Generally
Overall: 
Staff:
Positives: Quiet location, accommodating owner
Negatives: Mosquitoes (but we had no nets); rooms are chilly in January/February; hot water wasn't so hot for long; even though it's in walking distance to Mahabodhi and everything else, it might be more convenient to be on the other side of Kalachakra Ground
Generally, I'd say that one gets what one pays for at RGB. I thought that the mosquito situation could have been controlled a bit better if the front door and patio doors were kept closed during the day. The little creatures would be all over the foyer and landings, and they'd squeeze in through the door frames, which weren't flush. But, as I noted above, we didn't have mosquito nets, so why complain?
Prospective guests must know that there is a Rahul Buddha Guesthouse (or Buddha Rahul Guesthouse) on the main road that leads to Gaya. This is not the place that's listed here.
After a horrendous episode with every autorickshaw and taxi driver at the Gaya train station wanting our attention -- while we searched in vain for the guesthouse-arranged driver -- we asked a very helpful man who'd offered us his assistance to take us to Rahul Guesthouse. He took us to the similarly named place because that's what he knew, but when we walked in the manager bemusedly asked, "Do you have a reservation? At this guesthouse?" Ten seconds later, we were off to the actual place, which is on the opposite side of the playfield from the Tibetan Market and twin rows of tent restaurants.
If you go in winter, you should be prepared for a cool/coldish temperature inside the room, even during the day. The floors are marble and the rooms are sort of drafty, so it never felt warm. It's probably quite comfortable in the spring and summer, though.
The owner's wife seemed a little aloof or annoyed with requests for extra blankets/using the telephone/finding out when our laundry would be returned. The owner wasn't around so much during the days, and perhaps she didn't enjoy being left to deal with the foreign guests by herself.
Their son dispensed some worthwhile advice (a couple of days too late for me, though): do not get taken in by the kids who'll ask you to come teach at their school or visit your house. Your answer will most likely be no, so they'll then ask if perhaps you could be generous enough to buy them a book that they really need for their studies... and some pens and notebooks to go with that book... and how about a soccer ball, too? As the Kumar's son flatly explained, those items will be returned for the case you paid. Lonely Planet's Bodhgaya write-up explains further that while these kids are quite engaging and well-spoken and seemingly earnest, it is (as that little voice told me at the time) a grift.[Blush]
Anyhow, I though that Rahul Guesthouse Bodhgaya was a decent place to stay. It _is_ Bodhgaya, so there are not going to be a lot of amenities anywhere (you probably wouldn't be going to Bodhgaya if you expected luxury). They have generator power for the frequent power outages, but even that can falter. Again, one has to deal with the situation with patience and understanding. It's Bodhgaya. It's Bihar. Go take a walk around Mahabodhi and breathe.
Staff:
Positives: Quiet location, accommodating owner
Negatives: Mosquitoes (but we had no nets); rooms are chilly in January/February; hot water wasn't so hot for long; even though it's in walking distance to Mahabodhi and everything else, it might be more convenient to be on the other side of Kalachakra Ground
Generally, I'd say that one gets what one pays for at RGB. I thought that the mosquito situation could have been controlled a bit better if the front door and patio doors were kept closed during the day. The little creatures would be all over the foyer and landings, and they'd squeeze in through the door frames, which weren't flush. But, as I noted above, we didn't have mosquito nets, so why complain?
Prospective guests must know that there is a Rahul Buddha Guesthouse (or Buddha Rahul Guesthouse) on the main road that leads to Gaya. This is not the place that's listed here.
After a horrendous episode with every autorickshaw and taxi driver at the Gaya train station wanting our attention -- while we searched in vain for the guesthouse-arranged driver -- we asked a very helpful man who'd offered us his assistance to take us to Rahul Guesthouse. He took us to the similarly named place because that's what he knew, but when we walked in the manager bemusedly asked, "Do you have a reservation? At this guesthouse?" Ten seconds later, we were off to the actual place, which is on the opposite side of the playfield from the Tibetan Market and twin rows of tent restaurants.
If you go in winter, you should be prepared for a cool/coldish temperature inside the room, even during the day. The floors are marble and the rooms are sort of drafty, so it never felt warm. It's probably quite comfortable in the spring and summer, though.
The owner's wife seemed a little aloof or annoyed with requests for extra blankets/using the telephone/finding out when our laundry would be returned. The owner wasn't around so much during the days, and perhaps she didn't enjoy being left to deal with the foreign guests by herself.
Their son dispensed some worthwhile advice (a couple of days too late for me, though): do not get taken in by the kids who'll ask you to come teach at their school or visit your house. Your answer will most likely be no, so they'll then ask if perhaps you could be generous enough to buy them a book that they really need for their studies... and some pens and notebooks to go with that book... and how about a soccer ball, too? As the Kumar's son flatly explained, those items will be returned for the case you paid. Lonely Planet's Bodhgaya write-up explains further that while these kids are quite engaging and well-spoken and seemingly earnest, it is (as that little voice told me at the time) a grift.[Blush]
Anyhow, I though that Rahul Guesthouse Bodhgaya was a decent place to stay. It _is_ Bodhgaya, so there are not going to be a lot of amenities anywhere (you probably wouldn't be going to Bodhgaya if you expected luxury). They have generator power for the frequent power outages, but even that can falter. Again, one has to deal with the situation with patience and understanding. It's Bodhgaya. It's Bihar. Go take a walk around Mahabodhi and breathe.