Hotel Alka

India , Varanasi
Varanasi, D3/23, Meer ghat, Dashashwamedh, Varanasi
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75 reviews shown

8/10

Excellent

02 Mar 2025

Elizabeth

The location of the hotel on the ghats is excellent - though be aware that the atmosphere can be smoky at times as the cremation grounds are not far away. I got absolutely what I paid for. Staff were helpful at all times and food in the restaurant is both good and reasonably priced. Why four rather than five stars? No hot water for half of my stay - and decor is a tad tired and almost gloomy. This was evidently the fashion at some point - as my (considerably worse) Delhi hotel was similar. I was a solo older female traveller and never felt unsafe or unduly pressurised.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

24 Feb 2024

Umang

Super convenient to Vishwanath Temple. Indian hotels needs a big customer service lesson in regards to toiletries. Asked many times for fresh hand towels but never received for the first 2 nights. After repeatedly demanding they gave 1 on the day of my checkout.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2024

Asha

Great location! Very pleasant! Awesome service! The staff was very friendly and they made sure all my needs were met. I loved the place.

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2023

NAMAN

It was a good hotel with a great view.

Business_and_leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

18 Mar 2021

Verified traveler

good and near the Ganges and it worked perfectly.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

16 Mar 2021

Verified traveler

Near to the Ganges and worked best for us.
Good to be near the Kashi temple.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Pros - close to ghat, decent rooms, good service.
Cons - cars cannot come to the hotel as they do not allow in this area so you have to walk quite a distance to get in or out which is not easy if you have lot of luggage or mobiiity issues.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Nov 2019

RAJENDRA

Very Good hotel
Clean Rooms
Very near to the temple
Nice location
Freindly staff
Good Service

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

11 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Bad expirence of Hotel...

While booking online i paid around 4 thousand rupees and when I reached there they said you have booked an non AC room and we received payment of only 3000 rupees ...
The hotel owner said pay extra 1000 rupees i will give you AC room and at that time call was not getting connected to hotels.com to complaint
As I was not having any option i paid extra 1000 rupees and got an AC room

Family

2/10

Poor

15 Jun 2019

Bld

Nothing nothing at all ,worst service, worst rooms

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

16 Apr 2019

NARESH

Terrible to Stay

Location of the Hotel was really terrible. You have to go through small, narrow and dirty streets inside the local area and very hard to reach if you have luggage with you. Linen, towels were dirty and they don't provide you any toiletries except a small soap. There is no Room Service and they don't allow you to eat inside your room. Washroom was too small but no option. Overall it was a bad experience. Only thing that was good if you can say is the view from terrace of Ganga River that flows at the bottom of hotel down about 150 stairs. They says free Wifi but there is no connectivity for Wifi

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2019

Bhaskar

The location of this hotel is as charming as it can get. Serene Ganges and the sunrise in the background was scenic to say the least. Meanwhile the rooms are good with proper amenities and the cleanliness was overall very good. Reaching this hotel is also relatively easy as opposed to what the local taxi and auto drivers say

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2019

Titas

Perfect location..Too much cooperative staffs ..I feel blessed specially for the ambience..So liberal and friendly . I will surely prefer hotel alka for my next Varanasi trip aswell. Thank you the Alka team to make me feel special.

Leisure Friends

4/10

Poor

30 Mar 2019

suresh

Good location, bad service, not value for money

I was promised the room at 9 am but I waited with my very old parents till 12 noon and still did not get the room. Finally I went out and came back at 5 PM and stil I was asked to wait as room has to be cleaned and gave some other room as I mentioned I can not wait. I had to move into another room next morning. The hotel does everything(car, boating...) as it work for them well not for guest. Guests also smoke all over the place including restaurants. Food is also below average and expensive. Not value for money.

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

It's situated near Meer Ghat. Great view of Ganga from the hotel balcony and restaurants.

Family

8/10

Excellent

30 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Incredible location the premium rooms have arguably the best view of any hotel in the entire city. No hot water though and tv not working, which is not really acceptable given premium price. Staff good. Restaurant better than nearby competition

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Great Hotel and Awesome Staff, Mr. Mukesh Is the Awesome Manager and Person, two thumbs up for Hotel Alka!!

8/10

Excellent

09 Sep 2018

James

Affordable and convenient!

The hotel was clean and staff very friendly! Ideally positioned near all the main tourist attractions it is great value for money! The room without A/C can be at times unbearably but the room does the job for the cost! The restaurant in the hotel is very convenient as it’s open 24 hours with a reasonably good selection of dishes all of which can be enjoy in the courtyard area where you can look out on to the Ganges or get lost watching the busy meer ghat from above in the hotel

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jul 2018

Good budget hotel

It’s not as nice as it appears in the photos. But as a budget hotel, it does what it needs to do. Staff was friendly and helpful.

