Hotel Name: A-One Guesthouse.
Address: 12/1 Nellie Sun Gupta Sarani (Lindsay St) 1st Floor, Near Khadya Bhawan, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
I stayed at the A-One Guest House in Kolkata, India. I booked online in advance at the rate of 1456 INR ($19.81 USD) per night. This was for a budget double room with a private bathroom. I booked this hotel for its price and location in Kolkata.
The hotel is one street away from Sudder Street, which I recalled from my last visit as being the backpacker street of Kolkata. Nellie Sun Gupta Sarani (formerly Lindsay St) is close to the Esplanade metro station and surrounding shopping and food streets. This is the best area to stay if you are visiting Kolkata for the first time. On my last visit to Kolkata I inadvertently booked a place far away in the suburbs and spent too much time in transit.
I arrived at night and I realised that the hotel wasn’t showing on Google Maps. The 12/1 address had me wondering if the hotel was down a side alley. The streets were busy with people everywhere, but it turned out I just made the search hard for myself as the hotel is in number 12 on the street.
The hotel is in an old building up a flight of stairs. There are other businesses in the building, but the hotel is clearly marked along the way. When I walked though the building I was reminded of the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong, but it’s nowhere near as crazy as that.
The checking in staff were friendly and courteous, and I was then shown to my room. My first impression was that the room was very pink. Also the roof was very low. And it was very budget in feel. I’ve stayed in enough budget hotels in India to not be shocked my most places, and this was pretty average on the scale of budget hotels.
When I booked I made sure there was a window, as having no window in a dingy budget room just makes it worse. The room was air-conditioned, though I didn’t need it at this time of year (Kolkata has cool mornings in February). The bed was comfortable, there were useful power outlets, and the wifi was working from my bed. That’s about all you can ask for with a cheapo room.
The bathroom was spacious and in good condition, despite not having a window. There was no hot water though, which is a common feature with guesthouses in India.
The hotel is near the historic New Market, which is a market for practically everything (including live animals). In the morning the live chicken vendors arrive before the street gets too busy. And one morning I was up early and a herd of goats were being led out of the market to the Maidan (the giant park nearby).
Overall this place is suitable for backpackers who are just looking for the cheapest private room in the Sudder Street area. If you’ve been travelling in India long enough then you probably know what to expect by now. If you are new to India, then welcome to the adventure.
Book the A-One Guest House online or search for more hotels in Kolkata.
