very peaceful after the chaos outside. highly recommended from a london traveller.

phil69

http://shivagangesview.tripod.com/net/

looks nice...

did you try any instrumental lessions - as mentioned on their homepage?

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indiamike

HI alexg

We list them in out hotels section and it would assist others if post comments there also.

http://www.indiamike.com/india/listi...g&li stid=155

goatfarmer

This section is not easy to find. I hunted around for a while and ended up posting a recommendation on the Hotels and Lodgings forum. Perhaps a link to the listings from the forum?

Alan D

The link to the hotels section is on the homepage, top left.

04274108

Hi. We stayed at Shiva Ganges during December '04. Nice, basic hotel. Clean hotel and hot water usually available (ask the owner to turn on the heater if none available). Very good location right by the Ganges but on a quieter part of the river. The rooftop of the hotel was a great spot to watch the action (kids flying kites, cows bathing in the river, pigeons racing in the sky, boats puttering up and down). At night, you could see the big cremation ghat burning in the distance. In the morning, you hear the hindu bells ringing and very early in the morning you'll hear the calls to the mosques.

The hotel owner is very helpful and very kind. He can arrange trips for you but usually at twice the going rate we found if you prefer the convenience of not doing the work yourself. Our room didn't have a TV (if that is important). I don't know if this is true of other rooms.

Christopher is guide who works out of this hotel and several others. He is very good and has no fixed rates. You only pay him what you think his services are worth. Pay him well, but ask about extra charges that will be incurred on the tour (autorickshaws, donations to temples etc...) before you go just so there is no misunderstanding. Generally, this is a good rule whenever you hire a guide.

There was some other fellow who sits with the owner. He offers meditation classes on the rooftop. I was going to participate in one but balked at the last minute. He had been feeding my wife a story about how I was going to sign her up for an astology lesson and was asking her when she'd like it. An outright lie so we didn't give him any business at all.

My only complaint is that the bed was a bit too small for me (I'm 6 feet) and the mosquito netting around the bed was a pain in the butt.

If you decide to stay here (or anywhere in Varanasi) make sure that you bring a flashlight. Many times at night, the power went out and we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces. In those narrow alleyways, cows wander up and down and leave behind a lot of... well you know. Step on a nice fresh cow patty at night and you'll be cursing yourself for not bringing a cheap flashlight.

goatfarmer

There are only 8 listings for all of Utter Pradesh. Perhaps making the link a little more prominent (bold type for one) might encourage other people to contribute to this valuable resource.