Mar 03, 2010 09:19 PM
8845 Views
Recently I had been to Sringeri with my family to visit the famous Sharadamba Temple. We travelled to Shimoga by train and from there took a taxi to Sringeri and Horanadu. Since Shimoga had to be our base, we decided to stay at Hotel Jewel Rock, which has the reputation of being the best hotel in Shimoga.
Hotel Jewel Rock is one of the oldest hotels in Shimoga and located on Nandidurg Road, near Gandhibazar in Shimoga. I had stayed in this hotel previously on an official visit and had a pretty good experience that time. But looks like in the wake of competition, the hotel is sliding backwards!
The train reached Shimoga at 10:00pm and when we reached the hotel, we were surprised to learn that the restaurant was already closed. However, we were told that the North Indian restaurant was open. Everything we ate in the North Indian restaurant was extremely tastteless. The rates of all items of the menu were Bangalore rates, but the quality very poor. We had to leave much of the food untasted as it was unpalatable.
Fortunately, the next day the South Indian restaurant was open and that was the saving grace. We had breakfast as well as dinner at the South Indian restaurant and the food was extremely delicious and very much value for money. This restaurant is the most popular one in Shimoga and a cabinet minister alsio walked in with his entourage to eat at this place. So if you are looking for something to eat in Shimoga, try the South Indian restaurant, but definitely not the North Indian one!
Coming to the hotel rooms - pathetic is the word to describe it. The place looked like it had not been cleaned since the last millenium. Dirty rooms, creaky fans, dirty linen and pillows that were as hard as rock! That in short, describes the rooms at this hotel. Fortunately, the bathroom was clean and maintained well, else we would have fled from the place.
The service was also terrible. Our train was at 6:20 in the morning, and we were in a hurry to check out. Since Shimoga is a small town, getting autos seemed to be a problem. While checking out, I requested the room service/housekeeping boys to help us get an auto. But they disdainfully turned down our request and turned their backs and walked away. The manager was also of no help and asked us to keep walking till we find an auto! Fortunately, we got an auto on the nick on time, but not before walking carrying our luggage for quite a distance in the dark streets.
Since I was in a hurry, I didn't check the bills and since I had an idea of what the bill amount would be, I paid up without checking. Later, I realised that the bills attached for room service were of some other room! Such is the efficiency and service levels of this hotel. We observed that a new hotel Soorya Comforts had come up just opposite Jewel Rock. Being a new hotel, it looks good and has a good reputation among the locals.
My advice to anyone who is travelling to Shimoga is to please avoid Jewel Rock like the plague! Eat at the restaurant (South Indian only), if you wish - but don't dream of staying here.
