Darjeeling Hotels – Economical Stay
Darjeeling is an internationally acclaimed hill station in West Bengal. Darjeeling, situated at an average elevation of 6710 ft in Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalayas, is popularly known as ‘Queen of Hills’. Snow-clad Himalayan Ranges tower over this popular hill station.
The earlier name of Darjeeling was Taajilung. According to folklore, the tribal people used to sit on a huge flat boulder during their extra time and gossip. In the tribal dialect, Taaji and lung (long) meant gossip and rock respectively. Later the Britishers called the place Darjeeling.
It was the Britishers who first discovered that Darjeeling could be developed into a popular hill station. They first set up a sanatorium there in the 19th century. Later they also constructed buildings and churches. They then started living in the cool climate of Darjeeling in summer. They also found that the Darjeeling’s hills are suitable to grow tea, teak, cardamom and ginger.
One of the prime attractions in the hill station is the 88-km-long Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The narrow gauge railway line connects Darjeeling with the plains. The train on this route is popularly known as toy train. The UNESCO has listed this railway line in its World Heritage Site list.
Tiger Hill is another hot destination of the tourists. Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world with an altitude of 28968 ft, can be clearly seen from here. If the sky is clear, the Mount Everest is also visible from here. Darjeeling is surrounded by dense forests which are rich in flora and fauna. Darjeeling is also a paradise for the trekkers.
Darjeeling is the location of Padmaja Naidu Himalaya Zoological Park and the Lloyds Botanical Garden. While the former is undertaking the responsibility of preserving the endangered species of animals, the latter conserves the plant species.
The nearest airport is at Bagdogra, which is 90 km from the town. The Jalpaiguri-Darjeeling Himalayan railway line and the Siliguri-Darjeeling National Highway connect the hill station with the plains. Darjeeling has a pleasant climate. The summer months are the best time to visit the hill station.
Darjeeling has large number of hotels ranging from luxury and high-end hotels to middle range and budget hotels to cater to the needs of various categories of tourists. Among the luxury Darjeeling hotels are Elgin Darjeeling, Windamere Hotel, Viceroy Hotel, Mayfair Darjeeling, Fortune Resort and Sterling Resorts. These Darjeeling hotels offer modern amenities like a/c rooms, room service, conference hall, party hall, in-house restaurant, back-up power supply, hot/cold water and laundry.
Among the middle range and budget Darjeeling hotels are Seven Seas Hotel, Shangrila Regency, Seven Seventeen Hotel, Sonar Bangla, Hotel Zodiac, Fairmont Hotel, Rama Holiday Inn, Sailung Hotel, Hotel Mohit, Bellevue Hotel, and Darjeeling Planters Club.
For more information on Darjeeling hotels and popular resorts in Darjeeling visit HolidayIQ.