Hotel The Lotus

The Lotus is a good value budget hotel, with clean, comfortable rooms and friendly staff. It’s in a prime spot too, just a five-minute walk from Kalka railway station. I was impressed.

Being close to the railway station is the only good thing about this hotel. The room was filthy, with mouldy pillows, dead roaches in the bedside drawers, and dust everywhere. We had no hot water or WiFi during our stay, and there wasn’t a bin in either the room or bathroom. We had to request towels, soap, and toilet paper because none had been provided. Two of the three outlets didn’t work, and the remaining one sparked dangerously.

The bathroom was clean and the room tidy, but the space is very compact. It’s probably best for a short stop or one night. The hotel is near Kalka railway station, though during May-June 2024 the approach road was under construction, so we had to carry our luggage on foot. There’s no elevator.

Kalka Railway station is only 350 m away, about a five-minute walk. I had a road-facing room, which was nice, and the room size was somewhere in between, not too big or too small. It’s an old property that isn’t very well maintained, but it’s adequate for spending a night on a budget. Our room was on the first floor. All the rooms are above ground level, and the straight stairs aren’t easy for senior citizens.