A Palace on River - Rashmi guest House

This hotel is in an excellent location for sure. Very close to the ghats and key activities in Varanasi. Walking distance to most everything important. It was not clean. Opened the wardrobe and giant dust bunnies flew all over. The floor wasn’t clean. You have to ask to have the hot water turned on only no one told us until the third day. Staff friendly and responsive when asked but you had to ask for whatever you needed. We stayed many days and I had to ask fir them to clean the floors etc. Towels were clean but stained and water pressure was a dribble. A bit over priced for what you get but an amazing location.

Reserved room with River view at higher price. But unavailable so given room 301 on 4th floor. No refund. Long walk up stairs to 4 the floor, small,.needs updating, noisy, and no view. And they forgot to tell me to call desk to turn on hot water for shower. The next ight given room 302 with lovely view, bigger, updated, and quieter. Staff was very good after first night. Included breakfast at Dolphin is excellent.

A good hotel looking over the Ganges, the resturant was nice and so to was the food, I would reccomend this hotel.

Pleasant stay, extremelu helpfull staff and nice souranoundings, with a great view of teh sun rise!

Rooms were clean and comfortable. The staff was friendly. Complimentary breakfast at Dolphin Restaurant was a highlight. Great views from the dining room. Finding my way to the hotel initially was a minor issue.

Room are small. Staff very friendly nd helpful. Rate as a 2 star for room size..but a 5 star for location.Taxi can't drip u to hotel or pick u up. You have to walk from taxi to hotel...about 10 minutes. Not safe to walk on the busy dusty roads. Tell the hotel to have a rickshaw [small 3 wheeler) to pick u up after taxi drop off and to take u to hotel..very cheap about 30 rupees cost. Do the same returning to airport. Hotel has hot decent food. Difficult to find a decent eatery in Old varnassi by ganges. Market is 1 minute away..can eat lots of fruits. You can negotiate boat ride price on the banks of ganges itself...lots of competitors..should not pay more than 150 to 200 rupees per hour. Streets r dirty nd dusty. If u can, walk with a small shield for your nose nd mouth when on the dusty road. Not suitable for children unless u stay in a 5 star hotel..they will suffer.

Excellent location.. the hotel could be much better maintained thought

The staffs are wonderful trying to keep the guests welcomed. Especially so are tour guides (names mentioned are Mr. Molu and Mr. Pappu) readily available. They had carried out their job professionally. I had a wonderful time staying in this guest house and I would recommend anyone who wants to stay here and get their money worth

Hotel booked for 2300 rs but they collected 2600 rs. Very poor service. Wanted a car to airport at 7 am and got only at 8 am.

Direct access down to Ghats. Restaurant unfortunately closed for refurbishment.

This hotel is really only good for the location, it is rated as a $$$ hotel in lonely planet but it was actually on par with a $ hotel. We selected the hotel based on the location and the fact there was a restaurant on the roof, we were only informed after we had checked in that the restaurant was under repair and not available. This is something they should have communicated to the booking.com as this would have changed our decision to stay there. The biggest frustration I was meet with was when checking out the hotel, although they offer card as a payment option they clearly don't really want to offer this method so only having a card to pay for the hotel I waited for over 20 minutes while the two men at the front desk incompetently dusted off a number of card machines and tried to take payment. The end result being one of the bus boys taking us on a 15 minute walk with all our suit cases to a cash point on route to a taxi. My view is if you are advertised/sponsored by trip advisor and lonely planet you should prepare that tourists will come and you should be able to fulfill the payment methods advertised.

Whilst the room was a bit cramped and the facilities in the room fairly basic, it was clean and the rooftop restaurant (Dolphin) was excellent. The staff are most obliging and helpful. Varanasi is an acquired taste! The lane ways are crowded dirty and smelly but insights into Hindu culture are are plain to see.

Not only does this hotel have a great location facing the Ganges but it also backs up to the charming Indian area that is great for walking & full of temples, food stalls & shops. What really makes this hotel unique is the staff, from the manager, to the front desk staff, the day guides & the porters. They are first class. The more upscale hotels in Varanasi do not have this location along with this staff. The rooms are comfortable as well with good beds, A/C, TV and some thoughtful additions. This hotel also has the charm of being Indian, with professional hospitality.

