Vedanta Wake Up - Gokulam

The hostel itself looks nice and is very clean, but I wouldn’t stay there again. The staff made me feel unsafe from the moment I arrived, and their handling of money made things worse: they tried to charge twice the rate listed online, and when my friend paid with a 500 rupee note, they claimed she’d handed over a 100 rupee note. The next day, staff told me someone had entered my supposedly locked room, gathered my belongings, and moved me to another room. There’s little privacy or security here. Even the lockers can be opened from the other side of the locked door by shifting a small board, so guests’ things don’t seem protected from other guests or staff entering rooms without permission. I’d rather stay in a total dive. Do yourself a favour and book somewhere else.

We stayed as a family in a large hall with four rooms, but the shared space was open to other people too, so visitors kept coming and going and we had no privacy. The owner had lots of restrictions and wouldn’t let us use the kitchen, not even the refrigerator. It was a bad experience, even though the stay was decent.

Gokulam is a quiet, safe residential area, and I enjoyed the cool evening breeze on a walk. We had a fully equipped kitchen upstairs for simple cooking and morning coffee, plus an open terrace on the top floor where we could eat dinner. When I asked for an extra bed at the last minute, they provided one even though I hadn’t reserved it. An Ola cab to the railway station cost Rs85. For my family, Vedanta wake up felt like a home away from home during our two days there. The beds and bathroom were neat and clean, and the tariff was affordable. It isn’t a fully commercial hotel. Our stay was worthwhile, so book ahead and check the pictures on the official website.

The room was clean and tidy, but don’t expect it to be cleaned every day. Although online travel agents list bed and breakfast, management said breakfast wasn’t included and hadn’t told us before check-in. It’s an option if all you need is somewhere to sleep for the night.