The Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel: first & foremost, the staff are wonderful. I'd booked in for 3 nights, thinking just to chill out in Sylhet, get a shave, shop for shirts, seek out some mean mango lassis, wolf great curry (Woondaal fits the bill) while watching Cricket World Cup. After charging around most corners of Bang over the past fortnight, a gentle endgame. Of course I didn't predict a 3-day protest, no transport, so had to flee on the midnight bus to Dhaka lest I be trapped & miss my flight back to India. Anyways, they refunded my last night with no quibbles. Plain honest-to-goodness humanity. (All the bus booking offices are less than a minute away in the street just opposite.) Location easy to find beside the Noorjahan Hospital Tower as a landmark, easy walk up from the main bazaars, in a clean safe area of town (not that Sylhet, though busy, is anywhere near the traffic choke of Dhaka or Chittagong, both of which felt safe - apart from crossing the road - anyway.) Exceptional value, clean & clean-cut style; room large pleasantly furnished, comfortable bed, en suite bathroom fine, WiFi strong. What was an unexpected bonus was breakfast in bed: milk tea, tasty aloo dahl with parathas, served with a cheery smile. Thank you much, good people. Just a pity I couldn't have stayed longer, as planned. But that's the best laid schemes of travel for you.