Boutique Places to Stay In Kolkata

“Calcutta is not for everyone. You want your city clean and green, stick to Delhi. You want your city rich and impersonal, go to Bombay. You want them hi-tech and full of draught beer, Bangalore’s your place. But if you want a city with a soul, come to Calcutta.” – Vir Sanghvi

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When I landed at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Interational Airport, I was met with cab drivers holding huge smiles as they tried to promise a safe ride. Meanwhile, I was still processing that I had made it happen - I was truly at the beginning of a journey I spent many months planning. There was no going back now. I didn’t know much Hindi, but my excitement carried cues in English that I could make do with. And so, with all reservations in hand and the stomach a nervous pit, we were off to the first place to stay in Kolkata.

I prefer to stay in boutique / heritage hotels because it lends a lot of character and comes with history of its own. Often, these places don’t boast luxury, but definitely have that touch of uniqueness to them. This coupled with the proximity to the places of interest helps shortlist most places that are available today. Since Kolkata is well connected by the metro, it proves to be an added plus to stay near one.

Bodhi Tree Swiss Park, South Kolkata

Located in close proximity to the touristy locations, this little oasis of curios and art caught my attention when hunting for hotels. What’s interesting is that they have a Purple Privilege Program for solo women travelers where you can avail discounts on longer stays. Breakfasts get served in the mini garden at the back, and they even have a patio library to lounge about. The nearest metro station is Rabindra Sarobar by foot, and they provide Wi-Fi in common areas as well as the rooms.

The Ivy House Ballygunge, South Kolkata After the dream-like wedding, I had to muster the courage to leave known faces and see the rest of Kolkata on my own. The yellow ambassador abruptly stopped at a chowk, waking me up from my reverie. The blazing sun, an unsuitable red travel bag, and a panicking me froze on the main roads figuring out Google Maps before moving in the right direction. I trudged along with the weight, made a couple of calls, and found myself in front of a small white board that stated my destination. And behind its wooden doors was an idyllic little bed and breakfast with four rooms, all tastefully done up in a colonial old Calcutta style. The Ivy House in 2017 was relatively new, and now I’m seeing that they have only made the place even richer to experience. I hardly saw other guests during my stay and the staff were polite to leave me to my thoughts. I stayed in the room called Carnation, and in a lot of ways, The Ivy House struck the right chord. The room was huge for one person, yet I fell in love with how my new found freedom was reflected multifold in my new space. Till date, I believe this place is why all my travels have one luxury accommodation, I fell for that good sweet life (even if only for a few nights).

Karma Kettle A Tea Cafe then housed within the Ivy House A small detour from accommodations to mention this very special place I discovered thanks to the stay in the Ivy House. They used to serve the breakfast here for the bed and breakfast guests and a little chat with the owner during checkout gave me a better picture of the two names. The teas are sourced from Assam, Darjeeling and even Nagaland. I speak about this separately because for all practical purposes you can visit it separately. But I emphasize because I loved the space even more than the rooms. With a lot of natural light, pretty decor, and on-point aesthetics down to the table napkins -- it soon became my favorite reading spot. Karma Kettle is also a tea shop where you can sample and buy to your preference or buy the teas online.

Read on to see the places to visit in Kolkata.