Delhi Bed and Breakfast

Delhi Bed and Breakfast is a small homestay run by a local couple, Luba and her husband Pervez. It's housed in a three-story residence dating back to 1973 in a neighborhood surrounded by upscale, mostly gated residences. The ground-floor lobby is bright and welcoming, with marble floors, white bench-style sofas, and matching chairs with red crushed-velvet upholstery and bright accent pillows. Framed art prints, wall shelves, and an abundance of potted houseplants add vibrance to the space. There's also a common room for guest use with lots of chairs and a bench-style sofa clustered around a central coffee table. 

The bed-and-breakfast also offers plenty of outdoor seating space, including a ground-floor patio with a "jhoola" (a quintessentially North Indian swing bench) plus wooden benches and tons of plants placed under a thick awning. Stairs lead up to additional terraces that are equally cozy. The property primarily attracts budget tourists, and families with children. The property also bills itself as a safe haven for single women in Delhi, which isn't always an easy find in some other parts of town.

The bed-and-breakfast is located in Friends Colony East (not to be confused with New Friends Colony), right off the ring road but removed from the metro and not within walking distance of most sites Delhi's major sights. This upscale residential area is in the southeastern portion of the city, a five-minute drive from New Friends Colony Market, which has banks, shops, a cinema, and plenty of restaurants and bars that draw expats and well-heeled locals. 

It's a 10-minute drive from the property to the East of Kailash/Nehru Place neighborhood, with attractions such as the Baha'i Lotus Temple, and the famous Shri Kalkaji Mandir, an important religious site for Shaktism. Humayun's Tomb is a 15-minute drive from the hotel. Hip Hauz Khas Village -- with lots of shops, bars, and restaurants -- is just over a 20-minute drive away, and it's a bit longer to reach the UNESCO-designated Qutub Minar. Noida, a major business hub, is just across the Yamuna River from the neighborhood and takes about 20 minutes by car to reach.

Both the shopping hub of Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar, a collection of ancient astronomical instruments, take around 25 minutes to reach by car, as does Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the city's main Sikh temple. Indira Gandhi International Airport is about half an hour away by car without traffic (but can take up to twice as long to reach during rush hour). 

There are only three rooms here, and each has its own look and feel. Furniture and decor is sourced from local designers, helping give these rooms a lot more charm than at similarly rated hotels throughout Delhi. The cheapest room is the Deluxe Double on the ground floor, which features granite floors, a white bedspread with red trim and red block-print patterns, and an orange and red accent wall behind he bed with a built-in wall shelf unit stocked with books and knickknacks. There's also a small desk/vanity and a little sofa bench in this unit, along with a split air-conditioner, free Wi-Fi, a wall-mounted flat-screen TV, a DVD player, an electric kettle, and a snug lavender bathroom with a wet room shower (that's been curtained off). The Deluxe Double on the second floor has a similar layout, but with an egg yolk-yellow accent wall and a couple of colorful chairs instead of a sofa, a mini-fridge, and a slightly larger bathroom with a cute arched nook for the sink. The room on the top floor features similar amenities, but with peach-hued walls and an even larger bathroom.

Delhi Bed and Breakfast doesn't have a ton to offer in terms of amenities, not surprising for a bed-and-breakfast of its size. However, there is a computer for adults with wired internet, along with free hotel-wide Wi-Fi and a second computer just for kids who want to play games. The hotel also offers a free breakfast every morning in a bright breakfast room along with a water dispenser with safely filtered hot and cold water for guests. Breakfast gets solid marks from previous guests, and includes Western and Indian options. Dinner can be arranged upon request and is popular with previous guests as well.