India Guide
West Bengal
Accommodation
1 Capital Guest House 11-B Chowringhee Lane 
033/2252 0598 Set in a large courtyard away from the bustle of Sudder St, rooms in this purpose-built block are plain, with hot water by the bucket; some have a/c. Price: Rs301–1000
2 Centrepoint Guest House 20 Mirza Ghalib St 033/2252 8184 Friendly and popular, though somewhat cramped, with a range of rooms, including some with a/c and two cheap, clean single-sex dorms. Price: Dorms Rs75, rooms Rs301–1000
3 Galaxy 3 Stuart Lane 033/2252 4565 This small hotel, with just four rooms, is clean and good value, with hot water but no a/c. Price: Rs201–500
4 Maria 5/1 Sudder St 033/2252 0860. The good-sized budget rooms – some with attached baths – in this old high-ceilinged, faded building are often booked up; there is also a dorm, a reliable Internet café and a pleasant terrace upstairs. Price: Dorms Rs70, rooms Rs201-300
5 Modern Lodge 1 Stuart Lane 033/2242 5960 Cramped place, with a relaxing roof terrace; despite the surly – sometimes downright rude – service, it's been popular with budget travellers since the 1960s. Price: Rs201-300
6 Oriental 9-A Marquis St 033/2217 4536 Clean, Sikh-run establishment offering modest rooms with cable TV and hot showers (mornings only), and authorized money change. Price: Rs301–1000
7 Paragon 2 Stuart Lane 033/2252 2445 Popular and very traveller-friendly place, offering dark and dingy rooms downstairs, and better ones around the rooftop courtyard, some of which have attached baths; there are also dorm beds. Price: Dorms Rs80, rooms Rs201–500
8 Salvation Army Red Shield Guest House 2 Sudder St 033/2252 0599 A dependable option that's changed little over the years, screened from the noise and pollution by a large gate. Dorms and a few doubles, including a couple of overpriced a/c ones. Price: Dorms Rs70, rooms Rs201–1000
9 Timestar 2 Tottee Lane 033/2252 8028 The fair-sized rooms in this peeling old villa come with fans and hot water by the bucket; some have TV, too. Price: Rs201–500
10 Airways Lodge No. 2 Airport Gate, Kolkata airport 033/2512 7280 An inexpensive place near the airport, with basic but clean rooms. Handy for early departures and late arrivals. Price: Rs201–1000
11 Eastern Railway Yatri Niwas Howrah Station 033/2660 1742. Large place with small dorms and a/c and non-a/c doubles, for travellers holding 200km+ rail tickets only. Maximum stay one night and a 9am checkout. Price: Dorms Rs100, rooms Rs301–1000
12 Komala Villas 73 Rashbehari Ave, Lake Market 033/2464 1960 A clean and popular south Indian– run hotel, with a good selection of accommodation, from dorms to deluxe a/c rooms, and an excellent restaurant, Banana Leaf. Price: Dorms Rs150, rooms Rs301–1500
13 Astoria Sudder St 033/2252 9679 Popular with businessmen for its convenient location and modicum of comfort, though the old-fashioned a/c rooms are plain and a bit overpriced, and there's room service rather than a restaurant. Price: Rs1001–2000
14 Choudhurys' Guest House 55 Chowringhee Rd 033/2282 1817. Popular with visiting businessmen and a few long-term residents, with old-fashioned rooms and high ceilings; close to the Maidan and quiet at night, yet not far from all amenities. Best to book in advance. Price: Rs501–2000
15 Sikkim House 4/1 Middleton St 033/2281 5328 A well-located government guesthouse with a small selection of very competitively priced rooms; it tends to get booked up early, so phone well in advance. Their Red Panda restaurant serves great thukpa. Price: Rs1001-1500
16 Sunflower Guest House 7 Royd St 033/2229 9401 A sizeable and well-maintained old building with most of its guestrooms – all with attached baths – on the top two floors; there's a roof garden and food to order. Price: Rs501-1000
17 Super Guest House Opposite Fire Brigade, Sudder St 033/2252 0995 One of three good guesthouses tucked around this courtyard, offering good-sized plain rooms, some with a/c, and a restaurant and popular bar. Price: Rs301–1000
18 YMCA 25 Chowringhee Rd 033/2249 2192 
www.calcuttaymca.org Former grand nightclub near the Indian Museum that's now a faded but popular meeting place, offering a range of shabby rooms, some a/c, on half-board basis. Temporary membership (Rs50 a week) allows access to a well-kept snooker table and table tennis. Price: Rs501–1500
19 YWCA 1 Middleton Row 033/2229 7033 Safe for women and especially good for longer stays, this clean, central hostel with plain but adequate rooms off Park St is built around a pleasant courtyard with a tennis court. Rates include breakfast. Price: Rs501-1000
20 
Indrani Guest House 3-B Lovelock St 033/2486 6712 A comfortable family residence offering B&B and optional home-cooking in a residential part of the city off Ballygunge Circular Rd. There's a limited number of wonderful rooms so book well ahead; popular for longer stays. Price: Rs1001-1500
21 Kings Crown Nazrul Islam Avenue (VIP Rd), near the airport 033/2573 1712 On the Ultadunga road, with a good range of accommodation, from plain singles to comfortable a/c rooms, along with a decent restaurant and bar; very convenient for early or late flights. Price: Rs1001-1500
22 Transit House 11-A Raja Basanta Roy Rd 033/2466 2700 
