OYO Reda Right Taste

About OYO Reda Right Taste

OYO Reda Right Taste is a two-star hotel on Battala Bye Lane in Hindmotor, a Hooghly district address on the edge of Greater Kolkata. It suits travellers with business in the suburbs and anyone travelling with a car, or willing to rely on cabs for every outing. The central sights sit well beyond walking range, so days here are planned around road time. Guests who want Park Street or the Maidan on the doorstep are better served by a central neighbourhood; this address trades proximity for space, calm and a straightforward base.

The stay is simple and functional. Wi-Fi and breakfast appear among the facilities, alongside housekeeping, towels, toiletries and a shower in the bathroom. Expect the basics done adequately rather than extras. It works for a night or two before an early flight from CCU, for a short suburban assignment, or as a base for the Dakshineswar and Belur Math circuit a short ride away. Longer stays need a car and a tolerance for daily travel into the centre.

Location and neighbourhood

Hindmotor lies in Hooghly district, on the western side of the conurbation, in the ring of suburbs that surrounds central Kolkata. The streets around Battala Bye Lane are local and workaday, with small shops, workshops and residential blocks feeding into the highway traffic. This is not a sightseeing district and does not claim to be. What it gives you is a place to sleep outside the congestion of the centre, with the river, the temples and the northern old city within reasonable driving distance.

Almost nothing on the visitor list is walkable from here. Dakshineswar metro station is 3.9 km away and is the practical link to the centre. Park Street is 14.6 km in a straight line and 45 to 75 minutes by road, Esplanade 13.3 km and 40 to 70 minutes, Victoria Memorial 15.5 km and 45 to 75 minutes. Plan those as half-day trips and group errands into one run. Within a few streets, tea, snacks and daily supplies are on foot.

Mornings belong to commuters and deliveries, with the road filling early and easing by mid-morning. Evenings are quieter and local, with small eateries doing steady business. During Durga Puja, usually late September or October, the city turns out in force and traffic near the big pandals slows to a crawl, while the suburbs run their own smaller celebrations. Christmas lights on Park Street sit at the far end of a long drive. Check the current year's festival dates before planning around either.

Rooms and facilities

Wi-Fi and breakfast cover the essentials for a business traveller: mail answered in the room and food before setting out. Families should settle the room type and bedding before booking, since layouts vary between properties of this kind. Late arrivals should telephone ahead with an expected time, because a small suburban hotel may keep limited desk hours. Housekeeping, towels, toiletries and a shower are listed, which is enough for a short stay. Keep the booking confirmation handy for the driver at night.

Kolkata's heat shapes any stay. April and May often push past 35 °C with evening thunderstorms, and the monsoon runs roughly June to September, heaviest in July, with waterlogging after downpours. Ask about cooling and ventilation in the room, and about the state of the lane outside after heavy rain. December and January are the easy months, with highs in the mid-20s °C. Humid weeks make a working shower and fresh towels matter more than any extra furnishing.

Confirm the practical details when booking: exact check-in and check-out times, when breakfast is served and who it covers, whether Wi-Fi reaches the room or only public areas, and how payment is taken on arrival. Ask how to reach the gate after dark and whether a cab can be arranged for an early departure. If an extra person or a child is travelling, fix the room type and bedding in writing before the journey.

Getting there

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) is 11.2 km away in a straight line, about 35 to 60 minutes by road depending on traffic. That makes this address unusually convenient for the airport, useful before a dawn departure or after a late landing. Take a prepaid taxi from the arrivals hall or an app cab, and allow slack in the morning peak, when the approach roads into the city slow considerably. Keep the hotel address and the driver's details to hand.

Howrah station is 11.2 km away, 35 to 60 minutes by road, and Sealdah is 13.3 km, 40 to 70 minutes. Both are major terminals, so add time for finding a cab and for traffic on the approaches. Kolkata station at Chitpur handles some long-distance services and some trains to Bangladesh. If arriving by train, agree a meeting point outside the main concourse rather than asking a driver to enter the station forecourt, which is slow and confusing.

