Chandra Palace

The noise and lack of privacy made Chandra Palace feel anything but peaceful. There was constant honking from the main road, and a new building was going up very close by. Men from there and nearby buildings stared whenever I stepped onto the balcony. Daily drilling, hammering and knocking came with dust and what smelled like toxic chemicals from tiling. Power went out several times a day, and the generator was extremely loud both day and night. It felt like paying a premium to stay in a factory, with bad smells, ants on me and no privacy or sense of safety. My room itself was bare, with a kitchen that was just a sink, as the photo shows. They later put in a stovetop and gas cylinder. I used the staff fridge in the next building, but it was impractical to get to and very dirty, like their kitchen. I definitely didn't order from the “restaurant.” The bathroom had a tiny window opening onto the next room's bathroom, so I could clearly hear and smell everything happening there. If nobody was in that room to run its fan, mine was prone to mould. Even with the fan on, after a while a strong sewer smell filled the whole room, even with the toilet door shut. The bed looked new and large, but it was full of ants. I'm not sure why they crawled over me every night, though there were fewer around the kitchen. The pillows were mouldy too, and gave me terrible reactions for a week before I figured out the cause. I asked for fresh sheets and got them changed just once in my month there, and the duvet cover wasn't changed. The supposedly clean sheets were stained when I moved in and after the change. The staff generally didn't seem interested in being there. The trouble started soon after I paid a month upfront. Before then they were helpful and accommodating: they moved my bag from my previous place, let me use the staff fridge, and offered flexible payment options. I was dealing with the manager of TipTop hotel, a sister property, because the owner's son spoke English. He first said everything was included for 25K inr a month. I later learned that was high even for peak season, and I was there off peak in Aug-Sep. Within a day or two he said gas wasn't included, then said I'd only pay when the first included tank ran out. The next day he changed that again and wanted gas money upfront. The interactions turned horrible and the exchange of words got nasty. I blocked him, but he later came to my door and continued harassing me. When my wallet went missing, possibly after a staff member came into my room, their response was another awful experience. Whether anyone took it or not, they made empty promises to check cameras and go with me to the police station, but neither happened. I had to ask repeatedly about the camera, tell the story to at least five staff who didn't speak English and then to the owner, and end up in a shouting match before anyone took me seriously enough to spend a few minutes checking it. Exhausting and disappointing. They don't take missing belongings or distressed customers seriously. My upfront payment felt like a mistake within the first week. I left and spent the remaining 1.5 months at Jashoda homestay, which was much more peaceful and had a better equipped kitchen, for almost half the price even in peak season. Ganesha Palace is another good option if it's available. Chandra Palace didn't have the peace of Rishikesh for me.

The services were so good, and I really loved staying here. One of the best hotels in Tapovan, with a mountain view from the balcony. See you next time! :)

For a budget stay, this place was a great choice. We got a large, clean and hygienic room for a good price, and it felt very safe. The owner was polite and helpful.

The rooms were clean and hygienic, and there’s a terrace with an okayish view. The location was okay too, though to get an auto you have to walk about 300 meters down to the stand. The view from the hotel was just okay. Storage was a letdown. There was only one small cupboard, so not enough room for my things, and I would have liked somewhere to keep food. The room could also use a mirror outside the bathroom. Service was slow and bad. There was only one service guy, and he could take hours. Once he forgot the hot milk we ordered. Service was available only from 8am to 10pm. The rest was okay, but I didn't like the service.