6/10

Pleasant

23 Jun 2018

Jano

Its eas very hot and is imposible to stay in the room. 46 degrees outside and inside

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jun 2018

Ian

Very hard to rate. If you judged it by western standards most things would be poor but you have to remember where you are at. So for it’s location and the fact the room was actually ok with a brilliant view and right in the middle of everything we were fairly comfortable with choosing alka hotel except for the fact it didn’t have its advertised safe in the room.

8/10

Excellent

14 May 2018

Verified traveler

Nice hotel close to the river

Really good value for money for a basic room with fan

6/10

Pleasant

25 Mar 2018

Todd

Friendly staff, great view

Friendliest, most helpful staff ever, great food and the best view you could ask for of the ghats. Nice to have a quiet, clean place to retreat from the relative intensity of Varanasi.

4/10

Poor

01 Mar 2018

Robert

Good only for location.

Great location but everything else pretty much sucked.

2/10

Poor

05 Feb 2018

Edward

Nothing like what advertised

I did not get the rooms I expected from my booking conformation. There was no furniture in room, just a bed. There was no safe at hotel or newspapers. I had to pay for upgrade on the two rooms we booked costing £80. The upgraded rooms were no better than basic. One had a wardrobe but one did not. The description given is very different from what is available.

Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

A budget hotel with a great location, good service

This hotel is a very good choice for an affordable room on the riverfront. The view to watch the activities along the river and on the ghats is excellent. Service was friendly helpful with booking a car to go exploring and arranging airport pick-up and send-off. The room was sufficiently clean. The porters did a great job carrying bags because you have to walk about 10-15 minutes through crowds and alleys to get to the river and thus the hotel. The wifi wasn't so great from our room location but good by the front desk. Given the environment of Varanasi, even though these are simple rooms, this is a great choice in the price range.

Family

4/10

Poor

05 Jan 2018

H3C

Little too alka-line for my taste

Not stoked in squat shared toilets, pretty smelly. Wish they were better set up with free filtered water or and boiling water(especially for winter months). Twice the hotel staff made us hassle them to get change back from a bottle of water. Good view from restaurant though.

8/10

Excellent

04 Jan 2018

Raul

Check-in was fast , with good restaurant and bar, very near to Agra river and city center. At night time the hotel locks main gate for security reasons. Exelent place.

Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Dec 2017

Sunith

Location location location

It’s a great place to stay if you are looking for quick access to the ghats and the temples. The room was ordinary with a great view of the river . The food in the rooftop restaurant was very good . It’s by no means a great hotel by any modern standard but for the old city of Varanasi it’s adequate

8/10

Excellent

24 Sep 2017

restless_travel

Great location

The staff here went above and beyond to ensure we had the best possible stay. I would recommend an airport pick up if you are flying in as it is not the easiest place to find if this is your first time to Varanasi. We had a balcony room and the view was amazing! Well located so you are walking distance to everything. Right in a Gaht.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Sep 2017

Verified traveler

It's a good location

It's very near to the timple, and River Gaga. We have to walk 10 minutes from the nearest vehicle stop.
Hotel staff assisted us to carry the laggage to reach the hotel and back
Food mnot much choice at their restaurant
Car rental all other assistance available and we feel very secure
Friendly staff and they have good knowledge about the locations and very good taxi drivers they have
We had taken city tour and one day trip to Allahabad in cab which they are arranged exemplary manner
The driver of the cab Mr. Lal Bahadur a role model and we are all enjoyed Varanasi with Hotel Alka hospitality
Warm regards
Unni k Nair

10/10

Exceptional

31 Aug 2017

Joanne

Good stay :)

Really nice place right on the river Ganges. Would definatley recommend :)

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

25 Aug 2017

zack

Good location but would not recommend

front door guy seemed super annoyed when we showed up early to check in...never said hi or anything. showed us our room and never said anything after that. Community shower wasnt exactly super clean and was small BUT the hotel is in a good location and room while spartan is very clean. TIP: get the AC room as its way to hot without it trust me. Overall I would try a different hotel the next visit

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2017

Verified traveler

Nice and easy. Close to Dashashwamedh ghat.

Our experience in was good in Kashi. Stay in Alka Hotel was good and staff was friendly. Hotel is close to Kashi Vishwanath temple and Vishakalakshi temple is only few metres away. Even Varahi temple is very close.
However, Manikarnika (Burning) Ghat is not visible from hotel's terrace.

