Srinagar hotels & places to stay

hotel is clean, staff is well behaved but hotel is slightly away from the market and there is a really steep slope to reach the hotel. The hotel should at least provide free rides within 1 km of the area or at least from reception to main gate. Else all was fine. Slightly overpriced as well. It is a renovated hotel and at many places the patch job isnt that great. However great view, courteous staff makes up for it

Staying on the Mascot Houseboat was a most enriching experience. The location by the quiet and tranquil Nageen Lake with traditional boats and surrounded by high green hills made it easy to unwind. The houseboat itself is a masterpiece of traditional Kashmiri handcraft, the carvings were many and the textile decorations together created a very special environment and atmosphere. The friendly and familial yet professional approach by the Tuman brothers, owners of this family enterprise established in 1880, made us not only relax at the houseboat but also facilitated and guided our travelling in Srinagar and the surrounding Kashmir valley. In the evenings we enjoyed the traditional Kashmiri food that was served in the dining room on the houseboat by the professional and caring staff. Would be happy to return.

To start with, it was an excellent stay at New Golden. Mr. Yaqub/Owner is terrific person and can be your guide not only in srinagar but also whole of kashmir. His brother was also equally attentive and helpful. Some may say that it is at Nagin Lake so away from market. But believe me, for market, you spend 2-3 hours but other time u need to relax,enjoy nature, calmness of kashmir. U can always goto market in car n come back. But for that, DONT ever go and stay at Dal lake. Location: This HB is located at a best location in nagin lake. Sunrise and even mountain views are good. No road noise & quiet place. Shikara ride is better at this place as no people to disturb u. At Dal lake, vendors come and distrub u in your romantic ride. FOOD: Mr. Yaqub serves homely food & the choice of menu is yours. In other HB's hotel food is brought from restaurents and served. Dinner and bfast was excellent. For 06 people bfast, he served us Poha, Upma, cornflakes, toast, omlette which we were not expecting. Also hot milk for kids. STAFF: Apart from owners (readily at your service), for our HB there was seperate full time butler. He will always be there to listen to ur orders. If I am not forgotten, he was Imran. OVERALL must stay HB in Srinagar and avoid DAL LAKE.

I am a frequent traveller and have traveled most of India and have stayed at many hotels/resorts but none are better than the homely stay which one gets at fantasia houseboats. Rahim and Ana who are the owners/ managers of these boats made our stay homely , comfortable and memorable. The location is perfect - calm , serene and picturesque . For anyone who wants a houseboat experience should not book on Dal lake as it has become way more crowded, I would advise to book on Nigeen lake and on this lake the Fantasia houseboats are the best. For anyone who is having srinagar- pahalgam - gulmarg - sonmarg itinerary I would suggest to stay in Srinagar for all nights and do one day excursions to other places as Srinagar is the focal point and nearer to all these places . And in Srinagar you won't get better stay than fantasia houseboats . The food served is awesome- ask for moong ki daal and chicken , houseboats are perfectly clean and top notch , any issue or problem is instantly sorted by the staff . On The day of our departure Rahim ji arranged a cab for us in a very short notice and we were able to board the flight on time. These two nights stay

I cannot say enough good things about staying on one of the Inshallah houseboats or the family that owns them. It was a really great experience and the boat itself is probably the nicest place I've stayed while traveling in Asia. The owners treated me like family and fed me accordingly (awesome food, by the way). Because I visited during a time of some unrest in town - but that did not affect anything on the lake - the options available were kind of limited but the owners were very helpful organizing activities to do on the lakes, which are gorgeous. When I come back to Srinagar, I'll be sure to stay with these guys again each time.

Mr Feroz and his family are really awesome and honest people. You can rely on Mr Feroz as he won't rip you off. To him, your satisfactory is his priority. It was very unfortunate that Jammu&Kashmir was on a strike and I can't see a lot of things. However, Feroz make sure that I at least see something in Srinagar. I had such a memorable time in Srinagar largely owe to him and his family. You won't regret staying with him.

