The Oberoi Bhubaneshwar, CB-1 Nayapalli (tel 56556, 56320 tlx 0675-348 HOB IN, fax 0674-56269) is the city’s only five-star property. One of the nicest hotels in India with 52 acres of land, lovely gardens, floodlit tennis courts, poolside barbecues, good restaurants, and friendly management, it’s 4 km (2 1h miles) out of the city centre, but I handy for the airport. Rooms are US$85 single, US$95 double.
Mid-range (US$10-35/Rs250-1000 per room night)
Apart from the comparatively expensive Oberoi, the other upmarket options are the Hotel Kalinga Ashok, Gautam Nagar (tel 53358, tlx 0675-282) with decent rooms in the old block at Rs450 single, Rs650 /750 double. It’s a friendly place, with large gardens and useful facilities. The New Kenilworth (tel 54330/5, tlx 0675-343) has rooms from Rs500 single and Rs750 double. Both hotels have swimming-pools, health club and bars in addition to their normal facilities.
In town, the best mid-range bet is Hotel Swosti, 500 Janpath (tel 54178, tix 0675-321), with nice 
restaurant, pleasant bar (famous for its cocktails), travel counter and shopping complex. Here you have a choice of rooms—either noisy ones with a view, or quiet ones without. Tariffs are Rs450 single, Rs750 double. Across the road, find Hotel Jajati, Station Square (tel 50288). This place can be noisy (they’re constantly building ‘improvements’), but is otherwise superb value with non-air-con and air-con rooms from Rs500 /200. Centrally located, two good restaurants, car park, travel counter and cosy bar. If you can afford it, take one of the Rs350 suites. In a class of its own, the decaying Hotel Prachi, 6 Janpath (tel 52689) is a wonderful relic of the Raj. Bags of Anglo-Indian character, an ancient lift, old-colonial rooms (Rs450 single, Rs650 double air-con) and the ‘only regal billiard room in an Orissan hotel’. Nice swimming-pool too.
Budget (under US$1O/Rs250 per room night)
At the top of the cheap range is the OTDC Panthaniwas Tourist Bungalow in Jayadev Marg (tel 54555, tlx 0675-335). Very convenient for tours, tourist office, temples, it has two decent restaurants and clean, comfortable rooms at Rs350 (air-con). Cheap hotels like the Hotel Pushpak and Hotel Vagwat Niwas, are near the railway station.
EATING OUT
Orissan specialities to look out for include cheua purda pasha (cheese-burnt-sweet), which tastes like caramel custard, also fresh seafood (lobster, prawns and crab). The bekti and rui curries are good, as are traditional Oriyan thalis including local green vegetables of potal or kara swag (spinach).
For an evening of gracious dining, eat out at Oberoi’s Chandini restaurant where a meal would cost from Rs150. This has fairly standard Indian cuisine, but also offers top-quality Oriyan dishes; prawns cooked in spinach, fish 
curry with mustard, aubergine and yogurt salad, sweet cottage cheese in cinnamon. Oberoi’s other popular eatery, the Pushpanjali, has what is probably the best continental food in town, from Rs150 per head. The Ashok’s Ganjapati is also known for the quality of its food.
The Swosti Hotel is renowned for its Oriyan food. This traditional fare, is cooked mainly in a very deep clay oven, much like tandoor. It’s all pretty spicy stuff. The restaurant also has meat dishes prepared in pure ghee, rice is cooked just once, and dal is flavoured with caramel-flavoured jaggery. There is a problem: you have to order this food 8 hours in advance. But there’s a wide range of standard Oriyan dishes (‘typical home food’) on the Swosti menu, in addition to the usual Indian fare. Many local people eat here and meals are from Rs125 per head. Those with less money patronise Venus Inn, near the Ashok hotel, famous for its inexpensive South Indian fare. If you’re not feeling adventurous, try the Indian/Chinese restaurants at Panthaniwas Tourist Bungalow. Nothing exciting, but fairly cheap with meals from Rs60 per head.
GENERAL INFORMATION
OTDC Tourist Information Centre, 5 Jayadev Marg, behind Panthaniwas Tourist Bungalow (tel 50099) is small, but very helpful. Open 10 am-5 pm daily, except Sunday (and every second Saturday of the month). Other information counters (open 24 hours) are at the airport and rail station. OTDC city/temple tours (9 am-6 pm daily) and Puri/Konarak tours (9 am-6.30 pm daily) are sold at the tourist bungalow. You can also hire cars, coaches and even yachts for sightseeing here. The Govt of India Tourist Office (tel 54203) is at B/21 Kalpana Area and open Monday to Friday, 9.30 am-6 pm.
Modern Book Depot, Station Sq (tel 52373) is good for books and maps. Genesis Travel, at Jajati Hotel (tel 56493), handles air, rail and bus bookings. The GPO is just up from the bus-stand. Indian Airlines (tel 400544/33, apt 401084, 406472) is in Rajpath, opposite the bus-stand. While open till 5.30 pm it only issues tickets upto 4.15 pm. Many banks are in this area too. In Bhubaneshwar, most banks close on a Monday, most shops on a Thursday, and the whole town from noon to 4 pm every day, for siesta. Railway enquiries (tel 402233) are open 9 am-4.30 pm.
