I’ve lived in Delhi long enough to have a strange relationship with the city. I know which roads I should avoid when it starts raining, how long “I’ll reach in 20 minutes” actually means, and how a simple plan with a friend can somehow take up an entire day. But Safdarjung was always one of those places I mostly passed through. I knew the name, knew a few places around it, but never really stopped to experience the neighbourhood.
That changed on one completely unplanned afternoon.
It Was Supposed to Be Just Lunch
A friend called me and asked, “Kahan hai tu?” I was somewhere around South Delhi, so naturally the next question was, “Milna hai?” There was no proper plan. We decided to meet, grab lunch and probably go home afterwards.
Obviously, that didn't happen. We started with lunch, then decided to walk around Safdarjung Enclave for a bit. Somewhere between talking about work, old college stories and what we should eat next, we ended up spending much more time there than we'd planned. We stopped for coffee, took a few pictures, and somehow every small decision became a discussion.
At one point, we were literally standing on the road debating where to go next. Very Delhi. Very us.
The Day Kept Getting Longer
What I liked about Safdarjung was that it didn't feel like we had to keep moving. There were enough places around us to make an afternoon out of it without creating a complicated itinerary. We talked about going towards Lodhi Garden, considered INA Market, and even discussed Dilli Haat. We didn't manage to do everything, obviously. And I'm actually glad we didn't. Sometimes when I make a plan, I try to fit five things into one day and end up enjoying none of them properly. This time, we just picked a couple of places, ate whenever we felt hungry and walked whenever we felt like walking. By evening, though, we were tired. And neither of us was particularly excited about sitting in Delhi traffic just to get home.
So We Decided to Stay
That's when I started looking for a hotel in South Delhi.
I came across ASAR Safdarjung, and the location immediately made sense. We were already in the area, so staying nearby meant we didn't have to turn a relaxed afternoon into a long commute.
We checked in, left our bags in the room and, for the first time that day, completely stopped.
The room had everything we needed after being out for hours — air conditioning, a comfortable setup, Wi-Fi and a Smart TV. I immediately connected my phone to the Wi-Fi because apparently even when I'm supposed to be taking a break, I still need to check everything on my phone. My friend, meanwhile, had already switched on the TV. Priorities.
The Little Things Actually Mattered
We ordered food through in-room dining and made coffee with the electric kettle. After spending the whole day outside, neither of us wanted to dress up and go somewhere again. The blackout curtains were probably my favourite thing at that moment. We pulled them across, turned the room into our little evening bubble and just stayed there. The soundproofing was another small detail I appreciated. After a full day of Delhi's traffic and constant background noise, having a quieter room made a bigger difference than I expected. There was also a minibar/fridge, an in-room safe and daily housekeeping — things I wouldn't normally think about while booking a stay, but definitely appreciated once we were actually there. At some point, my friend was watching something on TV while I was going through all the pictures we'd taken that day. Neither of us was talking. And honestly, it was nice. We had spent the entire afternoon together, so we didn't need to keep entertaining each other.
The Next Morning Was Slow
I woke up earlier than my friend the next morning and sat with a coffee for a while. Safdarjung was already awake outside. Cars were moving, people were heading somewhere and Delhi was doing what Delhi does every morning. But I wasn't in a hurry. That was probably the nicest part of the whole stay. We eventually got ready, had breakfast and started discussing where we should go next. There was no big plan, and for once, I didn't feel the need to make one.
If you're spending a day around this part of Delhi, I'd honestly suggest keeping it simple. Explore one or two places, leave some time for food, and don't try to turn the whole day into a checklist. Lodhi Garden, INA Market and Dilli Haat can each take up more time than you expect.
Maybe I Didn't Know Delhi That Well After All
Looking back, I don't think I'll remember that day because of one particular place we visited. I'll remember the little things. The unnecessary arguments about where to eat. The coffee we didn't really need. The pictures we took and immediately started making fun of. Sitting in the room with the curtains closed after a long day. And waking up the next morning without feeling like we had to rush somewhere. That's probably what I liked about ASAR Safdarjung. It didn't have to be the reason for the trip. It simply gave us a comfortable place to pause in the middle of it. And choosing a hotel in South Delhi meant we could actually experience the area instead of spending half the day travelling to and from it. Maybe that's what I had been missing all these years. I didn't need to discover a completely new city. I just needed to stop rushing through the one I already lived in.
