West Bengal: The Flower Patch Lodge

The Flower Patch Lodge on Melli Road is one of those hidden treasures, but also almost exactly what it says it is—a charming converted three-room gazebo in… a flower patch. Ten feet away is a lovely colonial bungalow, once a hub of Kalimpong’s ‘Arts and Crafts’ society, where the welcoming Tamang family now live. The view from the garden has been known to reduce Kalimpong nostalgists to tears. And yet the lively chaos of the town’s Main Street is literally five minutes’ walk away. Fittings and furnishings are basic. Hot water is available from a tap at your doorstep. Baths/toilets are attached—two ‘Indian’, one ‘Western’. Tasty home-cooked meals and tea from the Tamang’s kitchen are available on request. There’s really nothing in town to beat it except the Himalayan Hotel but even that can’t match its prices. Tariff: Rs 700 per night. Contact: 09832081383 (Basant Tamang)