Bed and Breakfast in Delhi: 3 Best Hotel Alternatives
For first-time independent travelers to Delhi, the city can be overwhelming. Hotels in Delhi can get pricey, and a hotel might not give you the comfort level you need to experience the true culture of this beautiful city. However, picking a bed and breakfast in Delhi – they are often referred to as homestays – would be a smart choice, especially for those who want to experience the hospitality that India is famous for. You will walk into a classic Indian home where your host will look after you and make your stay comfortable.
Here are three great options to traditional hotels that will allow you to experience a gentle introduction to this marvelous, chaotic “city of djinns”. All three options have direct links to their websites below, and they may also be found on traditional booking websites like booking.com or Airbnb. To get the best price I usually read the reviews on traditional websites like TripAdvisor, and then book directly with the bed and breakfast. By communicating with small establishments, you experience that personal touch long before you arrive in India. I have personally stayed many times at all three places and can honestly call them all my home away from home.
Colonel’s Retreat – Defence Colony
If you are observant and lucky, you may get an opportunity to meet Meena, the Colonel’s wife. I spotted Meena having a cup of tea one morning and first assumed she was a fellow traveler. It didn’t take long to discover that Meena is a gracious and highly sophisticated Delhiite. Meena was on her way to the Delhi Golf Club, where she was once captain of the ladies team. In her spare time she maintains a sharp eye on the Colonel’s Retreat when her son Arun and his wife are out of town.
“The Colonel’s Retreat will allow you to catch your breath after a long international flight and help prepare you for the journey ahead.”
Each floor of the Colonel’s Retreat has its own central common area, with comfy sofas and cafe tables for breakfast or tea. The en-suite rooms are set back from the common areas, thus giving you a perfect combination of privacy with an opportunity to socialize.
The Defence Colony neighborhood is a leafy, affluent, planned community built in the 1960s for retired army officers. It is centrally located between the airport and downtown Delhi, and it has adequate access to public transportation. The neighborhood itself is highly walk-able with a variety of restaurants. Khan Market is 4 km. by taxi or tuk-tuk for shopping, banking, or cell phone SIM cards. The nearest metro station is only 300 meters away.
Family History
Meena’s husband, Col. Anand Kanwar Khanna, known as “Nandi” to his friends and family, joined the British Indian Army in 1947. Nandi’s father was a wealthy industrialist who regularly hosted dignitaries and international personalities, including Elizabeth Arden, at their home in Lahore in the 1930s. India’s independence, and subsequent partition, ripped the Khannas from their homes and businesses in the newly created Pakistan. While his parents found themselves homeless refugees in Delhi, Nandi found himself at war with Pakistan in Kashmir in 1948. The Colonel was only 23. He kept his family together, met and married the elegant and talented Meena, and raised two sons.
The Colonel’s Retreat will allow you to catch your breath after a long international flight, and it will help prepare you for the journey ahead. I hear that Meena will show you her kitchen – if you ask nicely.
Master Bed and Breakfast
When I first started travelling to India, Ushi and Avnish Puri’s children were toddlers. She was a young vibrant mother juggling family and guests in a home that once belonged to the grandfather of her husband. Ushi is as vibrant today as she was then. She is an accomplished reiki practitioner. Avnish still has an entrepreneurial spirit, and he can spin a great story about – well – just about anything. Hint: You may be able to talk him into one of his famous “Hidden Delhi” tours.
The household runs like clockwork downstairs, while guests have rooms and common areas on the upper floors. It always feels a bit like coming home. The rooms haven’t changed much over the years, although most have en-suite bathrooms now. Ushi recently designed a new rooftop area for morning yoga, and her carefully curated artwork is lovingly placed in the rooms and on the terraces.
“Ask Ushi for the address of her local salon for a few hours of pampering before your flight home. You won’t regret it.”
The Neighborhood
New Rajinder Nagar (named after India’s first president) is a short tuk-tuk ride from the hustle and bustle of Connaught Circus. You simply walk to the end of the street and begin the negotiations. The neighborhood is bordered on two sides by a green belt, so you often get glimpses of extraordinary migrating birds as you sip morning tea on the terrace. Without fail, I have been met promptly at the airport by Ushi’s driver. It’s hard to put a price tag on that level of service after a long international flight. And finally, if you happen to stay at Master Guest House on the way home from your tour of India, ask Ushi for the address of her local salon for a few hours of pampering before your flight home. You won’t regret it!
Nina Kochhar’s Homestay – Civil Lines
What could be more luxurious than a bed and breakfast where *you* are the VIP – the only guest? Nothing!
“This is luxury at its best, but in a different way than we usually think about luxury.”
Nina Kochhar’s homestay is the ultimate soft landing. A smart and sophisticated ex-hotelier, Nina has opened her flat to one (or two) guests at a time. The apartment is located in a very historical part of Delhi within the last block of what is now called Oberoi Apartments, and within the iron gates of “Curzon House 1903”. Nina’s home is a safe haven in chaotic Delhi.
“It’s a little slice of heaven in a city that can easily wear you down.”
The neighborhood is very well connected by the Delhi Metro. The Heritage Line passes through the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India) and Chandni Chowk, an ancient market right next to the famous Delhi spice market.
It is the ultimate pampering. Nina will be there for you as much or as little as you need. Once you have a handle on logistics you get a key and a metro card, and it’s like having your own little flat. Her staff is there to whip up a hot breakfast in the morning or a cool drink after a long day. Her rooftop terrace is a small sanctuary. This is luxury at its best, but in a different way than we usually think about it. It’s a little slice of heaven in a city that can easily wear you down.
43A, Oberoi Apartments 2, Shamnath Marg, Civil Lines, New Delhi, Delhi 110054, India
