"Likely Kolkata’s toniest hotel, the Taj Bengal is something of a throwback to the age of hotel architecture that’s so focused on achieving a dramatic interior atrium that the exterior begins to break a few laws of proportion. To its credit, the gardening staff ameliorates the hotel’s girth with a blanket of vines hanging from the balconies, which help the whole assemblage to merge fairly seamlessly in with its surroundings, the posh, verdant Alipore district. Now containing the Victoria Memorial, the zoo, racetrack and botanical gardens, Alipore has historically been where out-of-towners want to base themselves, particularly back in the days when nearby Belvedere House served as Palace for the Viceroy of India. Now the Belvedere houses India’s National Library and the surrounding district arguably serves as the cultural heart of Kolkata." - Tablet Hotels