Ranking guest houses

What are your favourite guest houses among those at academic institutes in India?  I have been to exactly 10 of them so far (yes, I actually counted.)  Not much of a traveler and not adventurous by any stretch of imagination, I do appreciate basic comforts and convenience wherever I am staying [1,2].  For example, clean bathrooms [3], air conditioners and accessible water purifiers (preferably in the same building, if not the same floor).  Other essentials for long term stays (though not much of an issue for short stays): internet connection, a good desk, digestible food and laundry facilities!

Here is a ranking of my favourite five:

5) IISER Mohali: I was there last weekend.  We were told to proceed to a place called “visitor hostel” on arrival at the entry gate.  I expected a damp, shared, two seater room with two beds, a dirty window and barely any space to keep a suitcase.  But, to my pleasant surprise, it turned out to be a clean and spacious room with a good desk, air conditioning, kettle and tea bags to make morning tea (but there was no coffee!) and a beautiful view from the windows.  Internet did not work in my room, but it did not matter because the weather in Mohali ensured that I was either preparing my talk or enjoying a National Academic Programme (aka NAP) while in the room.  This guest house is modeled after the next one on the list.

4) HRI Allahabad: I have stayed here two times, once in the main guest house and once in a serviced apartment on campus.  Both visits were during winter.  The stay was amazingly comfortable on both occasions.  Apart from basic conveniences like cleanliness, internet, simple North Indian meals in the main guest house etc, they also provide room service for tea/coffee in the morning and evening.  Since the weather was pleasant, on both occasions, I loved the fact that I could walk around their beautiful, well maintained and adequately lit campus.  The staff speaks excellent Hindi.  My first visit was in the winter of 2008 when I had very romantic notions about Allahabad (as about most things in life!)  I carried a collection of Mahadevi Verma’s poetry, which I would read out with my morning tea!

3) IISER Pune (Meera Mohan): I stayed here during my job interview and later, for a few days before finding accommodation in Pune.  At that time, IISER had rented a couple of five bedroom apartments in a residential building and converted them to guest houses.  While there, you would be taken care of by the resident caretaker, Ramji.  So, it gave a feeling of being in a house.  I have written more about it here.

2) IMSc Chennai guest house: This guest house looks extremely ordinary and not much care has been taken to furnish the rooms aesthetically.  But, within minutes of checking in, you realize that it has everything one would need: air conditioning, decent bathrooms (and quick servicing if there is a problem), clean linen, high speed internet and a big desk.  It also has a mini refrigerator, a kettle and adequate number of cups, glasses and spoons to make coffee or tea if you need some.  At 6 am, the canteen  (right next to the guest house) serves you fresh filter coffee [4].  Water coolers and purifiers are accessible and the cleaning staff also regularly replenishes the water in the rooms.  If you are staying for a long duration, then there are functional laundry facilities and shops close by for daily needs.  The location is not that great, but it is close enough to IIT Madras for one to take a pleasant walk/run there in the mornings in the company of friendly deer. The possibility of having idlis or dosas every morning ensures that you basically can’t ask for anything more!

1) KIIT University guest house: KIIT university is a private university in Bhubaneswar, which has hosted NBHM workshops in the past.  From the word go, everything here is awesome.  Clean rooms, air conditioning, water purifier on each level, good internet connection, friendly staff and an air conditioned canteen in the same building.  It doesn’t offer filter coffee or South Indian breakfast, but the reason I rank it above IMSc is the following incident: I was provided with an internet username and password while checking in, but it would not work on my Mac. I called the reception and since it was late evening, they sent someone from the kitchen (of all places!) to help me.  The guy came in, shrugged and promptly changed the proxy settings on the Mac.  A guest house where a cook can solve computer network issues has to get top ranking!

[1] Some friends convinced me to go camping once.  I did enjoy it a lot, but did not see the need to repeat the experience.

[2] Abhishek is the complete opposite.  He will happily stay overnight in a Greyhound bus/station, at an airport or in a youth hostel room with 10 other people.

[3] Bug-free bathrooms would be great, but basically impossible anywhere in India, I think! 

[4] During my last stay, however, the canteen building was under renovation – so, meals were served in a makeshift arrangement inside the institute.  As a result, there was no early morning coffee.