Amritara Suryauday Haveli, Varanasi

Suryauday Haveli, Varanasi, India - Explore & Book

"Varanasi is a magical place. As the oldest continually inhabited city on earth, it has a thread of ancient spirituality woven through its bustling modern streets in a uniquely trippy, symbiotic way. You will never have enough hours in the day to absorb everything happening around you: sadhus chanting, children playing cricket, chai vendors shouting their wares, the constant hum of boats bringing more people than you ever knew existed to the banks of the Ganges to pay their respects to the holy river. In the distance burn the 24-hour fires of public cremations, and you may have to pick your way through a crowd of water buffalo emerging from the river. It is a wonderful, all-consuming pandemonium. To avoid the city from swallowing you whole, you need to find your stillness at the end of the day. Step forward Suryauday (surrey-OO-day) Haveli, the former holiday home of the Prime Minister of Nepal, and a veritable fortress of a hotel. It is one of the few places in Varanasi where you can find tranquility. From the silent bliss of its air-conditioned rooms to the leafy shade of the central courtyard, this place oozes sanctuary when you need it most. Highs Unbeatable location directly on Shivala Ghat, right in the middle of the action Friendly and personalised service - our welcome felt totally genuine Rooftop terrace and communal balcony for watching the sunset over the Ganges Spotlessly clean when we visited (not necessarily a given in this part of the world) We loved the secluded inner courtyard, with live Indian music some evenings: a relaxing oasis after a day of exploration Lows It’s not cheap by Varanasi's standards - but it is probably the best (and best placed) boutique hotel in the city Being within 200m of the holy river, no meat or alcohol can be served here The lovely roof terrace felt under-furnished (and under-used) on our visit Bring a sense of humour. Varanasi is chaotic, but much nicer if you just go with it" - Emily Hirschberg