Hotel Shambhu Darjeeling
Category: 2-Star
Hotel Shambhu is located on Gandhi Road offering 2 Star facilities. It's some 5-6 minutes away from the taxi stand. The Mall is at about 10-12 minutes leisurely walking distance.
The road is fairly narrow here. You will need to climb a short flight of stairs from the road to reach the reception level. The greenish building with three floors look prominent from outside. There are large buildings in front of the hotel. So you can't get views from the rooms at the lower level. For mountain views ask for a front facing room on the top floor.
There are 18 rooms in the hotel that belong to two categories - Standard and Deluxe. There is hardly any difference between the two types of rooms except that the standard ones are mostly back rooms that have no views at all. As you walk in, the reception counter is in front. The front desk Manager Ashok will welcome you. You may sometimes find him standing on the road in front of the hotel. He is working in the hotel for over 6 years.
There are wooden staircases going up from two sides of the reception leading to the rooms in the upper floors. On the way up right next to the stairs you will see a large grand piano which is more like a show piece. I haven't found it being played by anyone. There is a large flower vas placed on top of the piano.
Hotel Shambhu Darjeeling
Corridors upstairs have tiled floors. Rooms are quite spacious. Walls in the rooms are wood paneled. The rooms have queen size bed with linens, TV (e.g. 29 inch Phillips TV in room 117) with cable channels, a sofa with a center table, wooden cupboard, phone, an wooden dressing table with mirror & cushioned stool, a shoe rack etc.
Room No. 117 (Front Facing)
The rooms are carpeted. However there are clear signs of lack of maintenance. The carpets are faded and even wrinkled in some places. From room no. 117, I could get some views through the two buildings in front. You can get glimpses of the mountains from here.
From the top floor you can get better views and see the
Chowk Bazar very clearly. However from back rooms like room no. 121, you won't get any views. The windows open out to moist rocks on the back side where the hotel's water tanks are placed. You won't like to open those windows.
Another Front Facing Room
The western style Bathrooms have geysers that work only on main power supply although the hotel has a generator. The backup power caters to essential lights in the premises and the rooms. Bathrooms are of good size though.
Bathroom, Hotel Shambhu Darjeeling
On one side of the reception counter there is a lobby or a lounge area that has few sofas laid out, and a glass topped wooden center table having magazines and newspapers.
There are large brass sculptures kept at the corners including that of Buddha. The lobby is carpeted and has large glass panes on one side that faces the road. Here again when you look at the sofa covers and the carpets, you would wish they were changed and maintained better.
Lounge, Hotel Shambhu Darjeeling
There is a vegetarian restaurant in the hotel named Gharana. It prepares Indian, Chinese and Continental vegetarian dishes. The Chef and the Cook Sukumar is a nice jovial man. He had earlier worked in one of the Oberoi hotels as a cook and is retired now. He often regrets having to make only vegetarian food here as his main culinary skills are in making exotic non vegetarian dishes including Thai cuisine.
Restaurant Gharana, Hotel Shambhu
The restaurant has rows of glass topped tables with wooden chairs. There are large glass panes on one side and you can see the green plants and shrubs outside in a small open area. There is also a bar in one side. The bar counter is completely wooden paneled and has a few molded bar stools.
But what looked funny to me was the large dining tables placed at the center of the bar room with chairs circling the tables. It's an arrangement where people wanting to have drinks in the bar area would have to sit together around the large tables. The bar looked low scale one and stored mostly Indian liquors with Antiquity being the highest brand.
The Relax Bar, Hotel Shambhu Darjeeling
Other amenities offered by hotel Shambhu includes travel & transport desk, laundry service, car parking, safe deposits, luggage storage, doctor on call, massage on call etc.
My overall opinion about Hotel Shambhu in Darjeeling:
The hotel is located conveniently and the Chowrasta Mall is about 10 minutes walking distance from here. Most of the great shops and restaurants are all located close to this place.
The rooms are quite large. However most of them have no views except for the ones at the top floor which too have restricted views of the mountain range.
The maintenance and cleanliness of the hotel is an issue. The hotel is about 12 years old.
At high season, the tariff seems to be over priced for its category and offerings.
Service is average.
Location and Contacts
73 Gandhi Road, Darjeeling 734 101, India.
Phone: 0354/ 225-3297
Cell: +91/ 94341-21800, 99335-46208
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