I am a solo female traveller, and I loved my stay at the Sri Omkar Palace. Sanjay and ALL of the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful with every aspect of my seven-day stay: INCLUDING ensuring I had access to RT-PCR Covid testing in time for my flight back home. Air conditioning, wi-fi and hot water all worked perfectly without interruption the entire stay (which is an accomplishment for any establishment in this ancient city), and nice little touches like unlimited daily bottled water, toiletries, room service, really make this hotel stand out from other budget accommodations in the city. The hotel could not be better situated in terms of access to the ghats, or in terms of view: it is literally a two minute walk to the boats that would love to give you a scenic tour of the shoreline. The photos show the exact view most rooms have, either by private or shared balcony. One important thing to consider: if you are in any way challenged with mobility, this will NOT be a good place to stay. To get to the hotel, a cab drops you on the main drag, and you must walk about three to five minutes down ancient cobbled streets/alleys to reach the hotel entrance. To get to the main boardwalk of the ghats, you will have to descend about 75 very steep, sometimes slippery (with dust or water or both) steps. That having been said, if you want to truly experience authentic Varanasi in the company of a wonderful hotel staff and in the comfort of a good hotel with the most important amenities (AC, good bathroom, wi-fi), this is a fantastic choice.

The hotel is located a few steps away from the Chousatti ghat. Like most hotels in Varanasi which are on the ghats, there is no direct road access. The car would drop you at the road 100-150 metres away and you will be guided by the hotel personnel through the narrow bylanes. It was a great experience to walk through the bylanes with their ancient history. The hotel is well maintained. Some of the rooms including the one we had have a common balcony which overlooks the Ganga river. The room by itself was small, but reasonably well furnished. The walls had some peeling paint etc. The room had a good AC and water heater, 2 things which are essential. The overall service levels were exceptionally high. Sanjay Pande and his team were ever willing to organise everything. They organised the evening boat tour with the superb Ganga Aarti view from the water. They also organised a morning boat ride as well as vehicles for sightseeing, visit to Ayodhya and airport pick up and drop. The prices charged were very reasonable. The hotel has a set of people who help you to reach specific locations, or can get things for you including food. The hotel does have its own room service and the food we ordered was tasty. The access to the ghat is 2 minutes away through a set of steep steps. Most ghats are interconnected and one can walk across the ghats. The Dashashwamedh ghat where the evening Ganga aarti is organised is around 3 ghats away or 5 minutes by walk. People with accessibility issues should avoid staying near the ghats due to the steep steps. For others this is a superb location to enjoy the great atmosphere of the Ganga and its ghats. Overall a great trip thanks to the excellent service by the hotel personnel.

It was a family trip.....Taken two Ganga facing rooms....and both were very good including room service....Well protected.....Food quality was equally very good. Behaviour of all staffs is excellent.....they are very helpful as well

The property is few metres walk from the Darbangha Ghat. They do have some rooms with the view of the Ganges. Property is well maintained. You have to park(paid) near the main road as there is no space near the property. The staff is very helpful and courteous, also assisted us with the temple visit and boat arrangements to see the Ganga Arti. The staff are very friendly, helpful and cooperative. The Manager- Sanjay is very helpful and courteous.

On the positives: It is in a great location and we had a fantastic view of the river from our room and terrace. The staff were very helpful in setting up tours and such like. Plenty of hot water (as long as you remember to switch the heater on). On the negatives: Cleanliness was a real problem throughout the hotel, especially the bathrooms and restaurant area. Excessive use of moth balls (I suspect to mask smells from the drains).⁹ Dont expect much food around the national days (we were there for holi). Maintenance is clearly not a priority - broken glass door to our balcony, stairwell out of action because of mattresses and debris. Staff sleeping on the couches in the lobby. No housekeeping or other cleaning on holi day. In summary the place has a lot of potential but lacks basic care, maintenance and cleanliness. I wouldn't choose this place if we came again.