5 Best Heritage Staycations in Kolkata for a short trip or an enjoyable WFH

Rajkutir

This pandemic has compelled us to stay behind bars, opps behind the doors. We are the unfortunate ones who have passed a whole year piling up our vocabulary with the teeth breaking words like lockdown, quarantine, epidemiology, hydroxychloroquine, asymptotic, comorbidity, containment zone and the list goes on. From online classes to work from homes, we are about to forget how ‘staying at home and doing nothing’ looks like. Hence, the travel freaks like me never cease to cast around the places of relief. There are a few bunches of gems hiding behind the alleys of this very city. Most of us overlook these places and keep nagging about the scarcity of quality destinations over here. They are carrying the heritage and nostalgia of the old classy Kolkata, just like the day, they set off. These places are the best option for those workaholics who run out of time to leave the city for more than two days and also frown to go to that 'ekgheye' Digha, Mondarmoni or Tajpur again and again.

Calcutta Bungalow: Succumb to the class

If you love Kolkata for its heritage and want to relive that era then Calcutta Bungalow is the ideal place for you. The whole building is tastefully decorated by designer Swarup Dutta. You can feel the maudlin essence of the colonial period with the complete modern amenities. The property is consisted of six rooms and all of them are given the names of Kolkata’s different localities like Darzipara, Boipara, Muchipara etc. It is located in the North Kolkata, easy to avail from any corner of the city.

Tariff: 4,000-6,000rs for two/night

Location: 5, Radha Kanta Jew St, Fariapukur, Shyam Bazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700004

 Glenburn Pethouse: A love letter to Kolkata

In this bustling city, you will find a haven specially curated with luxury, care and ecstasy in Glenburn Penthouse. Glenburn is actually a tea estate and a residential property started their journey in Darjeeling. Both of the adobes in Darjeeling and Kolkata are stuffed with the flurry of colonial décor and furniture. You can savour a perfect outdoor breakfast and afternoon tea with the congenial view of Victoria Memorial. This ‘Easy-to-manoeuvre’ rooms are perfect for your staycation or Work From Home plans. The infinity pool in the terrace is like a treasure of this place. When you are dipping your feet during sunset, you can witness the panoramic view of the city.

Tariff: 25.000-40,000rs for two/night

Location: Kanak Towers, 7A Russell Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700071, India

The Ivy House: Peace for a Lovelorn Heart

If you want to get the contemporary Kolkata vibe along with a perfect comfy stay then welcome to The Ivy House. The place is run by the owners of Kurseong’s famous Cochrane Place.

 This 80-year-old residence has handpicked décor specifically remembering the seasonal flowers of Bengal. The gazebo style café here, named ‘Karma Kettle’ serves more than 20 various exotic tea blends. After their sumptuous breakfast you can stroll around the city as this place sojourn in the center of Calcutta.

Tariff: 4,000-6,000rs for two/night

Location: 4, Swinhoe St, Ekdalia, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700019

Rajkutir: Aesthetics and Elegance on the Same Plate

This place is not something like the heritage building of Kolkata but you can travel back to the era of Zamindars of Bengals with the grandeur and evocation of culture. The cast iron balconies, patios and crests perfectly amalgamate with all the modern amenities like a spa, a gym, an artisans’ gallery and a shopping arcade. 

‘The Loafer’s Café’ and the ‘East India Room’ are stuffed with the fancifulness of the Victorian-era tempting the food lovers with their vast a la carte menu.

Tariff:10,000-15,000rs for two/night

Location: 89C, Narkeldanga Main Rd, Kadapara, Phool Bagan, Kankurgachi, Kolkata, West Bengal 700054

The Corner Courtyard:

This boutique hotel is a restored Zamindari house founded in 1904. This place has seven rooms with all their unique attributes. This B&B consciously annihilates the grasp of modernization. Their dining room has a Swarovski chandelier that pumps up the sobriety of this place. The designer team has played with the colours in their rooms as they are named by Indigo, Crimson, Vermilion, Cadmium, Charcoal etc. You can peep into their restaurant if you are conspicuous about a perfect continental dining.

Tarriff: 2,000-5,000rs for two/night

Location: 92, Sarat Bose Rd, Hazra, Bhowanipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700026

 

The city is turning into a lifeless concrete holt gradually. With the multinational five stars and the darkling pubs we are losing the pulse of this place. This old town is getting older and being forgotten by the new generation. But somewhere the wanderlusts across the globe connect their reminiscence with this city.

