When Lonely Planet said the Swiss Hotel was "one friendliest places to stay in India" we thought "that's a high bar to aim for" given how friendly we have found everyone. But Rouf and his team Altaf, Mudasir and Ashiq really do provide a home away from home. The large sitting area is great to chat to the 4 of them, or play Carron Ball. We explored the area over 9 days and it made the ideal base. Rouf was always incredibly helpful with tips on where to go, what rates were reasonable and a range of people to go to (hence the review below about links is completely wrong - unless Rouf were to have direct links with absolutely every outlet in Srinagar! As laid back as they come Rouf didn't bat an eyelid when we changed rooms on arrival with different members of the 5 person family looking for different things out of a room. Great sense of humour but essential to give as good as you get when it comes to the banter! Had one great evening on a houseboat but as a base it would be difficult to beat the Swiss Hotel.