Allahabad is an elegant city and the homestay was a beautifully maintained villa with tastefully appointed rooms. Purnima was helpful and suggested many locations to visit in Allahabad, which is a great city to xplore on foot. I recommend this venue to anyone who wishes to experience India with friendly host and a comfortable home to return to each evening.

I had a wonderful stay at Kanchan Villa. Ivan and Purnima are delightful hosts and make everything from pickup to departure simple and stress free. A highlight of my time in India. Hope to visit again soon.

I absolutely loved my stay with Purnima and Ivan. They (and the staff they supervise) provided an excellent room in their ancestral villa, wonderful meals, transport to see whatever I wanted, and very, very interesting conversation over meals. They are excellent hosts, and Airbnb is fortunate to have them. In addition to their great company, Allahabad has the most important Triveni Sangam in India, where the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati Rivers merge to form a more spiritually powerful Ganga, according to the mythology. I was able to visit multiple locations bordering the samgam, and interact with some of those bathing in its waters. Great experiences! Purnima and Ivan also brought me to their country home on the banks of the Tomas River, where two small farming villages continue to live according to traditional Indian customs, pretty much untouched by modern society. Thanks to Purnima and Ivan, I learned more than I thought possible about Indian culture. I am very grateful, and urge anyone interested in India to spend time with them. You will love the experience, as much as I have.

Beautiful house with beautiful and comfortable rooms! They owners were not around when I stayed here (I was told that in advance) but they had made sure that staff was taking care of me. Which they certainly did. And the owners called a few times to check if everything was okay. The food served was simply delicious.

Kanchan Villa was an amazing place to stay in. Purnima and Ivan were the perfect hosts -- warm, friendly, and helpful. They went out of their way to make my and other guests' stay comfortable. I visited as a PhD student to do research in Allahabad, and I think this is a very good option for someone looking to do work in the city. They also have different rates for long stays, which I will be looking forward too, and I recommend it to everyone else. The food and hospitality is very unique and you will not experience anything quite like it in any other home-stay/bnb!

This was my first experience with homestays and I can easily say that this was better than any of the hotel stays I've had so far. Just keep in mind that this is a homestay and not a hotel, so don't expect room service, etc. To be frank, I was a little skeptical about the place when I booked it as I had seen AirBnBs in US but never in India. But, from the moment I stepped in, it exceeded my expectations. Whole place is even better than what the photos show. Ivan and Purnima came down to greet us personally on checkin and they were so friendly that all my worries vanished. I booked Cane Room but they gave me a tour of all the rooms in same price range and I got the opportunity to choose. I ended up with a different room (Bengal Room). Room was clean, with a nice bed, TV, room heater, AC, Coffee maker and supply, with good lighting. Bengal room has a small room/area attached to it with a sofa bed and coffee maker. Decorations in room made it look more personal. They have a lot of books (both in rooms and common area), so thats a plus point if you fall in love with books. There was an attached bathroom as well with entrance from outside for people to clean it up without disturbing you. Living room is really beautiful and we spent a lot of time there sitting with Ivan, Purnima and other guests, talking and sharing our stories. They provide complimentary breakfast and you can get lunch and dinner too, but need to pay for that. Food was homemade and quality was great. They don't serve food in room and you need to eat in the common dinning room. It was a very good experience because you can eat with other guests and have good discussions. Ivan and Purnima were just awesome. They were very friendly, cared for us and made sure we were having good experience. If guests wanted to sit down in living room in evening, they made sure that they spent time with them even if they had a busy day. They always tried to give company to guests while breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are proficient in both Hindi and English. All that said, if you don't want much interaction, you can do that. No one ever disturbed us in our room, even though it was right next to living room. So, the level of interaction and engagement depends on you, but I'll suggest having enough engagement :)

This was my first time visiting Allahabad, although I have travelled all over North India. My time here was from day one fantastic, the house is beautiful and comfortable, the staff are very friendly, the food is great. The best thing is Ivan and Purnima who helped me with everything, from my work to transport to organising hindi classes. It is somewhere I can't recommend highly enough and will absolutely come back!

It was a great experience again, calm neighborhood, great staff , taking care of things promptly....:)

In one line..best place to stay ...Go for it...

This was my second stay with Purnima and Ivan, and it was once again a great experience. They are a great couple, always full of happiness and fun! They do everything they can to make the experience good for their guests. To us it felt more like a family this time around. Hoping to see them again in future.

Kanchan villa is such a pretty place where the hosts with a lot of creativity and love have made it such a green oasis which is great to relax in. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I woudl strongly recommend it for anyone wanting to visit this lovely old city.

A very nice host. Looking forward for my next stay at Allahabad.