8/10

Excellent

20 Jun 2017

Verified traveler

I will come back to this hotel for varanasi visit

Amazing view off the balcony towards the river. Great alfresco area for relaxing tea/coffee. Clean room and facilities. Hope there was an instruction for using hot water system - the hot water was great, but did a cold shower for the first night because I didn't know how to use it. Great location in the centre of everything. I found the laundry charge was excessive. Varying degree of customer service at the reception desk, but acceptable.

8/10

Excellent

03 Jun 2017

velagapudi

Nice very near to ganga river and ghats

Must improve restaurant service and prices are too high compare to city side restaurants. Please reduce the rates to bare the middle class people.

8/10

Excellent

30 Apr 2017

Harris

Best view and proximity

Don't keep much expectations about the room, it's below average(depending on what room type I guess), simple, non luxury rooms. The best part is it's location. It's in the banks of Ganges, walking distance (5-10) mins to long of temples, Ghats, boats, river festival, which makes it my first choice when I go back again. Hope it helps :)

8/10

Excellent

24 Apr 2017

Jason

Budget Optional, great location, tricky to find.

Choose this hotel for its great location as you have access and views over the famous Ganges river and to the nearby Ghats. Best to pay a little extra for the larger premium rooms. This is a budget option, and while rooms are clean they are dated with older shower fixtures and hard beds, cheap sheets etc... But you get what you pay for and value for money wise, there is nothing to complain about. The shower was ok, hot water arrived after a few minutes although never really got that hot, WIFI was quite good, however. Getting to the hotel, like many places in India is always a challenge, and you will be offered the services of touts in order to find it, which can be little tricky. Recommended saving an offline map on your phone before venturing into the small windy alleys that you must follow to reach the hotel. The staff were friendly enough, albeit always distracted. Cafe/Restaurant in hotel has decent food with nice views over the River. Great budget option, in fantastic location - would stay again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Apr 2017

Sumita

Pleasant stay!

Hotel Alka turned out to be a very nice stay. A very friendly staff, nice location.
Most importantly the view.. worth trying !!

Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2017

Rakesh

Nice hotel.. Next to River

Rooms were good but the staff needs to be trained properly. My final bill was not accurate cause of that front desk staff called me thrice for bill settlement. Food is not up to the mark. Rest things are ok

8/10

Excellent

07 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Just on the Ghat.

Situated next the ghat, morning weather was awesome. Great sun rise scene fro the room.

6/10

Pleasant

05 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Fantastic position

If you want to be right by the Ganges and in one if the best positions in Varanasi, then this is the hotel for you. Some of the restaurant staff seem miserable and service slow, but best to chill! I don't think I would fancy a room without an ensuite, but then you get what you pay for.

8/10

Excellent

11 Mar 2017

Ashok, Lakshmi

Amazing kashi trip\n

Walking distance to all main sites. On the shores of Ganga. Beautiful sunrise view.Walked down the steps from hotel to take a dip in Ganga. walked to the dasaswamedh ghat for evening arati. Restaurant is nice. ate food while watching boats on ganga. Forgot slight inconveniences like walking on the narrow streets to get to the hotel. Can't reach the hotel by vehicles but the view is worth it.

8/10

Excellent

13 Feb 2017

leanne

Brilliant location right in the heart of Varanasi

Fantastic location right in the centre of Varanasi. Tricky to find so glad we arranged taxi pick up, well worth it. Friendly staff & clean rooms, we had a Premium View and the views were amazing.

2/10

Poor

02 Feb 2017

Shabari

Refund not given

Very rude guy in the reception, hardly reply if we ask him something.One guy was nice. Also by mistake they took double payment from me during the bill settlement. I am writing to them and calling them since Dec 18 2016 to refund my money 3648 INR. But they just telling every time that they will deposit the money. I lost my hope in them and it was not at all a good experience as a traveller. They accept card for room charges but doesn't accept card for food and the airport pick and drop. They never mentioned to me about it as I was traveling from UAE with literally no cash and all the ATM's were close due to demonetization.

2/10

Poor

01 Feb 2017

Verified traveler

Noisy and Dirty

The rooms are small. The sheets blankets towels are all dirty. The walls are paper thin and you could hear the person next to you take a Pee. Wait staff great. Location great. Everything else was terrible.

