Hotel Aastha Inn

Breakfast was decent, and the management was attentive during my stay at Hotel Aastha Inn in Varanasi. The rooms were clean, the staff courteous, and service was prompt. It’s conveniently placed near the ghats and temples. A good value option for families or solo travelers looking for a peaceful place during a visit. I’d recommend it.

The other staff were very nice and helpful, but the location and some of the hotel’s practices made this a poor choice for us. It sits far inside a narrow lane, past a vegetable market and a spice market. As a couple, we found that stretch uncomfortable. Shared rickshaws barely come this way, so you may need to reserve an auto or use Rapido, Ola, or Uber. Those rides cost more, and market traffic can make them slow to arrive. The owner compares the place to 5-star and 7-star hotels, which doesn't fit what we found. In peak summer, they also charged ₹5 above the MRP for each water bottle, calling it a cooling and electricity charge. That felt unjustified. Most places either include packaged water or sell it at MRP, and charging extra on that basis is wrong. The rating gives a misleading impression, especially for people coming to Kashi for the first time or traveling from far away. The hotel’s claims seemed inflated, and even basic hospitality felt questionable. If you're visiting for the first time or as a couple, I'd look elsewhere.

The bathroom was small, though clean, and the room itself was neat. The hotel staff were very good, especially Monu bhaiya, who was a great person. My only issue was the slow Wi-Fi.

Rahul and Vicky looked after every need, and the service was nice. The hotel was hygienic and clean throughout my two-day stay, and almost every room seemed to have a balcony. Nearby, Kal Bhairav is an eight-minute walk and mritunjay takes about seven or eight minutes. There are also several small ghats you can cover on foot by following Google Maps. The lane to the hotel is very narrow, though I think many hotels are reached that way. Staff will come meet you and drop you at the main road, just a minute away. I had a good stay overall, but the food here was much more expensive than on Swiggy or zomato, so I wouldn’t order it.