Hotel Review: Pipal Tree, Kolkata (Calcutta), India

The Pipal Tree, a 34-bedroom boutique hotel, is entering it’s third year of service and still looks in pretty good shape. It is located in Rajahat New Town which has been designed with modern roads and flyovers. Within that scenario this hotel offers a dollop of Day of the Raj chic in an otherwise nondescript area by the motorway.

Inside the reception is cosy with warm hues of wood pannellng, creamy tiling, colonial styled chairs, a pretty sweet smelling fountain and a gracious welcome.

reception

The Pipal Tree delivers the very thing that its name suggest: named after the most ancient tree of India – The Pipal. At a time when there were no hotels, it was under the Pipal that travellers found rest and solace. An apt description.

There are four floors and each has its own lobby all decked out with colonial furniture and even a billiards table on the third floor.

Who for

Travellers – especially business travellers – needing a quick early morning getaway to catch a flight or on the red eye and need a place close the airport.

Accommodation

They offer spacious non-smoking rooms with king size beds, snazzy head boards and wood floors. They come in three categories, Standard, Delux and Suites and though the hotel is located on a main room, you don’t hear a thing.

Pipal Tree bedroom

There is also TV, ironing board and 24-hour room service and even slip on slippers. But surely the highlight is the leg and foot massager. In-room facilities include water, a kettle and crisps with amazing local Masala and other spicy flavours.

The ensuite bathroom has a modern shower, a quaint wooden towel rack and a window into the bedroom – with a blind for discretion. Toiletries include a handy dental kit too.

Facilities

Facilities start in the reception area with a shoe-shine machine. The hotel offers a laundry service, 24-hour room services and an airport pick-up and drop off service. There is a small gym, a business centre and small Library on the second floor.

Food and Drink

This hotel has an appealing, attractively draped Tamara restaurant on the third floor, which they say, features in the top 50 restaurants in India. Lighting is mostly candle light creating a romantic and calming atmosphere. The menu offers recognisable dishes that are delivered with their own nuances inspired by dishes around the world.

Tamara restaurant

Ira is a 24-hour café located on the ground floor and there’s a contemporary lounge bar on the first floor called Raya.

Breakfast is a generous buffet with both typical Indian dishes and cooked generic food such as an omelette.

Is Wi-Fi Available?

Yes. It is free but for some reason they send someone to input the login details for each device. And it only works on the floor you are on. If you move to another area, someone will have to be engaged to do it all over again.

What’s nearby?

There is a modern City Center 02 shopping centre on the other side of the Rajarhat main road, but apart from that it’s the proximity to Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport  that is compelling – just 10 minutes drive away.

Value for money

Doubles start at RS5000 including breakfast – that’s just £56 a night for a great room with a king sized bed, great service and the convenience of an airport hotel.