THE PARK in Kolkata - Hotel Review with Photos

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Updated: March 24, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Park Street.
• Hotel website: theparkhotels.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)33 2249 9000
• Check prices for Park Hotel

Review of The Park Hotel in Kolkata, India.

The chic and fashionable Park Hotel features trendy rooms and facilities in a great location.

The Park Hotel – Unashamedly chic and in the city’s most fashionable district.

Befitting its location within the swankiest part of Kolkata, The Park is all style and fashion, unapologetically not competing with rivals who offer history and charm. Beyond the bland square exterior, the uber-modish layout includes the lobby, resembling a nightclub, and a poolside terrace bar with thumping music. All rooms and suites are also very contemporary, offering bright furnishings and a trendy design that includes a circular shower alcove. However, the overwhelming selling point is the exceptional location: at the top of fashionable Park Street which is packed with stylish places to eat, drink, and shop that can rival many European cities.

The Park Hotel – The Location

Address: 17 Park Street, in the inner southern suburbs. The hotel has an odd layout: the lobby is in a dark basement area and the main entrance/exit on foot is through The Street café.
Nearest Metro: Park Street metro station is just 300m away.
Area: Astoundingly fashionable part of the city, so removed from the poor areas elsewhere. Amazing range of bistros and boutiques along Park Street and the immediate side-streets.
How to Get There: Taxis from the pre-paid counters at the airport take 1 hour (21 km). From the main railway station (Howrah), the hotel is about 40 minutes (7 km) by taxi. See Local Transport below for more information about taxis and the metro.
Handy to: Indian Museum.

The Park Hotel – The Basics

Guests: The stylish layout and prime location among trendy clubs and funky bars attract younger guests, both, Indian and foreign.
Views: Better than expected because there are only a few high-rises nearby. Rooms to the side and back are pleasingly quiet and overlook trees and empty blocks.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Private jacuzzis in the Presidential Suites.
Extras: Daily newspaper delivered to each room.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)33 2249 9000
Email: resv.cal@theparkhotels.com
Website: theparkhotels.com

The Park Hotel – Amenities

Pool: Fairly large and temperature-controlled, so it’s usable all year round. Jacuzzi attached. Always noisy.
Spa: The Aura Spa is certainly larger and more impressive than just about any in-house spa in Kolkata. Steam rooms, beauty salon, and sauna. Yoga also available.
Fitness Center: Part of the spa complex alongside the pool, it’s well-equipped, and personal trainers are available.
For Families: Baby-sitting.
Other Facilities: Same-day laundry. Gift shop. Money-changing. DVD/book library. Board games.

The Park Hotel – Food and Drink

Restaurants: Saffron – Contemporary Indian cuisine, modern décor, and terrific service. • The Bridge – All sorts of food available 24/7, including buffet breakfast. With a namesake bridge and even a waterfall. • The Street – Open all day for upmarket street-food. Entrance also from Park Street. Alcohol served. • Zen – Focuses on Japanese, Chinese, and Thai. Dinner only, and popular for Sunday brunches. • Aqua – Laidback outdoor setting alongside the pool. All-day dining and DJs every night.
Bars: Someplace Else – English-style pub at the lobby level with live music on most nights. • Tantra – Stylish nightclub with loud music and a hip crowd. • Roxy – Cocktail lounge and wine club. Claims to be the only one of its type in the city.
Breakfast: Can be included, but depends on how the booking was made.
Room Service: Available 24/7.

The Park Hotel – Rooms

Room Types: Deluxe Rooms • Deluxe Room Suites • Luxury Rooms • Luxury Premium Rooms • Presidential Suites • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: No smoking in the rooms, but permitted in most other parts of the hotel.
Best Room: The Presidential Suites feature huge living/dining/study areas and private jacuzzis. Also access to a butler service 24/7.
For Families: The management is not interested in families. The only option is 2 adjoining rooms which won’t have connecting doors.

The Park Hotel – Local Transport

Walking: The road in front and a few side-streets are as fashionable as many European cities. Clean, safe, and fun to wander around, but with a few beggars hanging about. Be sensible, as usual, with personal belongings.
Public Transport: Local buses and trams are of no use to tourists. The Kolkata Metro is reasonably useful to reach areas a little further north or south, and is expected to connect to the airport and main railway station (Howrah) in a few years. The nearest metro station, Park Street, is only 300m away, at the top end of the main street.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: Vehicles arranged by the hotel will be private cars costing 3-4 times more than metered taxis. Yellow taxis (which have no air-conditioning) and the blue-and-white ones (with air-con) can be flagged down along the street out front. Both types have meters, but drivers need to be pressured into using them. Rides can also be booked using Uber and Ola apps. Auto-rickshaws are in short supply and the man-pulled versions don’t venture along this fashionable road.

