The Claridges is a heritage hotel in Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi. The whole of this area of New Delhi is listed and considered a heritage site and indeed the Lutyens’s style bungalows and wide avenues with flowering trees, large flower filled roundabouts and general air of grace and elegance are the most sought after area of New Delhi filled with prestige homes, luxury hotels, diplomatic residences, embassies and national institutions.
I love it and Delhi is my favourite Indian city. The Claridges is not a huge hotel and is a low rise 1950s building done in the Art Deco style of the 1930s and there is a most welcome Garden in front where one can relax, or have a light meal and people conduct meetings under the individual canopies shading the sun. This hotel has been on my radar since a teenager and I am always glad to be back there with its attention to detail and lovely rooms and suites. There are several restaurants – Pickwicks the 24 hour coffee shop which serves a sumptuous breakfast and then buffet lunch with European, Indian and Oriental cuisines, there is the Dhaba which is a fun Indian cuisine restaurant, the Chinese restaurant which has wonderful dishes and then Sevilla which is only open in the evening serving Spanish cuisine. Japanese sushi is planned very soon in a remake of what is currently the Vodka Bar.
The pool is in the courtyard of the hotel and is to be updated with heating for Delhi’s chillier days and there is a small gym. During the winter Sunday Brunch is provided on the lawns. The rooms and suites are very comfortable with marble bathrooms, good toiletries, hair dryer, tea making facilites and mini bar. The suites have a coffee making machine which is so useful with a small jug of milk in the fridge. There is a small business centre as well and the location makes this a very popular hotel for conferences for the UN and other distinguished institutions. A walk to Khan Market for shopping or to the Lodi Gardens to relax and enjoy Delhi’s winter and spring seasons is so easy plus some of the great museums such as Gandhi’s Smriti (where Gandhi lived and was murdered) and Teen Murti Bhavan (museum dedicated to Pandit Nehru). I stayed here for my last two days in India and am always glad to be welcomed back at The Claridges.
For a virtual tour of the site, visit Aline’s site The Peacockscall here.
Aline Dobbie is an author of four books on India and a travel writer. She lives in Scotland but travels widely throughout the year with an annual visit to India where she was born & grew up. Aline’s earlier life was in the corporate world but now lives a rural life with emphasis on travel, gardening, cooking, and family. India, South Africa, England, Scotland, Greece and other lovely places are a constant delight to her.
