Why you should stay at Ishan Villa Amritsar - a first hand review

Looking for mid-range and not too expensive accommodation in Amritsar? Stay at Ishan Villa to have a nice, comfortable stay with fairly good food and extremely helpful staff. Note that this first-hand review of Ishan Villa is of the time when we visited the Golden Temple Amritsar, Punjab in April 2014. 

We'll begin with the location and then talk about the hotel's lovely interiors (that's the entrance in the photo on the left side), and the facilities for guests, and finally, provide the contact details for booking a room at Ishan Villa, Amritsar.

Location

The Address: Verka-Majitha Byepass, Opposite Fortis Escorts Hospital, Amritsar, Punjab - 143004, India.

The Bye-pass is actually a highway leading towards Attari border 33 km away and going towards Jalandhar, with Amritsar proper from the other end. So, in fact, the hotel is on the outskirts of Amritsar. 

Plus points of the location-

• Close to the old Amritsar area of Lawrence Road where the famed Brijwasi offers delicious chaat, and there is Vaisho which offers paneer pakora.
• Close to the Ranjeet Singh Panorama museum in Company Bagh Garden.
• It is just 30 mins from the airport.
• A short turn from the Bye-pass and you're straight on the road to Jalandhar, Pathankot and other nodal cities.

The downside of the location-

• No chance of waving down a local transport like an auto or cycle rickshaw. All transport has to be hired through the hotel and is very expensive. Rs. 600 for 4 hours for an auto. The radio cabs charge Rs. 25 per km, Rs. 5 per 3 minutes of waiting time. So, unless you have your own car or can afford these rates, you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time in the hotel.
• The hotel has NO road leading to it. Get off the bye-pass and it is just a mud, stone dirt track and it is very uncomfortable - Senior citizens be warned!!
• No view except for hotels nearby, a flat plateau and stray dogs.

Hotel Interior

The hotel has a lot to offer. Let's have a look at the interior, which reveals that it is not merely a place of accommodation when visiting Amritsar.

It has a coin and currency collection-

There is a copy of the death warrant of Martyr Bhagat Singh. The great grandfather of the owner was a freedom fighter and hence they have this rare copy framed.

Don't miss the Old heritage pendulum clock, and telephone on a stand, the latter having a clok midway down its front side as well-

 

 

Check out the compass too-

You can purchase some souvenirs from the hotel's souvenir cupboard-

Hotel Facilities

There is a lovely terrace gazebo with two swings and a barbeque area, which is a treat for a small gathering/party. The hotel has a functional lift that is clean (emphazing this because in some places you will likely scrunch up your nose when you step into the lift). The rooms are really lovely and cozy. The food served in the hotel restaurant is good, without stinting on quantity, and the service is attentive, even though a bit slow in delivering. Know about the rooms and food at Ishan Villa.

Some off-putting occurrences-

• Tend to play music a bit too loud
• Small restaurant means room service frequent
• TV channels and wi-fi may not work
• Slight power fluctuation but the power never goes off completely
• Do not offer all the varieties of local food like kulcha but requests can be made
• Group tourists may be noisy
• Things get thrown from upper floors into the compound and can get disturbing. Whether this was by staff or those staying upstairs was not clear

Why you should stay at Ishan Villa

Keeping aside the aforementioned off-putting occurrences, Ishan Villa is definitely recommended. It is one of those rare hotels which, despite catering largely to group tourists, is able to pay attention to the individual needs. The owner Mr. Vikram is extremely helpful and provided an entire list of which places to eat at and which were worth visiting. It's really clean and the displays are very different from the usual panoramic scenery posters to be found in hotels. They offer English, Punjabi and Hindi language newspapers and allow them to be taken to the rooms.

How to book a room at Ishan Villa
You can book online at the hotel website at http://www.hotelishanvilla.com/ and avail of the discounts.

Or
Call - 0183 226 3782