Darjeeling Hotel and Restaurant Reviews

Dekeling Hotel

The Dekeling Hotel is a simple hotel and it seems like it is half way between a home stay and a hostel.  The hotel is centrally located and most of the things you would care to do are easily accessible. Our room faced west and we did not have any road noise at all. We also did not hear the dogs barking at night.

Dekeling Hotel with Dekevas Restaurant on Ground Level

The owner is super nice. She manages to spend time with all of the guests as they pass through and is very helpful with her knowledge of the city and surroundings. Her happy disposition is infectious and we left each morning on a positive note after spending time chatting with her. The staff was friendly and pleasant. The front desk staff was very helpful and answered all our questions.  They even loaned us an adapter and pointed us to where we could buy one.

There were two common areas in the hotel and they are a really nice feature. A hotel room can feel somewhat close and the sitting areas give one a place to lounge and read or type on the computer or meet with other travelers and swap tales. There is WIFI in the common area and a computer available for a small charge.

Dekeling Hotel - common area outside our room

Breakfast was hot and filling.  Eggs, toast, tea, oatmeal.  The food is supplied by the kitchen of the restaurant below the hotel, Dekevas.

There was one thing that really bothered us. There was no fire exit from the floor we were on. There is not a chance one could jump and survive from as high as we were and we would have felt much better if there had been an exit.

Dekeling Hotel - Room 7A

We think we ended up in the “hey this is our last room” room (room 7A) and it did have a couple of short comings. There were three windows in the room – the bathroom window which opened to the outside and two windows that faced interiors.  One non bathroom window lead onto an old exit stair that had been built in and in which people resided. We could hear every word they spoke, although we could not understand anything, we did not speak their language. Fortunately, these people went to bed as early as we did, so they did not keep us up. The other window faced one of the common areas.  Because the room is hard to ventilate, it had a dank smell which we managed to minimize by leaving the bathroom window and the entrance door open and let the air blow through for about an hour each day.

Dekeling Hotel - Room 7A

For the three days we were there, our beds did not get made or our towels changed, but this is no different at home so it wasn’t a great problem.

The price ($25 Can) was right so these were minor inconveniences.

We would stay in this hotel again but most likely request a different room. There is a wing that looks to be newer or refurbished – we would try a room in that wing.

 Dekevas Restaurant

We had just arrived in Darjeeling and had not eaten lunch so we were hungry and did not have any idea where to go. We stopped into Dekevas on a whim. It is in the same building as the Dekeling Hotel. It was good choice. The restaurant is very small (10 people) and it would be crowded, but it is quite a pleasant place. The waiter was very nice and since we were the only patrons at the time he was quite attentive. We ordered rice, fried momos, and chili chicken (excellent). The food came to the table hot (freshly made) and really hit the spot. We would definitely eat there again.

Glenary’s

We did not eat in the restaurant proper so I cannot comment on the upstairs section. We did buy pastries and eat breakfast in the coffee shop.

We stopped in the bakery looking for something sweet. The bon-bons we chose were quite dry and they may not have been made on site but instead were massed produced off site and bought for resale.  The baked goods tided us over, but we decided we would not go back to buy more.

The breakfast in the coffee shop was acceptable but very, very slow in coming. The place was not busy yet we waited about 30 mins. for a light breakfast. When it came it was good. The eggs were just as ordered and they had peanut butter (which just happens to be a favorite of Murray’s).  The price was well within the acceptable range.

The view from the tall windows was outstanding.

Hasty Tasty

A great vegetarian restaurant on the mall. We stopped in for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. There is no table service, you order at the front counter and pick up your food when your number is called. The kitchen is visible, the orders come in constantly and the cooking staff work hard and fast to keep up. The restaurant was very busy when we were there, which says alot. The food is all prepared as it is ordered so you can be sure it is fresh, but this does take time. There is a bus person constantly cleaning the tables which keeps the restaurant relatively tidy. We ate pakoras, a huge cheese dosa, and momos. The food is very good and hot, the service is excellent and it is inexpensive. We would definitely eat there again.

The Park Restaurant

The restaurant is easy to find, just down the road from the base of the mall. We walked in and it was reasonably busy, a good sign, the more people the greater the turn over in food. The waiter was very nice and efficient. The food came to our table quite quickly for India. The food was good, although the tandoori chicken was only warm and not hot. The rice was hot. The price was well within the acceptable range. Overall we liked the place and the food.

 Shangrila Restaurant

This more expensive restaurant was just off Chowrasta Square. The furnishings were upscale. The waiter was very attentive and trying hard to be upscale, but he spoke very little English.  The lights kept going off but we were not sure if it was a restaurant issue or an area issue.

We had Chicken Tikka (a tandoori chicken kebob), Singapore Noodles (it said rice noodles on the menu but we think they were wheat) and Naan Bread.  The noodles were hot and spicy.  The Naan was sweet.  This meal was very tasty and we enjoyed it.