The Glenburn Penthouse

Style

Regal rooftop

Setting

Maidan park life

The Raj would love The Glenburn Penthouse, a boutique hotel on the edge of Maidan park in Kolkata. This cosy, colonial-inspired city sanctuary may lie at the top of a new office block, but the 21st century is left firmly at the door. Step inside and you’re back in India’s past, and a land of ceiling fans, carved four-poster beds, verandas and and hand-drawn maps. The dining room is hazily handsome, with curved conservatory-style windows, colourful cushions scattered on patterned chairs, a palms-and-palaces mural and a sparkling chandelier. And just wait till you see the rooftop pool…

Facilities

Rooms

Nine suites.

Checkout

Noon. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates usually include breakfast and afternoon tea.

Also

There is a lift to some parts of the hotel, but not all of the communal areas are accessible for wheelchair users and there aren't any specially adapted rooms.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Spa

At the Hotel

Gym, car park, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, free bottled water, tea and coffee kit, air-conditioning and bespoke Forest Essentials bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Each room has elegant colonial-inspired accents: arched doorways, wall-panelling, carved antique four-poster beds and crystal chandeliers. For a veranda with views of the Victoria Memorial, go for the Maidan Suite (Room 2). The Victoria Suite (Room 1) also looks out across the famous marble monolith.

Poolside

The rooftop infinity pool is open between 6am and 6pm, with a drinks service available. It’s got fuchsia sunloungers, wrought-iron railings and checkerboard tiles – plus, far-reaching views out over the Maidan and the Victoria Memorial.

Spa

The Penthouse has a treatment room with a therapist on speed-dial, who can be booked for things like Swedish massages and reflexology.

Packing Tips

Leave the holiday reading at home: the world’s biggest secondhand-book store, papyrus haven and convergence of academia College Street is around the corner.

Children

This one’s for grown-up Smiths – the hotel only accepts children aged 12 and up.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Go for a table on the tea terrace for peak Indomania (and hazy Kolkata views spanning the Victoria Memorial and Maidan). If it’s really hot, head up to the rooftop for added breeze.

Dress Code

Humidity-defying threads: billowy cotton will be your friend.

Hotel Restaurant

The dreamy dining room is a masterclass in colonial decor, with polished parquet floors, wicker-backed wooden chairs, arched windows and an elaborate chandelier, along with a pretty, palm-y mural. There are daily specials served at breakfast, set menus – of Bengali, British and street-food favourites – for lunch and dinner, and an all-day dining menu, too. Your room rate includes breakfast and daily afternoon tea, served on the terrace.

Hotel Bar

There’s no separate bar, but you won’t be going thirsty: you can order drinks on the terrace, by the rooftop pool and in the dining room.

Last Orders

Breakfast is between 7.30am and 10.30am. Afternoon tea is served on the terrace from 3.30pm to 6pm. Meals can be ordered all day, until 10.30pm.

Planes

Kolkata Airport (officially Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport) is closest – the drive should take around an hour. Hotel transfers cost US$50 each way. International arrivals will have to connect; stopover options include Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hong Kong and Dubai.

Trains

Howrah Station is a 30-minute drive away from the hotel. Fun trainspotter facts: it’s one of the biggest rail terminuses in India and has 23 platforms. Services pull up here from other cities all across the subcontinent. The hotel can fetch you for US$50 a journey. The Maidan metro station is also nearby, a 10-minute walk away.

Automobiles

The hotel is in the centre of Kolkata. There’s free valet parking – drop your bags off and staff will take care of the rest.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

If it’s just a bit too hot to handle Kolkata’s outdoors, the hotel is here for you: at the breeze-frequented rooftop pool, temperature-regulating drinks can be delivered to your sunlounger; you can see the Victoria Memorial without having to leave the terrace; and the various colourfully upholstered sofas and chairs in the dining room are perfect spots for reading. The hotel is in the heart of Kolkata, opposite the Victoria Memorial and Maidan, the city’s biggest park. This may be one of the vastest cities in India, but lots of the main sights are within walking distance: catch a cricket game at the Maidan’s Eden Gardens, or check out erstwhile viceroy pad Raj Bhavan, now the governor’s residence. Staff will be happy to take you on guided tours of the city. Bibliophiles will love College Street around the corner from the Penthouse: this literary stretch is home to assorted academic institutions, various publishing houses, hundreds of bookstores and an enormous book market. For a (literal) breath of fresh air, head to the Botanic Gardens, which were founded all the way back in 1786; or marvel at the many domes of Belur Math, HQ for the Ramakrishna Mission.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .