We had an excellent stay at the hotel Sita. The staff treated us like family, from helping organize a guide to lead us to the hotel from the Main Street, to helping us schedule an all-day tour of Varanasi starting at six AM the next day with an excellent tour guide. We had arrived late at night and had not booked a tour in advance, but the hotel has a number of trusted guides and we were able to start a tour the next day at 5:30 AM. I can strongly recommend Diamond, who led us to burn famous and special out of the way locations over a two day tour.
I was aware that the room and building were historic and was not expecting the same bland experience as in a new western style hotel, what I did get is a perfectly comfortable room with two large clean mattresses, and most amazingly, an unimpeded view of the River Ganges and one of the historic ghats literally at the doorstep of the hotel.
The bathroom was clad in marble with a full size tub and sink. The entire room serves as a shower and is very roomy.
Additionally, the food at the rooftop cafe was excellent. We enjoyed fresh lime soda, ginger chai, Indian style omelettes and more. We actually never had a need to take meals anywhere else and the rooftop view and outdoor seating were spectacular.
The location in proximity to the center of historic Varanasi was excellent for visiting many of the most famous ghats, taking boat rides, shopping and getting lost (on purpose) in the timeless back alleys.