I stayed two days. Staff put me in touch with a good guide, Rohit, who was knowledgeable about many aspects of Varanasi, both sacred and secular, and flexibly adjusted to my specific interests (I'd recommend him). Hotel restaurant was very nice with a superb view over Ganges and good meals. It at the top of 5 flights of stairs which was fine with me but might be hard for a person who was frail or had trouble walking. There is a safety concern on some of the staircases coming down: dim lighting and stairs in unexpected places, NOT the same on each floor. That is, on (I think) the 3rd floor down from the restaurant there is an extra stair near the bottom as you turn, compared to 2nd floor and first floor. Could cause sever stumble. Stairs should be better lit or made more uniform or both. Room was rather small, only about 3 feet larger than the double-bed in each dimension, but that was adequate. Attached bathroom was OK. Top manager seemed quite competent but also gave impression of always being in a bad mood and angry inside himself (unclear at whom), despite polite face. Felt strange but could mostly be ignored. I hope he feels better. Patrons of hotel when I was there appeared to be mostly foreigners (westerners), for better or worse. Perhaps caters to them. In sum: good location, good guide, good restaurant, small rooms, requires good walking ability, and be careful descending stairs.

It was end of my two days business trip , so wanted to take a good sleep before my next days morning flight. The staff has welcomed me by rose garland. it was a good surprise & gesture. My view is its a strictly for people who wants a sight seeing. location is great straight on banks of Ganga.Just couple of minutes from Kashi Vishweshwar temple. Rooms are congested. Restaurant is having fantastic view breakfast was ok. mainly occupied by foreigners.

The hotel is in a great location ! Food is good and rooms are ok.

This hotel is in a good central location. The Standard rooms are fairly basic but comfortable. Don't get a Standard room if you like views and light, airy environment! The River View rooms are reportedly just the same except for the view and a complimentary minibar, and a much higher (2.5 times) price. The rooftop restaurant has great views and good food at reasonable prices. Staff on the front desk seemed a bit unfriendly when we first arrived but were much more friendly and helpful over the next few days.

The location is great, facing the Ganga rivers Short walk to the main Ghat, where the night ceremony takes place. Room is ok, the bathroom has many small bugs during night, the shower is not separated. All these all not a problem for me given the prices paid. A staff there recommended a local guide and said it's tip based. I should have insisted to having the price fixed. In the end I paid 2000 INR for the "tip". That's not a lot of money, but he is not very knowledgeable and the guiding isn't worth the money. Plus he also brought me to a silk factory for shopping. In Varanasi, you don't need a guide and remember to negotiate the price up front, not afterward.

First, Varanasi is a crowded, dirty, rough city. So factor that into your accommodation expectation. That said, you will find no "better" hotel on the Ganges, in a better location. You are ON the river 100m down from the nightly ceremonies, and 150m upriver from the cremation ceremony. If you have the extra money, upgrade to the room on the top floor with the Ganges view. VERY nice! The Dolphin restaurant has excellent breakfast and daytime meals. Now for the nitty-gritty. You WILL NOT find this hotel on your own. Don't even try, you will only end with frustration. When you leave the airport, it is about 40-50 minutes taxi ride to Varanasi city. The taxi has to stop and drop you about 10 minutes walk from the hotel, no cars allowed. if you can find a kid/teenager to take you to the Rashmi Guest House/Dolphin Restaurant, DO IT! Don't try to find it on your own, you will fail. The city is a maze and chaotic. Just pay a kid 100 rupees and it will be the best 100 you spent on your entire vacation. When at the hotel, ask for their guide ROHIT. He speaks English very well, knows the city inside/out. You can walk around on your own, but your experience will be much better if you have Rohit hire a rowboat for you for a nighttime "cruise" and a sunrise "cruise". Hire their guide ROHIT, you will really not regret it!!!

Rashmi Guest House is conveniently located on the Ganges. It has comfortable rooms and a lovely rooftop restaurant. It is a bit of a maze to find the place after your taxi drops you off, but after you seek some local help it is easy to find after that!