KalimpongHeritage hotelComfort tier

Mayfair Himalayan Spa Resort

Name: Mayfair Himalayan Spa Resort
Address: Kalimpong

The old Himalayan Hotel on Upper Cart Road, built as the home of the MacDonald family and now run by Mayfair as a spa resort. It is the most comfortable stay in Kalimpong, with heritage rooms in the original stone house and newer wings around it.

Photo: Rajesh.pradhan61 · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

David Macdonald, who worked as interpreter on the 1904 British expedition to Tibet and later as British trade agent there, retired to Kalimpong and turned his family home into a guest house. Through the twentieth century it became a stop for mountaineers and travellers heading to Tibet and Everest. The MacDonald family ran it for generations before the Mayfair group took it over and rebuilt it as a resort.

The original house, with its wooden floors and fireplaces, keeps the heritage rooms. Newer blocks add deluxe rooms, a spa, a pool and a restaurant. It is a short drive from the haat bazaar and Durpin Hill, and rooms on the upper side look towards Kanchenjunga on clear mornings.

Why we book it

The best rooms and service in Kalimpong town
A building with real history tied to the Tibet trade
Spa, pool and good food after long village drives
Central enough to walk to the haat and the old bazaar

Questions travellers ask

Good to know

Is Mayfair Himalayan Spa Resort the same as the old Himalayan Hotel?

Yes. The resort grew out of the Himalayan Hotel, the former home of the MacDonald family on Upper Cart Road. Mayfair Hotels and Resorts took it over and added new wings, a spa and a pool, while keeping the old stone house as heritage rooms. Ask for a room in the original building if the history matters to you.

How far is it from the centre of Kalimpong?

It is on Upper Cart Road, roughly a kilometre from the haat bazaar and the main market. You can walk to the bazaar in 15–20 minutes, though the return is uphill. Durpin Hill and the Zang Dhok Palri monastery are about 15 minutes away by car, and Deolo Hill about 20 minutes.

Is it worth the price on a budget trip?

On a strict budget, no: a room costs roughly ₹12,000–22,000 a night, indicative, against ₹1,500–2,200 a person in a village homestay. It works well as a single comfort night at the end of a village circuit, when a hot bath and a spa are worth paying for. Weekday and off-season rates are often lower.

Packages

Routes that stay here

Kalimpong · 5 nights Kalimpong, Lava and Rishop with Neora Valley in five nights Kalimpong · Lava · Rishop From₹15,500 pp

Kalimpong · 3 nights Kalimpong and Sillery Gaon in three nights Kalimpong · Sillery Gaon From₹9,500 pp

Kalimpong · 7 nights Kalimpong villages to Gangtok in seven nights Kalimpong · Lolegaon · Lava · Sillery Gaon · Gangtok From₹22,500 pp

Also in Kalimpong

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