Hyatt Place Bodh Gaya — Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India

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We stayed here March 12-15, 2025 in a Standard King Room ($118/night). This corporate hotel is set among lush mustard and rice fields in a village setting just minutes from the main sights of Bogh Gaya. Good amenities and a comfortable stay.

Wiki: Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under what became known as the Bodhi Tree. Since antiquity, Bodh Gaya has remained the object of pilgrimage and veneration, for Buddhists. In particular, archaeological finds, including sculptures, show that the site was in use by Buddhists since the Mauryan period.

For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the four main pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath. In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Shree Nanda Guest House — Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

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We stayed here March 7-12, 2025 in a Deluxe Family Room ($29/night). Our newer guest house was tucked away into a quiet neighborhood walking distance to the Sarnath Museum and Archeological Gardens. The distance to the ghats of Varanasi was a 40 minute drive. Our friend Gile stayed in the room next door and we shared a wonderful private living room area where we could hang out and take breakfast and dinner, both available for a reasonable additional charge. Off the living area was a big outdoor deck to survey the neighborhood. The bed was hard and the shower was more of an Indian-style spit bath (pail and ladle). We liked it and it was a great start to our few weeks in India. The owner Shivani happily arranged all our taxi needs and the three onsite house boys were very friendly and accommodating with food, drink and other requests including getting us fruit for breakfast from the market. A great value!

Pics around Sarnath…

Pics around Varanasi…