Please Help Me. Omkareshwar: Accommodation

kritika chandrasekar · Aug 10th, 2009, 16:26

Dear All,

I know this is really last minute but would really appreciate it, if u guys cud help me.

First: Need info on Hotels in Omkareshwar to stay put for one night (15 Aug 2009). The web is just pulling up the search result of MPTDC- Narmada Resorts. Thats fully booked.

And Here is the itenary- desperate for your kind advice:

14th Aug 2009: Train to Ujjain from Bbay

15th Aug: Train reaches Ujjain early morning at 7 :30 am. Mahakaleshwar Darshan.
By Lunch leave for Omkareshwar. Approx dist 77 kms. Reach Omkareshwar by early evening and check into Hotel
(Is it safe to travel in a hired cab during the night in this stretch?)

16th Aug 2009: Omkareshwar Darshan
By lunch move to Indore
5: 30 pm Train to Jabalpur form Indore.

17th aug: Reach Jabalpur. Leave for Bhedaghat.
Explore Bhedaghat. Train for Bbay from Jabalpur @ 11 : 30 pm.

18th Aug: Mumbai.
No of people: Three adults

gaurav1441 · Aug 10th, 2009, 16:42

I dont know about accomodation in Omkareshwar but you can stay in Ujjain overnight and go to Omkareshwar the next morning or stay in Indore overnight and have a trip to Omkareshwar. Also since it is 15th you may have issues in finding accomadation now.

machadinha · Aug 10th, 2009, 17:51

A budget place in Omkareshwar is called, er, what's it called, something Ganesh guesthouse I think. It's in Lonely Planet's 2007 India guide, which I don't have with me here.

It's decidedly a backpacker place (there were some Indians staying), you need to like that kind of atmosphere. Count on some hippies and white wannabe-sadhus and such hanging around; not necessarily anything wrong with them, of course

But it's that sort of place yes. My room was also decidedly the lesser value of many I stayed in earlier this year; I think something like 350 Rs. for a bed and little more than that. (Yes, I know, that's cheap; but I became accustomed to having generally really pretty nice and fully-decorated rooms for that price elsewhere.) In fact their rooms on the ground floor are both cheaper and larger, with a closet and all; prices go up (and apparently room quality goes down then) per floor, and I'd made the mistake of asking to be on the top floor (there are great views overlooking the ghats and the island from the roof, or from the upper storeys as well then).

For those on a real budget, they have cheaper rooms with shared bathroom too.

It makes up for this with a nice ambience, and a nice restaurant and menu. While they serve a lot of the typical "westernized" dishes (and some Indian), at inflated prices, the prices aren't all that over the top, and what they serve they actually do a very good job of. Yummy vegetarian hamburgers and such. Ask for their filter coffee, which they do serve, but only if you ask for it. It is in fact a nice place, and run by nice people; just my room I wasn't very impressed with then. Oh, that restaurant is set in a very nice little garden too. House dogs (very sweet) and visiting monkeys thrown in for free; beware of the latter!

If you head from the bus stand down the "main street," such as it is, towards the island and the (old) bridge to there, it's sort of tucked away in a maze of alleys (leading down to the ghats here) at the end towards your right hand side, where the road bends left towards that bridge (so it's on the mainland side still). There are signposts for it, or people will know it, you can just ask for it. From the bus stand and carrying luggage, it's probably a twenty-minute walk or so, if even that (or one could probably catch a rickshaw if so desired; I don't quite recall, but I would assume so).

I'll try and post the hotel's details before the 15th. It would be near to the temple where the famous jyotirlinga is situated (while many guidebooks seem to claim this is in the large temple on the island, I was made to understand it is in fact on the mainlaind side). Well, it's a small place anyway. There are some fancier-looking hotels by the sort-of square just before the road hits the bridge. I suppose there would be dharamsalas on the island itself, can't tell you about them though; and there is in fact a dharamsala right opposite the Ganesh. We made enquiries here, I don't remember, but seemed like a good and exceedingly cheap place.

On food btw, there are some excellent dhabas back by the bus stand. A very good one was at the back of a row of these, with a signpost in red Hindi script if I recall.

Jorge Reverter · Aug 10th, 2009, 18:41

Great info Mach, thanks for sharing.

Jorge

theyyamdancer · Aug 10th, 2009, 19:38

I just looked it up in LP:

Ganesh Guest House, telephone 271370. "Lost in a maze of lanes off Mamaleshwar Road."

machadinha · Aug 10th, 2009, 20:03

Thanks so much Theyyam (and thanks, Jorge; hey, one tries

), I'd been secretly hoping someone might want to look it up. Surprises me not you were the one to do it!

kritika chandrasekar · Aug 11th, 2009, 14:16

Machadinha, Thanks a ton!! Yamdancer- Thank You.

Methinks, my other two travel mates will not be keen to rough it out in a Dharamsala. I'll check up on Ganesh Guesthouse.

The best way out would be to stop at Indore from Ujjain for the night and then leave for Omkareshwar early in the morning....What do you say?

