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Hotel Alka, a synonym for customer-oriented services from years, believes in providing an adorable environment to its guests, where not only they find peace in dwelling but also experience a the highest degree of dedication from the staff. And what more can one ask for? Hotel Alka is located right in the core of Varanasi, a place where even holiness is re-defined. Its evidently a must visit place for all in life. Varanasi (the ancient Kashi or the medieval Banaras) is one of the oldest cities of the world and is considered to be favourite, of even the almighty. Varanasi's prominence in Hindu mythology is virtually unrivalled. Mark Twain, the celebrated English author , who was enthralled by the legend and sanctity of Banaras, once wrote : "Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together."
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Lake View
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Hindi
Location
Meer Ghat D 3/23 near Golden Temple, Varanasi 221001 India
Hotel Alka
4 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
If you want to experience the bank of the Ganges from a veranda overlooking the river, this is the place to watch, and eat and drink from. Steps straight down to the bank and you are a stroll from the most interesting ghats and temples. The hotel is not easy to find and you will need a porter to help if your bags are heavy. Hotel staff are very helpful and friendly. The food served in the restaurant is excellent value and very good. Note that the restaurant is separate from the hotel and if you are booked for bed and breakfast you still pay for breakfast. It's difficult spend very much so not to worry. The rooms are quite small and the bathroom also, but they are clean and comfortable. Note you have to ask for toilet paper, and the concept of coat hangers is alien. However, this is a three star hotel and we could find nothing to complain about.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's location on the Ganga (Meer Ghat) is very useful for those seeking the peace of the river. It's also very close to Gate No 2 for a relatively fast darshan of Kashi Vishweshwar Temple complex.The view of the Ganga from the hotel is great. In addition, there are a few rooms with a direct view of the river.Our room was comfortable, and clean, the bed was cozy, the amenities were adequate. The welcome desk and the staff was responsive and helpful. We asked for and got a hot water kettle too.
While the ghat is highly accessible, you will need to walk to it from the Godolia Chowk, about 300 meters away, where the cab drops you. Be mindful of this, if you have a lot of luggage.
Overall a nice place, highly recommended.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Except location there was nothing appreciating. Check in and check out was horrible. There was so much confusion about payment which I did online beforehand and they had no clue about it. The people at reception were lazy, kinda rude and careless, except Mr Rajesh who was very helpful and responsible. They didn't allow early check in and gave us only 15 mins for extra check out time. We were given a deluxe room despite booking a royal one. Complimentary or included breakfast had very limited options and that too they were reluctant to fulfill if you ask even an extra cup of tea. Location is excellent, in close proximity to everything you may want to visit.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Booking a premium room won't give u an extra edge. More or less all rooms are attached to a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived by car and were met by the bell boys that carry the bags who were very very helpful. Make sure you have them arranged because it’s about a 10-15 min walk from where your dropped off by taxi to get to Alka hotel. Down narrow very busy streets. Check in was ok. Couldn’t find our key. We had the most expensive room available “premium view room”. The room was filthy the sheets stained you had to dress the bed yourself with a blanket that’s nearly 100% brown with stains. The view was nice of the river. Ants living inside the ac remote. No hand towels the shower covered in limescale. No toilet paper when we arrived had to ring reception to get it. The shower towels didn’t look clean either. Wi-Fi is terrible. Breakfast I can’t comment on I got toast. Service from staff wasn’t fantastic either other than the bellboys who were very helpful carrying the bags. We actually checked out early as we couldn’t do a second night. Very expensive for what you get.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed on 23Dec in standard room by paying 1200+ taxes online through GoIbibo. Online sites have wrong info about the amenities. Room is very very small, only 1 person can sleep. Its in the basement, no network, no window, lot of mosquitos, no TV, no Internet, no room service, no toiletries, awful smell, very less options for food . no privacy- the joint room can hear every noise from your room.. Only plus point is near the ghat.
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Date of stay: December 2023
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Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â If you still want to book this hotel, book only on higher floors else a big NO.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is remotely located. The rooms are small. They typically make single bed rooms as double bed rooms by adding a pillow. The AC machine was drippig with water. The hotel manager was reluctant to hear, let alone help. I went with my wife and I had to shift to another better hotel the next day.
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had booked a double bed AC room for my parents last week. They provided a single bed room and added two pillows to make it double bed. I had paid for a double bed room by the way. The AC was dripping with water and the water from the ac was falling on the TV below. It can cause electric shock. We raised these issues but the hotel manager did not pay any attention. We had to shift to another hotel the next day. The location is also remote and you have to walk a long stretch because vehicles do not go beyond a point.
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Date of stay: September 2021
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Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Please avoid booking at this hotel. Better book any hotel near Godhuliya more. You will not have...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed in Premium View room for 2 nights in March 2023. Pros Great river view from your own personal balcony. Royal view offers river view side balconies as well. For others Sorry! no luck. Appears to be a renovated Dharamshala with River view. Cons No Transport is allowed to reach this location. Had to walk 700 meters from Girja Ghar Chowraha through busy streets and dirty lanes. Bell boy will carry your luggage. No elevator and be ready to climb stairs. Not at all suitable for Seniors with health issues or physical constraints. Extremely poor maintenance even in higher category rooms which charges between Rs 4500 to 7000 per night plus taxes. Extremely poor Room Service.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My travel agent booked this hotel for me. The location of this hotel is absolutely wonderful, and apparently that's the only reason to stay here. I stayed here for three nights and it constantly felt like staying in a non-welcoming motel without a soul. Service at the reception desk was bearable. In the restaurant it was non-existent though. Restaurant staff seemed uninterested and almost angry to be working there. No hint of a smile to find anywhere on the staff member's faces, and just rude in the contact with guests. Surprisingly tasteless food. The room on itself was ok. But apparently after arrival I needed to make my bed myself. Okay, I can do that. But the digusting thing was the blanket. It probably used to be white and clean, but that seemed many years ago. The blanket was of a greyish colour completed with big stains of unknown origin. The hot water was hot enough, but taking a shower left a swimming pool in the bathroom due to the lack of a floor division. There were no floor towels available, so I needed to use my bath towel to dry things up a bit. The amount of toilet paper was barely enough for one toilet visit. Happy to have brought my own... To be honest the great location is not worth to stay here. I am sure Varanasi has some more pleasant places to offer.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel is located right on meer ghat and there are some rooms with a balcony and view.
Staff is friendly and highly responsive. The restaurant attached serves good food.
Vehicles cannot reach this hotel so one needs to walk for about 500 mts from the main road. The manager will usually send someone over to pick up the luggage.
This is place is highly recommended if you would like to stay by the Ghats and walk around the old city.
May not be suitable for families with small children as there is a significant amount of walking to do.
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Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
London, United Kingdom100 contributions29 helpful votes
"Booking a premium room won't give u an extra edge. More or less all rooms are attached to a common balcony. Opt a room without breakfast and have it outside."
"You will need to walk to this hotel through crowded streets and right, winding laneways, direction through which is not easy when initially arriving."
There are more places to choose from in the Varanasi area.
PRICE RANGE
C$21 - C$49 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
alka hotel varanasi
LOCATION
IndiaUttar PradeshVaranasi DistrictVaranasi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
36
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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