Hotel Saffron

The restaurant staff looked after us well, and the food was good at economical prices. I tried the deluxe thali and thought it was well worth the cost. Their brownie was the best I've ever had. The hotel is very well located, within walking distance of the temples and that. The team cleans carefully each day, though you can decline the service. Since we arrived early, reception helped us get a room sooner, and they were very helpful with our luggage. You can't reach the hotel by car, so you have to take a Rickshaw.

Getting around was easy: the hotel is a kilometer or two from the major temples and restaurants in Varanasi, and its own restaurant was good. Laundry and room service were also very good. They cleaned our room in 20-30 mins and brought regular water whenever we asked. My serious concern was the security. Each time I went out, I found my suitcase passcode had been changed, and on the last day the suitcase password itself had been changed too. Since only the hotel had spare keys to my room, I could only blame them, although they denied it when I confronted them. I reset my passcode but left the lock open, then came back 20 minutes later to find the chains hanging loosely out of it, as if it had been tampered with. Thankfully, nothing was stolen. I won't stay there again.

The lassi was awful, with a taste that made it seem as though it had been made from spoiled or 5-day-old milk. It ruined the meal. We were 8 people at Saffron Restro for dinner two days ago, and before ordering we told the waiter clearly that we wanted no spice. The food came out extremely spicy and heavy with masalas, so none of us could eat properly and everyone left food on their plate. When we raised the issue, staff insisted it wasn't spicy. If just 1 or 2 people had felt that way, it could have been personal taste, but all 8 of us had the same reaction and left most of the food. The food quality and taste were clearly a problem. The service and food were very disappointing, and I would never recommend this restaurant. I'm also sharing pictures of the food and our experience.

We had a pleasant stay, with a clean, well-kept bathroom, decently sized rooms, and courteous, helpful staff. The location is convenient, right at the main chowk near Girjaghar, with eateries and tea stalls all around. Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Dashashwamedh Ghat are a short walk away, while Kashi and Deena Chat Bhandar are about 200 metres from the hotel. Getting around is generally easy, though ongoing road work caused a little disruption. The in-house restaurant was the weak point. The food felt overpriced for its quality, especially with tastier and cheaper choices nearby. For breakfast, I'd recommend the street vendors on Temple Road, where we found hygienic, delicious, budget-friendly food.