Located on quiet Nigeen Lake, from this houseboat we enjoyed many serene mornings with stunning views of the mountains reflected on the placid water. There a two houseboats, one "family style" with common areas and rooms rented individually, and a second, 2 bedroom/2 bath boat for private rentals. The larger boat is pictured. The smaller boat is not as nicely decorated, but is still charming. The bathrooms could have been cleaner for our stay. We noticed here and in other places in India the use of a product called "odonil" that is supposed to be an air freshener, but its is sort of like moth balls. I didn't like it at all and removed it! The staff was exceptionally helpful, courteous, and friendly. Adnan, the owner, helped us to arrange our activities. We had a guide with us almost constantly, which is not our usual style, but was perhaps necessary because we went on many excursions. Expect to be approached by hawkers frequently. Although there was a police presence, there was no evidence of any upheaval and we felt utterly and completely safe. Kashmir is distinctly different from the rest of India, and worth visiting. Srinagar is a beautiful city, and if we return we would definitely stay on a houseboat again. Adnan was an outstanding host!

I went to Srinagar and Gulmarg with my indian friends for skiing trip and local trip of srinaagar . Thanks to this amazing houseboats for making our trip one of the best one. Right from the welcome to the last good bye, the owner of the houseboats does not make us feel that we are far away from our home. It seems we are staying with a a great Kashmiri family. The food was awesome which was my major concern for my friends as they only eat Jain food. The houseboats has well designed deluxe room which are cozy enough in night that you do not need to worry about the cold weather of Srinagar especially in the month of Feb. I would like to recommend staying in shelter houseboats especially to all those who are visiting Kashmir for the first time. The best thing about this houseboat is that you do not need to worry about your further travelling to other tourist destinations like tranfer to gulmarg / Airport or local trip of srinagar. as they themselves arrange your tour as per your budget and need. We stayed there for 3 nights and 4 days and have covered almost all places by taking their services. Every morning the owner will guide you about things to do and taken care of while traveling to your appoint destination, which is very helpful and can save you from ending up being into any problematic situation. At the booking i booked the room for single occupancy and for night , and at arrival time they made the change as per our requirement Best and good place for indian jain Community

Overall it was a pleasant stay. Hotel was newly re-furbished. Clean large rooms with good quality amnesties. We got clean blankets (including electric blankets) pillows and all other items. Mostly since our period of stay was during a severe winter with snowing, we required good heating and hot water facilities and we got all these without any hesitation from the staffs. Which in other Srinagar based hotels with the similar rates was difficult or never provided. Other major advantage is the availability of high speed Wi-Fi internet inside the room which is also most of the hotels were not providing. Staffs were very helpful specially Mr.Wahid the Manager was always attentive to our requests and was helpful in providing us valuable information for our trip to Kashmir. Morning bed coffee was also a most wanted thing during the winter and we got it from the 24X7 restaurant without any hesitation and on time. Overall I would say that this would be the best hotel to stay in Srinagar for all types of travelers.

Tis was a great experience. We were picked up at the airport after flight Delhi, and 1 hour later we were at one of the quietest places in India, with an owner who gave us the best advices, and very good food. One month later, we are still in India and think of him. Like today, in Amritsar, at the border. We also booked a whole day tour by boat on the lake. He arranged that we could share. We did not have such a relaxed and interesting days in months back home. We stayed longer than intended!!! Rooms very clean and comfortable. No harassing of vendors. Noor's wife is a great cook, she prepares what you like. Good cocktails and company on Hotel Broadway. And every little boat knows how to drive you back to Noor's Young Bombay. Do not hesitate', this is a lovely place in Srinagar. Allthough our embassies said it is not safe, we enjoyed every day with Noor.

We had an amazing stay at hotel pacific, the rooms very clean, the bed very comfortable and bathroom adequate, the hot water took about 10 minutes to come through and water pressure wasn't the best but good enough! The best part about this place is the very friendly staff who helped us organise everything we wanted to do in Kashmir. The staff were so friendly and made our stay much more enjoyable. The food was also so tasty and the restaurant very clean!

So happy that I chose sukoon houseboat for my short time in Srinagar. The staff and room were great as was the food choice and ability to provide an alternative to what was listed on the menu. Hope they will consider switching from twinnings tea bags to real leaf Indian tea which is better quality and better for the environment, and also think of removing use of small plastic shampoo bottles etc to fit their philosophy of reduced use of plastic.

I have just finished my 3rd visit to Kashmir , it was a wonderful experience and specially the lake stay , i have stayed with Swan Group Houseboat and this was the best Houseboat to stay in , very reasonable with a luxury feel , food was nice , staff was always very helpful, rooms , bathroom ,linen everything was clear and Interior was just Fabulous ..overall i am very much happy with the choice i have made ...Highly Recommended...