8/10

Excellent

22 Dec 2016

Charlie

Right on the river

The hotel is nearly impossible to find - you need to get this figured out before you get to Varanasi. Even the most seasoned travelers will find this extremely difficult. If you arrive after dark you need to be prepared for an extremely challenging 20 minutes on foot to find the place. the staff is great and the view from the terrace is unforgettable. The restaurant is very good an value priced - use it. The rooms are Spartan and the wifi goes in and out and they change the password every day. You need to have someone go up to your room and explain every single switch including lights, air conditioning and hot water. If you don't you will lose time and a good nights sleep and hot shower. In the end though this is an unforgettable experience and I would highly recommend the Hotel Alka. They helped with two different excursions and the boat ride on the Ganges is something I will never ever forget.

2/10

Poor

09 Dec 2016

Samit

COULD NOT ABLE TO HECKED IN

This hotel doesn't have the connectivity to Auto or Rickshaw road .People need to carry their own luggage at least 1.5 km by walk ,which is really pathetic.

8/10

Excellent

03 Dec 2016

Verified traveler

Great location

Great location in the best spot in the city and good restaurant.

8/10

Excellent

24 Nov 2016

SOON

AC Room had been booked via Hotels.com, but only Non-AC Room No. 123 was silently given to me. After coming down to check with the Reception, the manager on duty said that AC Room was not available and 2-hr boat trip was offered to me free of charge instead.

4/10

Poor

11 Oct 2016

Yitzhak

Not good!

Bad hotel. Bad mainyained? The only pro is the biew. of the Ganga River. Not recommended.

6/10

Pleasant

07 Oct 2016

Verified traveler

Premium room was overpriced

We got the premium room, which was overpriced for what you got. I've stayed in much nicer hotels in India for a cheaper price. We had lots of ants in our room, the wifi was terrible, the hot water ran out very quickly, the restaurant service was very slow and the food was just ok. The best part another the hotel was th massage therapist and the view of the river.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2016

Verified traveler

Nice scenery & service, but pick up service 1700Rp

Booked on Cheap tickets, written; Airport shuttle fee: INR 850 per vehicle (roundtrip).
I think Round-trip mean was only 850Rp.
In fact, Pick-up to the airport 850Rp, Transfer to the airport 850Rp, total 1700Rp.
It failed the calculation of money.
Others are very good for me.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2016

Kimberly

Great staff.

Staff and management bent over backwards to make our stay great. Family of 4 with 1 member ill had staff working to ensure our comfort. Moved us to the best room in the hotel with the best view so we could all be together to look after our ill traveler. Great views, attentive staff, good food and clean rooms. Would stay again with my family again and again.

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Jul 2016

Verified traveler

A great stay in Varanasi

Munna-ji was very helpful and organized a specia temple visit for us. The service for pick up and drop off really helped, and highly recommended. Everything was reasonably priced. The view of the Ganga river is simply fantastic from the restaurant area.

Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Jul 2016

Dulam

Pleasure Stay

The hotel is very good for stay. It is very near to Ghats and temple.

Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Jul 2016

Danielle

A gem in Varanasi

We had a great stay at Alka for 3 nights. The rooms were clean and comfortable. They are renovating the hotel but that was only loud during the day. The view of the ghats from the restaurant is unbeatable. The place is hard to find on your own, as tuktuks can't go down the narrow alleys. We paid 200 rupees for the hotel to meet us at the train station and it helped immensely. Food at the restaurant was ok, fairly priced. Great location, just a short walk south or north to some of the important ghats. Would recommend this place.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Jun 2016

Kevin

Nice hotel on the Ganges River

A bit of a challenge getting to the hotel the first time around due to the 10 minute walk through narrow alleyways after your taxi/auto rickshaw drops you off. But it's worth the extra effort. Hotel is right on the river and has great views of all of the main sights along the embankment. The open-air restaurant was good and fairly priced. No hassle boat tour bookings were also available through the front desk. Helpful.

6/10

Pleasant

19 May 2016

RAJAN

I was enjoying a lot, again i want to visit there. Thank you team 'ALKA HOTEL'

6/10

Pleasant

20 Apr 2016

Danny

All good

8/10

Excellent

12 Mar 2016

MURAT

Please Make Right Decision For your wishes

Alka Hotel is a little bit dated but very good location.It is avarage hotel ,price is good for the location.If your primary object is sightseeing and location thats for you,If your object class and luxury not suitable

Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2016

Verified traveler

A Hidden Gem

Really a wonderful hotel with an amazing location.You can not beat the location.Overlooking the Ganga and right in the Old City of Varanasi . The hotel has a gem of a courtyard/restaurant perfect for just watching and soaking up the atmosphere letting you escape from life not the ghats if you need to. The rooms are not fancy but spotless and clean and in good condition.
The staff are exceedingly helpful and pleasant. You could not ask for more attentive staff.
You will need to book a pickup from the airport or train station as it is in the old part of the city and a bit confusing to find initially but well worth it. Perfect location.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2016

Verified traveler

Good location

By the river. Good for people who want to be close to the ghats and temples.