Kritika

machadinha · Aug 11th, 2009, 19:43

Y'r most welcome. I can't advise on connections on your precise itinerary; what I can say is travel there is often slow and arduous; roads are just terrible. Nothing to do about it, but just so you know. You were asking about safety; you'll notice regular police road blockades cum checkpoints in the wider area, and it was confirmed to me this is to do with local dacoitry (banditry, to other readers). If that would be a real issue I don't know; there's plenty of traffic, at night too, & I never had any immediate (or even remote, for that matter) sense of danger. I suppose having one's own wheels, try to hook up with a convoy of buses or trucks or something, of which there are again plenty, even late at night. I'm sure local taxi drivers would do just that, or otherwise know what they're doing.

I have my LP here, some more listings of theirs, again, this dates to 2007 mind, prices will likely have gone up some:

First, my Ganesh Guest House room (double to myself; one may or may not be paying a somewhat cheaper single rate in such cases though, this is rarely very clear) cost me not 350 but 250 Rs. last March. So if I found it bad value, you can imagine how unimpressed I was with it

LP mentions their "spotless budget rooms"; there's a note of mine there saying I don't think so (smelly bathroom too, and more guests mentioned this. Probably less to do with cleaning than with drainage problems then, I suspect. It didn't stink you right out of your room mind; just I've had them reeking better.) Again though, it's otherwise a nice place, and they are nice people. Really

I can't say I didn't have a nice time here; in fact I really did. I suppose those downstairs rooms which seemed more attractive to me may have been a mere 150 or 200 Rs. then, I forget, but a guy I spent a lot of time with here had one of those (if you do stay here, tell them -- notably the manager and the somewhat oldish bloke who sort of runs the restaurant -- hi from Swiss Baba and his pal from Holland, please; they might just recall

Of course, meeting someone you "click" with can have a major effect on your wider appreciation of a place, can't it. But then you'll be traveling with your pals anyway.)

Other LP '07 listings:

Manu Guest House: dharamsala on the island, single/double Rs. 100/120.

Gita Shri Guest House, tel. (07280)-271560; rooms for Rs. 150-300, with A/C RS. 600.

Tourist Bungalow, run by MP Tourism, tel. 271455; dorm Rs. 85, room with breakfast 680, with air-cooler 1025, with A/C 1370-1830. Said here to be on a hilltop and a little out of the main action.

Oh, I see now they mention 2 hours by bus from Indore, so that isn't so bad at all. Probably a main road then.

Aug 10th, 2009, 16:26	#1
kritika chandrasekar Smitten by Wanderlust Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10	Please Help Me. Omkareshwar: Accommodation Dear All, I know this is really last minute but would really appreciate it, if u guys cud help me. First: Need info on Hotels in Omkareshwar to stay put for one night (15 Aug 2009). The web is just pulling up the search result of MPTDC- Narmada Resorts. Thats fully booked. And Here is the itenary- desperate for your kind advice: 14th Aug 2009: Train to Ujjain from Bbay 15th Aug: Train reaches Ujjain early morning at 7 :30 am. Mahakaleshwar Darshan. By Lunch leave for Omkareshwar. Approx dist 77 kms. Reach Omkareshwar by early evening and check into Hotel (Is it safe to travel in a hired cab during the night in this stretch?) 16th Aug 2009: Omkareshwar Darshan By lunch move to Indore 5: 30 pm Train to Jabalpur form Indore. 17th aug: Reach Jabalpur. Leave for Bhedaghat. Explore Bhedaghat. Train for Bbay from Jabalpur @ 11 : 30 pm. 18th Aug: Mumbai. No of people: Three adults

