old England style hotel,staffs are very kindly, owner is a good madem. this is a quite and warmly Conner.there is not cheap,but have value,room price include breakfast and afternoon tea.

We visited before Christmas, nice atmosphere and beautifully decorated.
Violet the owner is gorgeous, frail and requiring assistance now, you occasionally see her in the restaurant and around the place.
Shower was cold but very quickly fixed. Friendly and helpful mostly, except for one waiter in the beer garden, was a bit rude when a friend joined us for a drink, she was dressed in a simple Indian dress, he reluctantly served us. He didn't get a tip from us needless to say
AFTERNOON Tea-I didn't know about the complimentary afternoon tea till after being there for several days and then when I asked for a cup, I was told it was too early (2pm)!.
BREAKFAST- basic, slow, so go a little earlier and be prepared to wait.
DINNER- vegetable soup was disgusting- cornflour soup with a few bits of grated carrots and cabbage, couldn't eat it.
The unique decor, makes for interesting reading.
No PCs for internet but Fairlawn has WiFi which is expensive in local terms - Rs 250 per day. Even if you only need only 1 hr! 2 doors down it is Rs 10 for half hour. (Even the Park hotel is Rs 70 per half hour.) If you need 1 hr then Rs 250 is expensive, if you want to be on line 24hrs , then it is cheap!
I would stay there again as the sheets and towels are clean and beds comfortable, however, eat elsewhere, sooo many much better places to eat, don't waste a precious meal in Kolkata eating at the Fairlawn....and use internet elsewhere
Have a drink in the Beer Garden it has a nice atmosphere, with interesting locals and tourists (if you dont mind people smoking near you).

I've been to India many times, but always in the South which is much more gentle and less poverty stricken than the North, so I've been told. I was surprised at how confontational I found Calcutta - the streets of the city are really shocking in their filth, poverty and decay. (I know this sounds pathetic - Tourist finds India Dirty!) Every day I'd return to the Fairlawn (We stayed five nights, over Christmas) and be amazed and so pleased at how clean, tidy and fresh it was. Amazing when you consider what the rest of Calcutta is like. Our room was old, but very clean. Unlike the staff at the Oberoi Grand, I didn't feel the Fairlawn staff fawned obsequiously. The place has character and charm and Ms Violet, the owner, is a real charmer. We didn't get a bath, just a shower - which wet the entire bathroom, it was one of those open showers - but the water was always hot, the floor always clean. No bugs, no flies, no mosquitoes. We loved the tradtional breakfast. And the guy who does the laundry is utterly amazing - we've never had such clean, bargain price laundry.
There was only one fault, and I mention it so others can take care not to be ripped off: We asked the hotel to arrange for a car to meet us at the airport. This they did, for an agreed fee of IR700. At the time we thought this not bad. The car that met us was the most horrible beaten up little car, utterly filthy. The driver drove like a maniac. He demanded IR100 before we even started the journey - for parking, he said. And then he put the price up to IR800 and demanded a tip. Demanded it. We found out the usual taxi cost is around IR250 - 300, for the trip, and the super nice guy on the hotel gate got us an immaculate taxi, beautifully driven, to take us back to the airport. So I do not recommend getting the Fairlawn to arrange a car from the airport. But otherwise the place is a haven, a retreat, somewhere to calm down and enjoy life after the really challenging streets of Old Calcutta.

I and my wife were going to Darjeeling via Calcutta and we have stayed in this hotel. This place is super good in terms of the hospitality of the manager and the staff and the owner of this hotel is extremely appreciative. We had a nice and pleasant stay in this hotel. The bathroom is super good - neat and clean. felt like being at home. Also, the breakfast which was served is very very nice.