The Park Hotel – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

Cha Bar – Hugely popular hangout. Actually a café, not a bar, on the mezzanine level of the fantastic Oxford Book Store. Virtually next to the hotel.
Burgrill – Gourmet burgers, so much better than typical fast food. Also, pasta and sandwiches.
Hakuna Matata – Vegetarian Asian fusion. Lots of fun, with friendly staff and music jams or karaoke on most nights. Cooking classes available.
Rajdhani – Sophisticated décor and authentic Rajasthani (vegetarian) food. Try one of their famous thalis (set meals in steel plates).
Flurys – 1920’s-style sweetshop-cum-café with adorable vibe. Meals all day, high teas, and takeaway pastries. Lovely corner position alongside Spencer’s supermarket (see below). (150m).

Nearby Shops

So many places to spend money along Park Street, including the wonderful Oxford Book Store, only 50m away, and the well-stocked Spencer’s supermarket on a corner 200m down the street.

Nearby Attractions

Indian Museum – This must-see museum is the country’s largest and oldest. It houses a world-class collection of ancient artifacts from India and beyond, and Raj-era relics, housed in an occasionally frustrating manner. Open from 10 am to 6.30 pm on weekdays and until 8 pm on weekends. Up Park Street, then turn right (north) up Chowringhee Road. (500m).
Mother House – Also known as Missionaries of Charity, it houses the tomb of Mother Teresa as well as her photographs, awards, articles, and belongings. The description of work done by her charity is eye-opening. (2 km).
Victoria Memorial – Kolkata’s most popular attraction, this opulent British-era white marble replica of the original Victoria Memorial in London was built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 25-year rule of India. In addition to lush gardens, statues, and sculptures, there are sound and light shows from March to June (7:45 pm). Open daily from 11 am to 4pm. (2 km).
Howrah Bridge – This famous Kolkata landmark is the world’s busiest and sixth biggest cantilever bridge. Built in 1943, it connects Kolkata with the important Howrah Station, and features wide footpaths full of pedestrians on both sides. (6 km).
Dakshineswar Kali Temple – Historic Hindu temple, built in 1855, featuring a vast courtyard, 12 shrines dedicated to Shiva, a Radha-Krishna temple, and a bathing ghat by the riverfront. (15 km).

The Park Hotel – The Hotel

The hotel is located in the upmarket area of Park Street.

The Park Hotel is named after Park Street, a very upmarket area of shops, cafés, and bars.

The hotel has a very odd layout, with different entrances and exits.

The odd layout takes time to get used to. The vehicle entrance (not exit) is alongside The Street café, which is within the hotel building, while the best way to enter/exit the hotel on foot is through The Street café.

The hotel is very modern and offers an excellent location and facilities.

The outside looks fairly bland, but the interior is very modern and the facilities and location are excellent.

The chic hotel lobby is reminiscent of a nightclub.

The Park is very chic, and the lobby area resembles a nightclub.

The chic and modern guest lounge sets the tone for the rest of the hotel.

Seats in the guest lounge at the lobby are indicative of the overall design of the hotel.

The pool is located between the 2 wings of the hotel.

The hotel is split into 2 wings, with the pool between both.

The Aqua café/bar offers alcoves of cozy seating facing the hotel pool.

Unusual among rival hotels is the communal jacuzzi attached to the pool.

There are plenty of places to relax around the hotel.

Between the 2 wings, there is plenty of space to relax and unwind.

Breakfast is served at the colorful café called The Bridge.

The Saffron restaurant serves Indian food in a modern setting.

The hotel’s signature restaurant, Saffron, serves contemporary Indian cuisine in a suitably modern setting.

Alongside the pool, the fitness center is well-equipped and reasonably spacious.

The Aura spa offers a good selection of treatments.

Unlike most hotels of this standard in Kolkata, the spa offers a lot more treatments than just massages.

Accommodations feature trendy and bright decor.

The furniture in all the rooms and suites is trendy, but the colors don’t always match.

The décor in each room and suite is in keeping with the hotel theme and fashionable area outside.

Even the bathrooms are ultra-chic.

Cha Bar (cafe) is located in the Oxford Book Store.

The location along fashionable Park Street is perfect. On a mezzanine level within the Oxford Book Store is the quaint Cha Bar (which is actually a café, not a bar).

Park Street features several places to eat and drink.

There are so many places to eat and drink around the lively Park Street area.

Khandani Radjhani is popular for traditional Bengali food.

A well-priced and friendly place to try traditional (vegetarian) Rajasthani food is Radjhani, less than 100m from the hotel.

Hakuna Matata close by serves delicious vegetarian Asian food.

Also very close to the hotel, Hakuna Matata offers a tempting array of Asian (vegetarian) food.

Burgrill serves excellent burgers, wraps, and sandwiches.

For a burger, wrap, or sandwich, there’s no better place than Burgrill, close to the hotel but on the other side of the road.

Flurys is perfect for breakfast, high tea, and pastries.

Perfect for breakfast, high tea, or takeaway pastries, Flurys is on a corner about 150m down Park Street. Check rates and availability: Park Hotel

The Park Hotel in Kolkata, India

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