The nearest metro is Dakshineswar, 3.9 km away, the northern end of the Blue Line, which runs south through Shyambazar, Esplanade, Park Street and Kalighat. Dum Dum is 8.7 km away, also on the Blue Line. A short auto-rickshaw or cab ride covers the gap between the hotel and the station. Lines are being extended and hours vary, so check Metro Railway Kolkata before relying on a late service or a Sunday timetable.

Food and sights near OYO Reda Right Taste

Dakshineswar Kali Temple, 3.6 km away, is the obvious first call. Completed in 1855 and closely associated with Sri Ramakrishna, it draws pilgrims through the day; early morning is calmer. Belur Math, headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda, sits across the river and falls within the same short radius. Ferries cross the Hooghly between the two banks. Dress modestly, expect to remove footwear, and allow time for the queues at festival periods.

Kumartuli, 9.5 km away, is the potters' quarter where Durga idols are made, busiest from July to September as the festival approaches, though workshops are at work all year. Jorasanko Thakurbari, 11.1 km, is Tagore's family home and birthplace, now the Rabindra Bharati Museum. Marble Palace, 11.5 km, is an 1835 private residence in North Kolkata entered on a free permit, so check current arrangements before setting out. All three repay a slow visit rather than a rushed circuit.

Howrah Bridge and Mallick Ghat, 11 km away, pair the cantilever bridge opened in 1943 with the flower market beneath the Kolkata end; both are liveliest before dawn. Eating near the hotel is local and simple. For the city's well-known tables, drive to Park Street for Flurys, Peter Cat and Trincas, or to Nizam's near New Market for the kathi roll it is credited with. Indian Coffee House on College Street suits a slow afternoon. Each needs a cab and a planned return.

• Dakshineswar & Belur Math (3.6 km)
• Kumartuli (9.5 km)
• Howrah Bridge & Mallick Ghat (11.0 km)
• Jorasanko Thakurbari (11.1 km)
• Marble Palace (11.5 km)

A day from OYO Reda Right Taste

Start early and take a cab or auto to Dakshineswar, 3.6 km away, arriving as the temple wakes and the queues are short. Cross the Hooghly to Belur Math, where the grounds and main temple reward an unhurried hour, then return at your own pace. Both fit into one morning because they share the same short radius. Eat before leaving, since breakfast at the hotel saves hunting for food at dawn, and carry water for the temple compounds.

The afternoon suits North Kolkata. Kumartuli is 9.5 km away and is at its most active in the weeks before Durga Puja, when the lanes fill with clay and straw figures. Jorasanko Thakurbari is a short hop from there, and Marble Palace at 11.5 km can be added if the permit is arranged. Movement between the three is by cab, and each stop needs a couple of hours to be worth the ride. Return before the evening peak builds.

An evening run to Howrah Bridge, 11 km away, finishes the day: the bridge lit, the flower market closing, the river below. Go before sunset and take a cab both ways, or walk in from the Howrah station side, since the bridge is a public crossing rather than a ticketed sight. Nearer alternatives are simple, tea and a snack close to Battala Bye Lane, or an early night ahead of a morning flight.

Booking tips and when to go

Book well ahead for Durga Puja, usually late September or October, and for the Christmas to New Year week, when the city fills and transport slows. Rush hours in Kolkata are long, and the road times given assume ordinary traffic, so build slack into the airport run in particular. Settle check-in and check-out times with the property when booking, and telephone on the day if arrival slips past the evening, so that someone is expecting you.

The best months for this address are November to February, when days are dry and comfortable and the temple trips are pleasant. December and January highs sit in the mid-20s °C, with hazy mornings and poorer air quality. March warms quickly, April and May are hot and humid with evening storms, and the monsoon from June to September brings waterlogging. October rain tails off. Check the India Meteorological Department forecast before travelling.

Carry cash for taxis, auto-rickshaws and street food, though cards and UPI are widely accepted in shops and restaurants. Yellow Ambassador taxis are metered, so insist on the meter, and app cabs are a reliable alternative. Drink bottled or filtered water. At Dakshineswar, Belur Math and Kalighat, dress modestly with shoulders and legs covered, and remove footwear where required. Confirm festival dates and entry rules with West Bengal Tourism or the temple authorities.

OYO Reda Right Taste: questions