Oct 12, 2008 Review on Tripadvisor.com
Varanasi: Ganpati Guest House
“Rough start but smooth sailing after ”
3.0 of 5 stars
My first room the first night was a nightmare! I initially wanted a room w/ a balcony overlooking the Ganges. It was post monsoon season so it was hot & humid as hell. My room had no AC (but a ceiling fan), no windows for ventilation, 2 ginormous residential lizards which I thought were going to swallow me whole as I slept and if that wasn’t enough, the lights in my room attracted a “swarm” of gnats! If I could have camped out on the tables outside, I would’ave cause I was my most uncomfortable evening ever. The very next day, I complained and switched to a room with AC and windows. While I didn’t have a “balcony view”, my room was 10x more liveable, spacious, opened to the main patio & even came with with a TV! I paid 100Rs extra for this upgrade and it made ALL the difference in the world. ( I was in room #12 and I LOVED it!)
Some of the staff is friendly while some make you feel like either they’re hawking you with charges for every additional minute on the internet or that you’re going to run away from paying your bill! Where the reception lacks a hospitable warmth that’s essential guest relations (if you need directions to places, prepare them in advance, cause you won’t get any help with that here), the wait staff makes up for it in charm and the guest house still carries with it very good vibes. The guest house is conveniently located on the Ganges so getting a boat isn’t difficult.
Boat cruises: I would avoid Ajay’s boat unless you don’t mind seeing other boats speed by you as you become aware that you’re paying by the hour (Ajay seems to be the slowest & was often preoccupied with his beetel nut. He’ll also try to drop you off to take a 10 minute tour of the nearby burning ghat!
*Beware of the burning ghat tours- they are a scam and people will try to take you there. While you get a short walking tour of the ghat, they will ask pressure you for a donation to assist families in purchasing wood. The rumor is that these people use the money for drugs. Not sure what the truth is, but if locals hear you’ve gone there, they’ll surely ask you how much these people got out of you.
o Liked — The AC, fan, window & TV in my spacious 2nd room
o Disliked — The heat and insects in my first room w/ the shared balcony
