Somit Paying Guest House

When I travelled solo to Varanasi, I chose to stay at Somit's guest house based on all the online reviews .. having stayed there for 3 nights and 4 days, I can totally vouch for the kind reviews that they have been getting. First about the location..Somit's is located in the Bengali Tola area of Varanasi and is very close to the Chausattiya ghat.it is about a 1.5 hrs cab ride from the airport.from the railway station , it takes around 45 min if I am not wrong.major Ghats like dasashwamedh ghat are situated at a 10 min walk from the guest house..to reach Somit's , you will have to navigate your way through the famous maze like bylanes of Varanasi.. while it might be a little overwhelming for the first couple of days when you try to navigate around, but eventually it becomes a lot of fun in finding your way out on your own.even if you can't find your way around, don't you worry, you are in the very safe hands of somit and his team who will be there for you. There are different choices of room at the guest house. I stayed in a single occupancy deluxe room for a couple of nights and one night in the dorm..the deluxe room has an attached bathroom while for the other rooms, there are shared bathrooms...I found the dorm to be more engaging since one can interact with fellow travellers and form new friendships. Coming to the people part, Somit and his family are very sweet and a welcoming lot..Somit is a very nice guy and tries to do everything possible to put you at ease and to provide you utmost comfort..he provided me with valuable advice and guidance on things to do in Varanasi.. it was very nice to observe his passion to bring about a positive impact to the life of underprivileged children for whom classroom sessions are held in the facility.. people who stay at the premise are encouraged to also spend time with the children..Somit's right hand man is China (or Monu to Indians ;) ).. China always has a smile on his face and is ever ready to help.. quite a multi faceted guy , he seems to know everything -from cooking to guiding guests to rowing a boat..while I opted to tour the city on my own, I noticed that Somit, China and the team helped all the international visitors in exploring the city by going along with them-helping them understand about the culture , taking them on boat rides,etc. For international tourists , I would strongly recommend Somits since you will be in very safe hands for getting the most out of your stay in Varanasi and getting an essence of the local culture.. For Indian tourists also, I would recommend staying at Somits for getting a different experience of life in Banaras.. I look forward to visiting the city again and spending time at Somit's.. ..

I just stayed for a night. But what I felt was that it was more like a homestay rather than a guest house. I will recommend this hotel for those who want a cheap hotel near Ghats because it is very difficult to find a cheap hotel near Ghats. One star that I am deducting is for the disturbance due to water flow in the dormitory. I hope they fix it as soon as possible. Initially it is hard to find the hotel but if you reach the area nearby then anyone could tell you whereabouts of the guest house.

They did not allow me to enter even after my confirmed booking.. He had confirmed on phone even to provide quick darshan if I pay required fee. Stilll after reaching Varanasi he refused & we were on road for about 3-4 hours trying for another accommodation which was not easily available due to Mahashivratri festival.

This is best Place to stay as All of thr members are Friendly, whats more Needed. Its better to stay with Friendly member, even the Road to reach here is quite confusing, rather than at a 5 Star Hotel with Rude Staffs! Keep it up Friends !