Fabhotel The Hastings Club

About Fabhotel The Hastings Club

Fabhotel The Hastings Club is a three-star hotel in Kalighat, the neighbourhood around the Kalighat Kali Temple in south-central Kolkata. It occupies the seventh floor of a building at Agarwal House, and it works best for travellers whose plans centre on the temple, the southern stretch of the Blue Line and the sights of south Kolkata. Rooms have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a television and a private bathroom, and the front desk stays open around the clock.

This is a limited-service city hotel rather than a resort. There is no pool or garden to plan an evening around, so the day is built outside the door. What it offers is an air-conditioned base with room service, family rooms and non-smoking rooms, a combination that suits couples, small families and business travellers who want to stay in south Kolkata rather than the centre. Late arrivals can rely on the 24-hour front desk for check-in.

Location and neighbourhood

Kalighat is one of Kolkata's oldest devotional quarters. The Kalighat Kali Temple, in its present form dating from 1809, is one of the Shakti Peethas, and queues build through the morning. Beside it stands Nirmal Hriday, the home for the dying that Mother Teresa opened in 1952. The lanes are crowded and touts are common, and shoes come off before the inner shrine. The locality also gives its name to the Kalighat painting tradition, which began as souvenir art for pilgrims.

Distances here are short on paper but traffic decides the day. The Kalighat temple is 2.8 km away, Victoria Memorial 5.2 km, St Paul's Cathedral 5.3 km and Prinsep Ghat 6.1 km. Park Street is 6.5 km and Esplanade 7.6 km. On the road these translate to roughly 20 to 40 minutes, and longer in the evening peak. Almost none of the sightseeing is on foot from the door, so plan on taxis, app cabs or the metro.

Mornings belong to the temple trade: flower sellers, priests and pilgrims in the lanes around Tolly's Nullah, the old Adi Ganga channel. Evenings are calmer, with family walks and street food. During Durga Puja, usually late September or October, the city moves at a different pace and the roads near Kalighat fill quickly; Kali Puja night brings a similar crowd. Check the current year's dates before fixing travel, and allow more time for every ride.

Rooms and facilities

Business travellers get Wi-Fi, a telephone in the room and a front desk that does not close, which matters when a flight lands late. Families should request the family rooms at the time of booking, since this is a limited category rather than a guaranteed layout. Late arrivals can order room service instead of heading out into an unfamiliar neighbourhood after dark. Non-smoking rooms are available and worth specifying if cigarette smoke is a problem.

Kolkata's heat makes air conditioning the most important facility between March and June, when daytime temperatures pass 35 °C and evening storms roll through. Every room has air conditioning, and fans are listed as well, useful in the milder weeks when running the unit all night is unnecessary. The monsoon, roughly June to September, brings heavy rain and waterlogging. Running water, towels and toiletries in the bathroom mean one less thing to arrange when the streets are wet.

Confirm the room category, whether the family room sleeps the number in the party, and the check-in and check-out times before travelling, since these are set by the property. Ask about access to the seventh floor if stairs are difficult, and about parking if arriving by car. If the train or flight lands very late, tell the front desk in advance so the room is held. Settle payment methods and any deposit at the same time.

Getting there

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum is about 21.2 km away, a drive of 60 to 100 minutes depending on traffic. Landing before the morning peak or after the evening rush shortens that considerably. App cabs and the airport's prepaid taxi counters are the simplest options with luggage. The Yellow Line metro now reaches Jai Hind Bimanbandar station; services are expanding, so check Metro Railway Kolkata for current stations and hours before relying on it.

Howrah station, on the west bank, is 9.5 km away and usually 30 to 55 minutes by road once over the river. Sealdah, on the east side of the centre, is 8.7 km and 30 to 50 minutes. Both have prepaid taxi counters outside the main exits, which saves haggling after a long journey. Allow extra time in the evening peak and during the monsoon, when a short shower can slow every road in the city.

The nearest Blue Line stations are Mahanayak Uttam Kumar at 1.9 km and Rabindra Sarobar at 2 km, and Kalighat station on the same line serves the temple quarter. Line 1 runs from Dakshineswar in the north to Kavi Subhash in the south, calling at Park Street, Esplanade, Maidan and Kalighat. The metro avoids the worst road traffic and is the quickest way into the centre. Check Metro Railway Kolkata for hours, as services change.

