Travel: Serampore's The Denmark Tavern can well be on you staycation list

If something has really picked up this year, it has to be the short weekend trips. And Bengal offers some fabulously unique spots for such holidays. For those looking beyond the much-beaten paths of Santiniketan, Digha or Darjeeling, Serampore in the Hooghly district can be a wise choice. And if you plan to stay overnight, then The Denmark Tavern will not disappoint you.

Situated on the west bank of the Hooghly River, it’s a place that is filled with history while exuding the utmost comfort.

Lingering legacy

The boutique hotel housed in the 232-year-old structure has a rich history reclaimed from the rubbles of the erstwhile The Denmark Tavern and Hotel that served the area since 1786. It was earlier a Danish trading outpost called Frederiksnagore, located outside the village of Serampore. It took around two years to restore it as part of the Serampore Initiative, a restoration programme for several Danish heritage structures before it was handed over to The Park group.

In 1755, The Danish Asiatic Company was granted the right to conduct trade by Alivardi Khan, Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The records show that a British innkeeper from Kolkata (then Calcutta) built the tavern to offer visiting traders a place to halt. As Serampore’s fortunes grew, so did the tavern’s, making it a local landmark. Later, when the Danes sold their colony to the East India Company, Serampore went on to become a modern township. The tavern too lost its relevance for over a century before being restored. Now a luxurious six-suite property managed by the Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited, The Denmark Tavern boasts of a distinct Scandi-chic decor inspired by iconic items of Danish flavour.

A luxe stay

Inside the heritage building done brightly in yellow and green, we were welcomed with a refreshing gondhoraj cooler. The lush green property offers Instagrammable spots at every corner. The terrace flaunts a canopy of fruit-bearing trees and is a great place to relax. From the six suites — The Harbour Suite, The River Breeze Suite, The Veranda Suite, The Green Shuttered Suite, The Hooghly Suite, and The Mango Tree Suite — we settled for The Hooghly Suite overlooking the serene river.

The sprawling 410 sq ft suite with high ceilings, arches, and walls in soothing shades of white and brown is ideal to relax around for hours on end.

The food fare

We lunched at the balcony that doubles up as a dining space. We chose a grand Bengali meal with fish fry, luchi, cholar dal, alur dom, basanti pulao, chingrir malaikari, chicken and mutton kosha. The lavish spread concluded on a sweet note with Surya Modak’s famed Chhenar payesh and Jolbhora talsash.

In keeping with the Danish hygge culture of convivial cosiness, the food cooked by The Denmark Tavern kitchen isn’t fussy and coverers three primary cuisines that have historically influenced the Serampore region — Bengali, Mughlai and European. The hotel also houses Kolkata’s iconic Flurys with its delectable bakery delicacies. The restaurant serves a delicious selection of multi-cuisine dishes like Danish Style chicken sausage and Danish roast chicken.

Looking around

Post our luncheon, we went around Serampore, which offers a peek into Bengal’s colonial past. Our first stop was the Denmark Government House, painted in yellow and green. Next was St Olav’s Church, dating back to 1806, which received the UNESCO Award of Distinction for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2016. Our next pit stop was the majestic Serampore Rajbari, a mammoth mansion belonging to the Goswamis of Serampore. At the Rajbari also called a ‘Thakurbari’ Durga Puja continues to be celebrated for over 300 years now. We also went to a small Ram-Sita temple, which perhaps is the reason behind the town’s nomenclature and birth. You can also go for a quick jaunt to Chandannagar strand, which is only a 15-minute drive away, or explore Bandel Church and Hanseshwari Temple in Bandel.

In the evening we enjoyed a variety of cocktails and delicious bites at The Denmark Club, which has a wellstocked bar. Fredricks the 6th and The Copenhagen are two of their signature cocktails that you may enjoy over rounds of board games or cards.

For dinner, their bestselling special Mughlai mutton Biryani was our obvious choice.

Reaching there

You can reach The Denmark Tavern by road in a little more than an hour’s time. Alternatively, there are multiple trains from Howrah. If you are in no hurry then take a train to Barrackpore and reach Serampore via a ferry ride.