transit1@vsnl.net. Excellent, safe and comfortable guesthouse with good-sized rooms; away from the centre but in an interesting location close to markets and the lakes, and not far from the Metro. Price: Rs1001-1500
23 Astor 15 Shakespeare Sarani 033/2282 9950 Comfortable old garden hotel which has managed to retain some of the character of old Calcutta. The comfortable, modernized rooms all have satellite TV, fridge and a/c, and the hotel also houses a nightclub and excellent restaurants: the multi-cuisine Serai; the Banyan Tree serving Bengali food; and, best of all, the Kebab-e-Que in the garden, dishing up excellent tandoori meals – try the Moti kebab (mushrooms and paneer). Price: Rs3001-5000
24 Fairlawn 13-A Sudder St 033/2252 1510 www.fairlawnhotel.com Chock-full of memorabilia, this famous and old-fashioned family-run hotel exudes a charmingly faded and eccentric Raj atmosphere, though the absence of modernization doesn't suit all tastes. Nonresidents can sample a drink in the lush garden. Price: Rs3001-5000
25 Housez43 43 Mirza Ghalib St 033/2227 6020 www.housez43.com An old building transformed into a delightful boutique hotel with modern, brightly painted a/c rooms, elegantly decorated in minimalist style. There's also a couple with more traditional elements such as four-poster beds. Price: Rs3001 and above
26 Kenilworth 1 & 2 Little Russell St 033/2282 3939 www.kenilworthhotels.com Comfortable and functional business hotel with opulent rooms, a pleasant garden and a convenient location that adds to its popularity. Facilities include a good restaurant, coffee shop, two bars, a barbeque in the garden and a multigym with steam bath and sauna. From $183. Price: Rs5001 and above
27 Lytton 14 Sudder St 033/2249 1872 www.lyttonhotelindia.com The most modern and comfortable hotel on Sudder St, lacking in character but with a/c, fridges and satellite TV in all rooms. Facilities include a bar and a couple of good restaurants. Price: Rs3001-5000
28 Oberoi Grand 15 Chowringhee Rd 033/2249 2323 www.oberoihotels.com The white Victorian facade of this luxurious hotel, established in 1938, is very much part of the fabric of the city. Service is attentive, and the interior has been completely revamped in a modern-meets-traditional style; facilities include a swimming pool, and Thai and Indian restaurants. From $246. Price: Rs5001 and above
29 Park 17 Park St 033/2249 9000 www.theparkhotels.com Modern five-star in a good location on a cosmopolitan street; amenities include swimming pool, health club, late checkout and good food at the three restaurants, including the 24hr Atrium; plus a popular nightclub and a bar with live music. Comfortable and stylish rooms. From $194. Price: Rs5001 and above
30 Floatel 9/10 Kolkata Jetty, Strand Rd South 033/2213 7777 www.floatelhotel.com A converted ship that has comfortable wood-lined cabins and an expansive deck that's great for watching the world drift by over a sundowner; the food, however, is disappointing. From $143. Price: Rs5001 and above
31 Hindusthan International 235/1 AJC Bose Rd 033/4001 8000 www.hindusthan.com Recently revamped, though plain and rather overpriced, this is a well-located business hotel with comfortable, conservatively decorated rooms. Facilities are excellent however, and include a travel desk, restaurants, nightclub, health club and an outdoor swimming pool. From $150. Price: Rs5001 and above
32 Hyatt Regency JA-1 Sector 3, Salt Lake City 033/2335 1234 www.kolkata.regency.hyatt.com Plush hotel on the Eastern Bypass, en route to the airport and handy for the city too. It's built to impress with capacious lobbies, restaurants, a palm-fringed swimming pool and all facilities. From $197. Price: Rs5001 and above
33 Sonar Bangla Eastern Bypass 033/2345 4545 www.itcwelcomgroup.in Busy hotel whose popularity rests on its convenient location between city and airport and its excellent range of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. All the comforts and services one would expect from a five-star, and a relaxed welcome, though an unflattering exterior. From $270. Price: Rs5001 and above
34 Taj Bengal 24-B Belvedere Rd, Alipore 033/2223 3939 www.tajhotels.com Opulent showpiece hotel, attempting to amalgamate Bengali features with the usual Taj grandeur. Excellent restaurants, including Chinese and Indian, and a pool and nightclub. From $226. Price: Rs5001 and above
35 Tollygunge Club 120 Deshapran Sasmal Rd, at the southern end of the Metro line 033/2473 2316 The exclusive club offers a choice of cottages or rooms in two modern but characterless blocks; rates include temporary membership and the use of an eighteen-hole golf course, plus riding, swimming, tennis and squash facilities, as well as open-air and indoor restaurants and a good bar. There's an Ayurvedic treatment centre too. You'll need to contact the secretary well in advance, as the club is extremely popular and often full. Price: Rs3001-5000
36 Vedic Village Shikarpur, Rajahat 03216/263180 www.thevedicvillage.com A sprawling development with beautifully presented modern cottages around a lake and luxurious rooms in the main block. There's also a good restaurant, a swimming pool and an excellent naturopathy health centre. It's 28km from central Kolkata, but only 12km from the airport along slow and winding village roads. Price: Rs3001 and above