Guest house DEGHCENI

Hello, travelers! We spent March 25-30, 2025 in Dilijan at Deghceni Guesthouse, and Gayane was a wonderful hostess. We were a big group, two families with five adults and eight children, and there was room for everyone. The adults could relax in the common area while the kids played outside. The grounds are fenced and have tables, a trampoline, and a playground. We ate so well at breakfast and dinner that it felt like they were trying to feed us up! Everything was delicious. Meals are buffet style, and you can also order from the menu. The rooms are cozy and can accommodate different group sizes. They have a rich ethnic look that makes them a lovely place to spend time. There are two TVs and a projector in the common area. This is a guesthouse, so the rooms don't have fridges or kitchen facilities. If you need tea, coffee, or somewhere to put food in the fridge, you can use the shared area or ask the hostess or her assistants. Everyone was friendly, smiling, and welcoming in true Armenian style, and they were always happy to help with our requests. The guesthouse is in a very picturesque spot, with a gorgeous view from the shared balcony and even from the street. The closest shops are about a 20-minute walk at an easy pace, though with so many children our walk took much longer. I highly recommend staying here!

The rooms were clean and nicely equipped, the grounds beautifully landscaped, and the food was the best we had in Armenia. The guesthouse hosts were responsive, too. It’s a lovely place to feel cared for and enjoy comfort and kindness.

I paid $200 a night, and that price was nowhere near justified by the service. The room listing on Booking.com was, at best, only vaguely accurate, and at worst misleading. It named a balcony, fridge, air conditioning, kettle, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron, mountain and landmark views, a bathtub, fireplace, washing machine, dishwasher, and more. None of those things were in our room. Some advertised items may be somewhere in the shared parts of the building, but that's not the same as having them in the room. No room has its own balcony. There’s a shared one with tables that anyone can use, and the windows of two rooms look onto it. They aren't doors. The fridge, kettle, and most of the other listed amenities weren't in the room either. You can ask the chef to put things in the shared fridge. I couldn't find air conditioning anywhere, though perhaps there’s one somewhere at the back of the house. The kettle was in the common area. Our room didn't initially have a hair dryer, but one was brought after we asked. Don't expect a proper city or mountain view from the rooms. In ours, I had to press into the very corner to see anything. One room had windows toward the mountains, but they faced an interior corridor, so you'd be looking through another window to see the mountains. The rooms are cramped, dark, and uncomfortable. Since the windows look onto the shared balcony, the curtains need to stay closed. The bathroom had no soap dish, toothbrush holder, or shelves, and there was no shelf in the shower for shampoo. When we said the Booking.com information needed correcting, the owner replied sternly, "No, YOU were the one who needed to clarify all the information." Not a great way to handle it.

The website says the house is for guests aged 16 and up, but the owners have six grandchildren of their own and welcomed us and our five children warmly. We had a wonderful New Year's holiday. The food was incredibly delicious, and the atmosphere was so warm. We felt like we were with family and friends. The owner's Tom Yum, made by Gayane, is as good as any I've tasted, even in Thailand.