Food and sights near Fabhotel The Hastings Club

Kalighat Kali Temple, 2.8 km away, is the reason many visitors choose this side of the city. Go early, expect queues and touts, remove shoes before the inner shrine and follow the notices on photography at the gate. The Victoria Memorial, 5.2 km away and 20 to 35 minutes by road, holds the city's best-known museum in white Makrana marble, with 64 acres of grounds. It closes on Mondays and some national holidays; the nearest metro stations are Maidan and Rabindra Sadan.

St Paul's Cathedral, consecrated in 1847 and 5.3 km away, stands close to the Victoria Memorial and pairs easily with it in one outing. Prinsep Ghat, 6.1 km, is a Strand Road stop for the Palladian memorial of 1843 and for river views towards sunset. For dinner, Park Street is 6.5 km and 25 to 40 minutes away, with Peter Cat, Mocambo, Trincas and Flurys along the same stretch. Nizam's near New Market is credited with the original kathi roll.

Shopping is a short ride north: New Market, opened in 1874, is the old covered market for produce, clothes and household odds and ends, with Nahoum's nearby for cakes and pastries. Oxford Bookstore on Park Street and the College Street book market, Boi Para, cover reading matter. Closer in, the Kalighat painting tradition is the local craft to look out for. Evenings are best spent by the river or on Park Street, since the immediate lanes go quiet after dark.

• Kalighat Temple (2.8 km)
• Victoria Memorial (5.2 km)
• St Paul’s Cathedral (5.3 km)
• Prinsep Ghat at sunset (6.1 km)
• Park Street food & music (6.5 km)

A day from Fabhotel The Hastings Club

Start early with the Kalighat Kali Temple, 2.8 km away. Queues are shorter before mid-morning and the lanes are still cool. Shoes come off before the inner shrine, and photography is restricted, so keep the camera away unless a sign permits it. Allow time for the walk past the flower stalls and for Nirmal Hriday beside the temple. Return to the hotel for a rest and a shower before the heat builds, then take a cab for the afternoon.

The Victoria Memorial, 5.2 km and 20 to 35 minutes by road, fills an afternoon: the museum, the grounds and the view across the Maidan. It closes on Mondays and some national holidays, so check the day before setting out. St Paul's Cathedral, 5.3 km, is a short ride away and worth half an hour. The metro from Kalighat or Rabindra Sarobar to Maidan or Rabindra Sadan avoids the worst of the return traffic.

Finish at Prinsep Ghat, 6.1 km away, where the 1843 memorial stands on Strand Road under Vidyasagar Setu; late afternoon is the time to arrive. Continue to Park Street, 6.5 km from the hotel and 25 to 40 minutes by road, for dinner at Peter Cat, Mocambo or Trincas, or a coffee at Flurys. Book a cab back rather than relying on finding one late on a weekend night.

Booking tips and when to go

Book well ahead for Durga Puja, usually late September or October, and for the Christmas period, when Park Street and Allen Park are lit from mid-December to New Year. Room categories go first in those weeks. Ask the property to confirm check-in and check-out times when booking. For road journeys, avoid the morning and evening office peaks, when the given drive times stretch, and keep an hour in hand for anything timed.

November to February is the most comfortable window. December and January are coolest, with highs in the mid-20s °C, and February is pleasant. March brings the low 30s, April and May are hot and humid at 35 °C and above with evening kalbaishakhi storms, and the monsoon from roughly June to September brings heavy rain and waterlogging. October's rains tail off and November turns dry, which makes the temple quarter easier to walk.

Carry cash for taxis, markets and street food, though cards and UPI are widely accepted in hotels, malls and restaurants. Yellow Ambassador taxis are metered, so insist on the meter, or use an app cab. Drink bottled or filtered water and carry some in the heat. At the Kalighat temple, dress modestly, remove shoes and follow the notices on photography. Touts near the temple are persistent, so agree any arrangement before setting off.

Fabhotel The Hastings Club: questions

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