I have come to that conclusion that he who does not encounter the whole universe in the streets of his city will not encounter an original street in any of the cities of the whole world. He won’t encounter them because those who are blind in Buenos Aires are blind in Madrid, or in Calcutta...”

-“The Pleasure Of Vagabonding” Roberto Arlt.

Chatakpur & Sittong: The paradise near you

                        

If you are unfortunate enough to live in a city, stuck up inside a riddle of concrete and shopping malls, maze of grey roads and noisy traffic jams then I know how it is to be to constantly look for a place where you can actually breathe. I already made a pact with the mountains that I’ll visit her once in a year. As I am a self-proclaimed stalwart of keeping oath, I started my quest to gather people who perfectly match my insanity level. Finally, with a bunch of weird friends and the help of a great human being we decided to head toward Sittong and Chatakpur.

What are these places? Sittong is a small village, near Darjeeling staged on the Riyang River Valley. This vast landscape is also known as Orange garden. From NJP it took three hours to reach this place. But the journey toward this 5-thousand-feet hilltop is incomplete if you forget to savor the yummiest momos and thukpas on the way. This tiny village appeared to us wrapped in a foggy cloak. We found our best warmth in a homestay conducted by a small family. These people are so welcoming that we felt like we are staying in a ‘home-away-from-home’. After lunch we decided to head out to a village fair. 

We chose to trek the way so cling onto the homestay manager and their family for the safest companion on the road. The fair was small, hardly lit, but the happy faces surrounding us depicts that, for this ‘Maghee Fastival’ they wait for the whole year. Merry-go-round has never pleased us more as here we were experiencing the breath-taking panoramic view of the whole hilly region from the top of the ride. We could hear the local music which we could barely comprehend. We left the place on a sweet note with candy floss and coffee. The hurdle is now. We had to return back through the road of jungle. Our smoke soaked lungs and weary legs were just about the give up. But throughout, the serene moonlight kept pushing us toward our destination and taa-daa “we are at home(stay).”

On the next day we set out for Chatakpur. Though it is located nearby Darjeeling but it has successfully dodged the urban cacophony. It is located at about 7,800 feet height. The place is a part of Senchal Forest area. On the entrance we needed permission and had to ensure a token amount. This is not a typical tourist place stuffed with monasteries, temples or shopping destinations. We were eager to witness the rawness of nature and Chatakpur quenched our thirst with flying colours. Here we crashed into another family. After a heavenly lunch we went to visit the watch tower of Chatakpur. A sea of cloud covered us and the blinking lights from the distant villages led us to an utopian world. When we got down it was already dark. We returned to our home(stay) and this time we came up with a mug of steaming black tea and pakodas. On the next day, we; all the sleepy heads, head out for sightseeing in Ahaldara, Peshak Tea Garden, Lamhatta Park. We again dived into momos during our lunch. On the way back, we witnessed that 'visible darkness' inside the forest. The whirling road, clear sky with a half moon and the misty encircling could easily turn into a scary movie set. Well, we called it a night after a bundle of adda and ‘not so sober’ hurly burly.

Next day morning we woke up with the vision of frost on the ground. But we had to leave those ever-smiling faces who never cease to serve us with our all kinds of tantrums.

Three days rolled by and now we had to head to our pavilion. On the last day, travellers realise that their heart is unexpectedly heavy, their mood is off with some unknown reasons and they can’t swallow the fact that they have to put themselves back to their old dingy life. We felt the same. On the way we peeped into Margaret’s Deck. It is a hanging tea lounge run by Goodricke Tea Company. It still holds the old school décor and etiquettes along with a vast a la carte menu of tea pots and foods. Though I think the main attraction is the hanging balcony from where we onlook a vast valley of tea garden. We soothed down our pain of homecoming with their lip-smacking foods and a pot of Castleton Autumn Flush.

                                            

Finally, that journey ended and all of us were scattered again with our separate destinations. But I will be back to that snowy hamlet and the foggy village to pump up my soul with a whiff of fresh air.

This whole trip could never been accomplished without Vinayak Chowdhury and his Trek Break & More. We, the whole herd of lokkhicharas are truely thankful to you and your early morning knocks, responsible warnings, friendly assurance and many more unassigned useful tasks. Power to you and our never ending upcoming trips. Ping him anytime he is very considerate.

Ph:8777495581

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vinayakabirchowdhury

Website:trekbreakandmore.com