Aug 10th, 2009, 17:51	#3
machadinha brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 14,390	A budget place in Omkareshwar is called, er, what's it called, something Ganesh guesthouse I think. It's in Lonely Planet's 2007 India guide, which I don't have with me here. It's decidedly a backpacker place (there were some Indians staying), you need to like that kind of atmosphere. Count on some hippies and white wannabe-sadhus and such hanging around; not necessarily anything wrong with them, of course But it's that sort of place yes. My room was also decidedly the lesser value of many I stayed in earlier this year; I think something like 350 Rs. for a bed and little more than that. (Yes, I know, that's cheap; but I became accustomed to having generally really pretty nice and fully-decorated rooms for that price elsewhere.) In fact their rooms on the ground floor are both cheaper and larger, with a closet and all; prices go up (and apparently room quality goes down then) per floor, and I'd made the mistake of asking to be on the top floor (there are great views overlooking the ghats and the island from the roof, or from the upper storeys as well then). For those on a real budget, they have cheaper rooms with shared bathroom too. It makes up for this with a nice ambience, and a nice restaurant and menu. While they serve a lot of the typical "westernized" dishes (and some Indian), at inflated prices, the prices aren't all that over the top, and what they serve they actually do a very good job of. Yummy vegetarian hamburgers and such. Ask for their filter coffee, which they do serve, but only if you ask for it. It is in fact a nice place, and run by nice people; just my room I wasn't very impressed with then. Oh, that restaurant is set in a very nice little garden too. House dogs (very sweet) and visiting monkeys thrown in for free; beware of the latter! If you head from the bus stand down the "main street," such as it is, towards the island and the (old) bridge to there, it's sort of tucked away in a maze of alleys (leading down to the ghats here) at the end towards your right hand side, where the road bends left towards that bridge (so it's on the mainland side still). There are signposts for it, or people will know it, you can just ask for it. From the bus stand and carrying luggage, it's probably a twenty-minute walk or so, if even that (or one could probably catch a rickshaw if so desired; I don't quite recall, but I would assume so). I'll try and post the hotel's details before the 15th. It would be near to the temple where the famous jyotirlinga is situated (while many guidebooks seem to claim this is in the large temple on the island, I was made to understand it is in fact on the mainlaind side). Well, it's a small place anyway. There are some fancier-looking hotels by the sort-of square just before the road hits the bridge. I suppose there would be dharamsalas on the island itself, can't tell you about them though; and there is in fact a dharamsala right opposite the Ganesh. We made enquiries here, I don't remember, but seemed like a good and exceedingly cheap place. On food btw, there are some excellent dhabas back by the bus stand. A very good one was at the back of a row of these, with a signpost in red Hindi script if I recall. __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Aug 10th, 2009, 19:38	#5
theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	I just looked it up in LP: Ganesh Guest House, telephone 271370. "Lost in a maze of lanes off Mamaleshwar Road." __________________ "Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

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Aug 10th, 2009, 16:42	#2
gaurav1441 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 731	I dont know about accomodation in Omkareshwar but you can stay in Ujjain overnight and go to Omkareshwar the next morning or stay in Indore overnight and have a trip to Omkareshwar. Also since it is 15th you may have issues in finding accomadation now.

Aug 10th, 2009, 18:41	#4
Jorge Reverter Maha Guru Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Murcia - Spain Posts: 1,465	Great info Mach, thanks for sharing. Jorge

Aug 10th, 2009, 20:03	#6
machadinha brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 14,390	Thanks so much Theyyam (and thanks, Jorge; hey, one tries ), I'd been secretly hoping someone might want to look it up. Surprises me not you were the one to do it!

Aug 11th, 2009, 14:16	#7
kritika chandrasekar Smitten by Wanderlust Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10	Machadinha, Thanks a ton!! Yamdancer- Thank You. Methinks, my other two travel mates will not be keen to rough it out in a Dharamsala. I'll check up on Ganesh Guesthouse. The best way out would be to stop at Indore from Ujjain for the night and then leave for Omkareshwar early in the morning....What do you say? Kritika

Aug 11th, 2009, 19:43	#8
machadinha brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 14,390	Y'r most welcome. I can't advise on connections on your precise itinerary; what I can say is travel there is often slow and arduous; roads are just terrible. Nothing to do about it, but just so you know. You were asking about safety; you'll notice regular police road blockades cum checkpoints in the wider area, and it was confirmed to me this is to do with local dacoitry (banditry, to other readers). If that would be a real issue I don't know; there's plenty of traffic, at night too, & I never had any immediate (or even remote, for that matter) sense of danger. I suppose having one's own wheels, try to hook up with a convoy of buses or trucks or something, of which there are again plenty, even late at night. I'm sure local taxi drivers would do just that, or otherwise know what they're doing. I have my LP here, some more listings of theirs, again, this dates to 2007 mind, prices will likely have gone up some: First, my Ganesh Guest House room (double to myself; one may or may not be paying a somewhat cheaper single rate in such cases though, this is rarely very clear) cost me not 350 but 250 Rs. last March. So if I found it bad value, you can imagine how unimpressed I was with it LP mentions their "spotless budget rooms"; there's a note of mine there saying I don't think so (smelly bathroom too, and more guests mentioned this. Probably less to do with cleaning than with drainage problems then, I suspect. It didn't stink you right out of your room mind; just I've had them reeking better.) Again though, it's otherwise a nice place, and they are nice people. Really I can't say I didn't have a nice time here; in fact I really did. I suppose those downstairs rooms which seemed more attractive to me may have been a mere 150 or 200 Rs. then, I forget, but a guy I spent a lot of time with here had one of those (if you do stay here, tell them -- notably the manager and the somewhat oldish bloke who sort of runs the restaurant -- hi from Swiss Baba and his pal from Holland, please; they might just recall Of course, meeting someone you "click" with can have a major effect on your wider appreciation of a place, can't it. But then you'll be traveling with your pals anyway.) Other LP '07 listings: Manu Guest House: dharamsala on the island, single/double Rs. 100/120. Gita Shri Guest House, tel. (07280)-271560; rooms for Rs. 150-300, with A/C RS. 600. Tourist Bungalow, run by MP Tourism, tel. 271455; dorm Rs. 85, room with breakfast 680, with air-cooler 1025, with A/C 1370-1830. Said here to be on a hilltop and a little out of the main action. Oh, I see now they mention 2 hours by bus from Indore, so that isn't so bad at all. Probably a main road then.