Family

8/10

Excellent

28 Feb 2016

M & M

Hotel by the Ganges

My husband and I recently spent two nights at Hotel Alka. We had a beautiful room, that was newly renovated, with a gorgeous view of (and balcony overlooking) the Ganges. We used the hotels airport transfer service, which was worth every penny as the hotel is not accessible by vehicle and would have been challenging to find on our own! The staff were friendly and we really enjoyed our stay here!

6/10

Pleasant

25 Feb 2016

Peter

Great location, not so great staff

Hotel Alka's location is excellent, although difficult to find without help, it is right beside the river so it's easy to walk along ghats or take a boat.
What annoyed us about this was the rudeness of staff--very disinterested. They have a notice up asking for reviews and I have to be honest writing this, they were not nice and because of this I didn't extend my stay or organise trips with them.
Also, the shared showers and toilets are tiny and only downstairs which was annoying for staying upstairs.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 Feb 2016

a.o.

Decent Hotel at the Ghats

The hotel is a decent place in the old city at the Ganges River. I have no real complaints other than they couldn't give me a room first night (overbooked), and they had to put me in a different place (a guest house) for the first night. Not a good first impression.

4/10

Poor

16 Feb 2016

Amanda

Hotel Alka

The location is fantastic right on the river - It's biggest selling point. And The service is very good And you can change money there too. But the room was very basic And we spent over £50 for a room that Just Wasn't worth it! The room wasnt as described on their website. Bit cramped as well And The air conditioning didn't work. Food was good value and clean, And that have a lovely grass terrace to sit and eat on, a nice spot! So would i recommend it? Yes for location but only if you are happy with a basic room and don't pay for a super expensive room as that's not what you get. Perhaps best solution is not to pre pay then you can choose he room you ask for at the correct cost.

Partner

4/10

Poor

16 Feb 2016

Verified traveler

Good location but poor wifi and service

Poor hotel reservation that we book AC room with private bathroom two months ago but ALKA overbooking and gave us common bathroom to us; we booked taxi from hotel to airport and the driver rejected to turn on AC because of miscommunication between reception and driver; wifi was not stable and wouldn't give guests the passcode. One of reception claimed that ALKA doesn't have wifi service

Family

4/10

Poor

12 Feb 2016

Verified traveler

Hotel Alka

Problems with our room as we didn't get the room we ordered according to the website although the manager was very helpful. However air conditioning didn't work and room standard was very low for the money we paid. We paid in advance for a premium room but our room was basic and shower way smaller than some of the other cheaper rooms we saw. The bonus was the lovely terrace, the restaurant and the amazing views. Food in the restaurant was good and cheap. Would I recommend it , yes for the views and the atmosphere of Varanasi, no for comfort as very basic.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2016

Great location in Varanasi !

Very pleasant stay overhanging on Ganges river with great views.
A little bit noisy late in the nights (until 11 pm) and early in the mornings (from 5 am) if you don't take the premium rooms (with phonic isolation) in this hotel.

Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Jan 2016

indiatraveller

Great view, good food, excellent budget hotel

Right on Mir ghat, this hotel made walking to any of the main ghats very easy – including for the nightly aarti ceremonies on the riverfront. The food at the restaurant was reliably good (at reasonable prices), and the view from the courtyard/any of the rooms facing the river is stunning. I found my \"standard\" room to be clean & comfortable. The staff were also very friendly and helpful - they even picked me up from the rail station (very early in the morning) for a small fee. All in all, a great budget hotel!

8/10

Excellent

16 Jan 2016

Gerald

Hotel Alka is where it's at

Comfortable stay. Great location right on the ghat. Very nice staff. Good food. What else do you need?

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jan 2016

Aleesha

Great location & staff

The staff went out of their way to help me with tour and boat ararrangement. Hotel is right on the steps and near shopping areas. Rooms are very clean and fairly comfortable. Restaurant has a good variety for being a vegetarian restaurant. One heads up is that the shared bathroom is a squatter toilet.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Nov 2015

FLORENCE

Good location. 10 minute walk from main street through narrow laneways with some steep steps to be climbed.This hotel overlooks the river Ganges. Great views from terrace.
Staff friendly.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Nov 2015

richa

Awesome view

One of the nicest hotel in Varanasi to stay. Warm hospitality and
Awesome food