La Sonajhuri Resort

In nutshell , the hotel is not good. Hotel owner is arrogant. Room Photos in the website are FAKE. The rooms were very small and not well equipped. Our stay from December,2023 was ruined, while clearly owner was drunk. He misbehaved over minor disagreement and ruined our stay in Shantiniketan. The hotel is unreasonably expensive, and dealing with the owner's arrogance feels like we're lowering ourselves. Positive reviews are likely from biased sources (mostly from his own people). This place is not worth the money or the hype —better to stay away. Again , the room photos in the website are FAKE. Please be careful.

We spent a very quality time while our stay at La Sonajhuri Resort which is situated amidst the greenery of Sonajhuri forest. The 'shonibarer haat' is within the walking distance and the resort has a quite good and soothing ambiance. Rooms were quite good and maintained. Even room service was good. We also enjoyed the food there during our stay. In totality we had a very very nice stay at La Sonajhuri. Thanks to manager and all staff for his excellent cooperation during our stay over there.

I had booked over the phone. What I did not know was that there are rooms that face the lawn and there are others that face the extension building now under construction. These were rooms on the second floor falling to your left as you walked in a corridor. The rooms to the right had windows opening out with a better view. However, our rooms were better in the sense that they were more spacious, one of them could be converted to a 3 bedded one without any inconvenience. The food is generally good, BF being complimentary. There was apparently a lack of communication between the person who took our booking call and the person at the front desk resulting in some initial confusion though we had booked almost about a fortnight before our scheduled arrival. We rented a car from Kolkata to Santiniketan. The car was parked just outside the hotel in a parking space meant for guests of the hotel. There was provision of night stay of the driver in the hotel dormitory. The Sonajhuri Mela region was about 4 minutes away. The service was ok but the rooms had no intercom to call for service. But morning tea was served in the rooms in cups from flasks carried by their staff. We arrived late as the railway gate between Burdwan and Ghuskura remained closed to road traffic for a very long time as trains passed on a very busy route. Though lunch time was over, they cooked lunch for us. Here also there was a lack of communication. However the overall experience was good.

Finding out a stay during the vacation at Shantiniketan was not tough as my family members (Mother and wife) had done lots of research in youtube. Then we found the address of La-Sonajhuri Resort. We decided to stay there on the 1st interaction with the owner(Mr. Kishore Chatterjee) over phone. After reaching there we realized that our decision was not wrong. We wanted a homely environment, no compromise with that, and we were satisfied. Food quality is upto the mark. Staffs were very helpful, caring and humble. They took proper care of my Mother, Mother-in-law and specially my kid. Ambiance is too good which we were looking for. Thanks Mr. Chatterjee for providing us the wonderful and memorable experience during our stay from 23rd Oct'23 to 25th Oct'23. We would wish to visit you again!!! Thanks.

LA Sonajhuri Resort is located at the very end of Sonajhuri, boasting an expansive and beautifully decorated property on the outside with ample parking space. However, my stay from September 9th to September 10th, 2023, did not live up to my expectations. Despite having visited Sonajhuri on four occasions, including this one, I had never encountered such a disappointing experience before. It was particularly disheartening to have brought friends along and faced such a situation. Let me summarize my overall experience. The resort features an impressive exterior and a spacious property. Unfortunately, the interior did not match up. The rooms were quite basic and lacked cleanliness. Notably, the TV and internet did not work, and the cabinets had no locks. Additionally, the positioning of the AC was inconveniently far from the bed. The absence of toiletry kits meant guests had to provide their own. On a positive note, the toilets were clean and functional. However, ongoing construction work generated disruptive noise from early morning, making it difficult to sleep. One significant issue was the strict policy against bringing outside food. When we declined the hotel's lunch offer to dine at Shakuntala, a preferred choice in Sonajhuri, we decided to bring some light snacks for dinner as were full with the heavy late lunch, such as MOMOs and chips, not available in the hotel's kitchen. To our surprise, we were stopped by hotel staff upon returning to the property, with the assertion that outside food was prohibited. This rule had never been communicated to us during booking or check-in, and the food we brought was not part of the hotel's menu. The manager's attitude was confrontational, necessitating a call to the owner to resolve the situation. At one point, it felt like a threatening situation as multiple hotel staff members gathered, exhibiting intimidating body language. Manager's remarks (in Bengali): The language of manager(In bengali): "Apni kano jigesh koren ni j bairer khabar ami allow kori kina" "Chips/Lays allowed but baki kichu allow nah" - No where mentioned Chips are allowed and MOMOs are not "Ami apnake dhukte debo nah room khabar niye ja iche kore nin" "Chaile sara raat baire bose thakun icche hole" Another inconvenience was the hotel's breakfast policy, which dictated that breakfast order would not be taken before 9 AM. This meant guests had to endure hunger until then and were not permitted to bring food from outside. The hotel staff acted as if we were unreasonable for expecting breakfast at 8 AM, despite the absence of any facility to serve us at that hour. In conclusion, if you are planning a vacation with family or friends and seek a peaceful experience, I would advise against choosing this place. LA Sonajhuri Resort may shatter your mental peace, subject you to unexpected confrontations over minor matters like bringing snacks, and result in an embarrassing situation in front of other guests,friends and family.I have been to Cristallo Resort(Situated near this resort) two times and never had to face this kind of things, It was a big mistake from my side to book this place.

Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to explore La Sonajhuri, an exquisite destination. My experience was marked by a profound sense of admiration for its scenic beauty and captivating ambiance. It was with considerable astonishment that I came across a handful of unfavorable reviews concerning this establishment. During my visit, I had the privilege of engaging with the proprietor, a gentleman whose demeanor exuded refinement and sophistication. His distinguished background is punctuated by a lengthy tenure in Silicon Valley, California, spanning over four decades, which bespeaks his wealth of experience and erudition. Regrettably, the establishment's reputation has been inadvertently marred due to a series of unfavorable feedback. One pivotal aspect contributing to this predicament pertains to the recent displacement of the managerial personnel, a development that transpired approximately four months ago. The pervasive presence of the former manager's contact details, even prominently displayed on prominent platforms such as Google's official website, has inadvertently led to a state of disarray. The establishment's online presence is entangled in a labyrinthine configuration, resulting in a notable deterioration of its digital assets and resources. In summation, my visit to La Sonajhuri left an indelible impression of its intrinsic charm. However, the disconcerting feedback and operational challenges encountered underscore the exigency for a strategic realignment, particularly concerning its digital representation and administrative facets. I recommend everyone to call the number from the resort's website!

Mr. Kishore Chatterjee, probably the owner, has an attitude that'll make you feel that he has done a big favour and honour to you in allowing you to stay in his lousy property. He is a big fraud in a way such that he keeps a fantastic exterior of the hotel that serves as a colourful wrapping paper while the interior view of the rooms are like public toilets. He roams around the hotel premises throughout the day and teaches the guests about do's and don'ts of his property and after sunset he is under the influence of alcohol. We had booked La Sonajhuri for 22nd to 24th December. We had 4 senior citizens with us and one of them is a regular insulin taker. The learned owner is so strict that he did not hesitate to order us to leave his hotel within 15 minutes at 11:30 at night just due to some difference of opinion. Needless to mention he was fully drunk during that time. My recommendation to all will be to avoid this property at any cost. It will be a waste of money and I'm sure it's beneath as our dignity to stay with this arrogant and mindless person.