We reached Khajuraho at around 10:00 am and were welcomed into the little sleepy village, by a beautiful granite statue, dedicated to the unknown sculptor of Khajuraho. The words carrying a tone of awed mystery increased our enthusiasm of having entered the land of the erotic and exotic one-of-their-kind temple art. The initial enthusiasm was slightly chastised when out of the blue our taxi stopped in front of Hotel Zen in a not-so-picturesque area in Khajuraho.

My initial reaction was that this is not a Hotel, but a Lodge, with no view. Inside the Hotel, where we had booked rooms online, we were greeted by overgrown vegetation, a strange waterfall on a dirty homegrown lotus pond with Buddha statues, untended plants in the name of a vegetable garden, a big beehive, lots of insects, huge lizards and an over-priced tourist menu. The rooms were bare, and the linen had holes, and the service was even worse. One of the caretakers had the audacity to wear a t-shirt to work that read, “I am not paid enough to be good to you!” The message was crystal clear and so was their attitude - you had to beg for tissue-paper, make do with one single-bed blanket in a room for two, and have your meals in restaurants, other than the Hotel’s because cornflakes and milk was served at Rs 170. .more......