Our first stop in India and it was really good. Room was big and clean and despite fronting onto the main road was very quiet. The owner, Sheikkh Kaiser, was so friendly and helpful. The staff were good and worked hard to make our stay pleasant. The food, indian, was fantastic and although we are now 3 weeks into our trip is some of the best we have had. Not the Ritz but at the price really good value.

Blooming dale is in a quiet road near the Dal lake, its a 2 min walking distance from Dal Lake. The owner Mr. Firdaus welcomed us with a kashmiri kahwa and cookies. He is very knowledgeable and we did not feel any flavor of hotel there, it's like a distant home to us. The rooms are clean, hot water and wi Fi available 24/7. Food is great, Mir Bhai is an excellent cook. We were provided with complementary breakfast and got all items we want. Food can be ordered for lunch and dinner, much better than the local overated restaurants and also reasonable. Another great thing is their beautiful lawn. We really missed the place when we left. The hospitality you will get here can't be measured by money. Any family visiting Srinagar should try this place for a homely stay. I wish all the best to the owner and pray for it's progress.

Room very cool but it have electric heatpad to make you warmer in blanket. Hotel at first hard to find because it located in place a little walk from main road. 10-15 mins. walk to Dal lock and Shikara dock.This hotel can or ganized a Day tour around Srinagar (Sonamarg,Gulmarg,Doodhpratri) all are very beautiful place and you will love Kashmir. I recommend Mr.Amed he is a very good driver guide .

Room is clean and spacious, though could do with thicker comfy pillows. Food was decent, mostly indian food, with occasional western dishes. Service at the restaurant was good. Hotel owners are very personal, one of whom (younger) greeted us at the dining area during our dinner and spoke to us after that. Next, we saw the older hotel owner (likely his Dad) just outside the dining area, whom we spoke to for another 10 mins or so. Very friendly people. Though website says they have wifi, we couldn't access. Called reception and staff said it is spoilt (his English wasn't good). I asked when will it be fixed, he said "no fix", leaving me puzzled. Next day PM, when we were returning to our room, we met the younger hotel owner (he was doing his rounds, walking around his hotel), he asked for feedback so I mentioned about no wifi, he said this is due to security in Kashmir, so has been switched off for 2 months. Would be good if hotel website says so. Though this hotel owner was very kind, volunteered his laptop said we can use if we need but we politely rejected. And we couldn't exchange small notes at their reception, tried once at night, and the next morning. Would be good if they have ready cash of small notes, as tourists usually receive big notes at the money changer. Overall, I still am pretty pleased with this hotel, given the comfortable room and good service. I feel pretty safe staying here. Plus good heater, no issue with heater failing etc unlike what I read of other hotels. Note: Booked deluxe double room, with breakfast and dinner. Could do without dinner included, to be able to try local food more. Had kebabs outside as snack - great! And went to bakery for pastries and sweets, yummy.

Emerging as it were from the overwhelming throngs of humanity at the Golden Sikh Temple's 24/7 feeding of the masses and those that jammed The Wagah flag lowering ceremony at Amritsar, my friends and us (2 couples) couldnt have asked for a more lovely, suitable getaway than Peacock Houseboat on Najeen Lake. Mr Bashir our wonderful host had so very sensitively arranged for a shikara to take us across the lake to the houseboat when the car driven by another awesome being Mr Rafiq could have sent us there directly from the airport. We found out later that he'd wanted us to have a beautiful first impression of living in his houseboat by the shikara ride. I remember vividly the absolute calm of the water, the sounds of the paddle barely registering as we glided at a pace that made me ask 'Are we moving at all?" as we soaked in the surroundings. Stepping onto the houseboat that we had all to ourselves was another unforgettable experience, from the wonderful fragrance of the cedar wood used for the construction of the structure, the walnut antique furniture, rich carvings end to end and profusion of colorful upholstery used everywhere. Just loved the quiet views of snow covered mountains reflected on waters so calm like glass. Two words: Absolute Peace And we were pampered, having at our disposal personal houseboat attendant Din who took care of all our creature comforts including serving us our breakfasts and dinners. Mr Bashir also arranged for all our outings - touring the Mugal Gardens around Srinagar, day trips to Gulmarg, Pahalgam airport transfers, sunset and sunrise shikara rides and just before we left for the airport, a visit to the tulip garden that had just opened its doors to the public a day earlier. To Mr Bashir, Din and Mr Rafiq, Allah's blessings and thank you for an unforgettable time at Peacock Houseboat. You bet we'll be looking into your offer to take us snow trout fishing on our next trip to wonderful J & K!