Ruchir and his family are very warm and welcoming. They have a very comfortable room in a quiet and posh residential area. They will feed you like your parents (if not more). I had a train early in the morning and Ruchir was very kind to drop me off to the station at 5:30 in the morning which is one example of Ruchir and his family being extremely hospitable.

A stay at Ruchir's house is a wonderful experience. I only booked one night through Air bnb to get a sense for the place, and I extended my stay immediately. As a traveler interested in learning Hindi, I wanted to be in a place where I would not just learn the language, but have an immersive experience with a family. Ruchir's wife and two sons are fun and generous people. Each morning I have a two hour Hindi intensive course with Ruchir who is a terrific teacher, I am already reading and writing. Not only is Ruchir a good teacher but he is a fantastic host with a background in hospitality having worked in hotel management before working as a teacher. During free time, I play chess with his sons, eat the wonderful healthy food that is made fresh every meal, I go out and walk the city seeing local sights including the beautiful Company Gardens just a few minutes walk away. As for amenities, this house has everything one needs: fast wifi, warm water for bathing, comfortable living areas, a beautiful terrace to watch the sunset and a bed that I never want to get out of in the morning, it is so comfortable. Meals are at regular times and tea is served in the morning and afternoon. Being in Allahabad is a great cultural experience as well as this is a very holy city for Hindus, the point at which the Yamuna, Ganges, and Saraswati Rivers all become one. My only complaint is that I want to stay longer. This is a highly recommended place.

The guest house is gorgeous! I felt totally at home and the area is safe and quite peaceful compared to other areas. Getting to and from places was easy, Anil assured I had a driver and assistance with anything I wanted to see and do. The food has so far been the best I've had in India!! The lovely young gents who potter around the house serving are so friendly and welcoming. Very glad I chose this place, and if I were ever in Allahabad again, I would most definitely stay here again. Highly recommended!

It was such a great stay. Anil and his team was extremely hospitable and helpful. The room was really spacious and comfortable. The food was homely and delicious.

What a wonderful place to stay! The rooms were very spacious and clean. I stayed with my friend, and I had requested for separate beds. I was surprised to see that we have got a full suite with two large rooms! Mr. and Mrs. Anil are really wonderful people. They ware very caring and attentive to our needs and blown away by their hospitality. I was given their car with driver for my use a very reasonable charge. They were generous enough to through me a party for new years eve! The food was too good that I never bothered to have food from outside.

Mr. Nigam provided a pleasant stay at his beautiful property. The Ashram Nagar area is pleasant and peaceful, unlike most Indian urban centers I've been to. He is full of local advice if you need any, and the meals on site were delicious!

My daughter, Jessie and I spent two nights in Anil's home in Allahabad. Anil's home is a mansion to say the least and I believe that he has accomodation for about 25 people. When I made our reservation I thought that I had hit gold as the accomodation shown on the website simply did not add up to what I was paying. You know the old story ... if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't!! We landed up getting a room that didn't look anything as we had expected from the AIRBNB listing. Anil was most gracious throughout our stay and tended to all of our needs. The food that we had there was excellent and he has extremely loyal and hard working staff. I do suggest that he shows the rooms that are going to be provided at the prices given and excludes the smart rooms held for top dollar clients. I believe that his home is new to AIRBNB and their staff should tailor make his listing. All in all we had a memorable experience and we left Anil on a very good footing.

Great place all round. Felt like home. Much better than most of the hotels in the area. Everybody from the host to all of his staff went over and above their call of duty. I will rate it above a 5 star experience. Definitely will return if I am in Allahabad again. Also recommend to all my friends and family. Keep up the great work.

Good food!!! Beautiful roof top and very big room.

unforntunetey i was unable to make the booking at the last minute .. however my communication and experience was very helpful .

Purmina et son mari ont l'art de vous accueillir en ami et de vous faire partager leur vie a tel point que l'on se sent comme a la maison . Cuisine dèlicieuse et convivialité, beauté et raffinement de leur demeure, une adresse exceptionnelle j'y reviendrai a la prochaine Kum mella

Staying at the Ivan and Purnima's Villa was easily one of the best experiences we (my two sons and I) have ever had. The villa itself is a beautiful house on the inside, but the surrounding area is not exactly picturesque - just bland suburbia. No big deal though - this did not detract from our experience in the slightest. Ivan and Purnima's hospitality provided us the incredible experience. Their sincerity transcended banal formalities, and they welcomed us into their Villa as family members. They picked us up personally from the train station, despite them waiting several hours for us the previous night due to a miscommunication! Their rich experiences both in India and abroad allows very interesting conversation, and yet they also know how to have a casual night of fun. They are both such warm, genuine, intellectual, deep, and welcoming people that any foreigner can connect and bond with them on some level. We expected to leave with good memories of the Kumbh Mela, but we left with something more: their friendship.