A Must Stay in Dehradun—LP Residency

If you are planning to visit Dehradun and looking for a simple yet classy, comfortable and luxurious hotel for your stay, LP Residency should be the first choice. I stayed in this hotel while I was on a solo business trip to Dehradun in April. It was supposed to be a day’s work, however, I extended my stay by one day to avoid the rush and also have some relaxing time for myself as the previous few weeks were extremely hectic. Little did I know, this hotel would serve to be a complete package of rejuvenation, good food and a great time. My two days went by so fast in the blink of an eye, quite contrary to my initial thoughts, when it looked more like a business stay to me. I was so wrong! That’s when I decided to let you folks know about this beauteous property through my blog.

The main entrance of LP Residency

Location

LP Residency is centrally situated in the heart of Dehradun. It is easily accessible from the airport, railway or bus station. Since this was my first professional visit to Dehradun, I had kept my hopes extremely grounded. Of course, I was repenting my decision to extend my stay due to the constant news of sudden upsurge in COVID cases as I had also dropped my plans to move around the city. I preferred to stay in the hotel rather, which is so unlike me. I was thrilled to be proven wrong and my stay at LP Residency turned out to be an exceptionally brilliant experience.

Lobby & Check-in Process

Cleanliness, hygiene and sanitization are the first things I am concerned about. I’m extremely careful when it comes to booking accommodation. For me, hygiene standards should be high and there should not be any compromise there. The moment I got off the taxi and walked a few steps towards the entrance door, I was made to sanitize my hands and luggage before being escorted to the reception for formalities and later to my room. The hotel and its interiors were so spick and span that the air of doubt had vanished like a bubble just right there. By now I was pretty much excited to see my room only to dump my luggage and hit onto the bed as I was super exhausted due to all the travelling.

Spick & span lobby and rooms of the hotel

Arriving at the hotel was already an amazing experience. The gorgeous hotel lobby with a class of sophistication and style. The courteous staff at the concierge desk and the smooth check-in process although I arrived 2 hours earlier than the expected check-in time.

The Room

Suite at LP Residency

They have two category of rooms—Club Room and Suite. I stayed in a Suite and it was worth every ounce of my exhaustion which demanded something as premium as this. I forgot all my tiredness and decided to do a room tour for my fellow readers because the room was highly spacious, well-lit with some great bright spaces, tastefully done interiors and a comfortable and nicely done king-sized bed. The best part all for myself!

One part of the room had this huge bed a study table with a beautiful lamp for reading purpose, an LED TV. The other part is more like a living room with couches, another LED TV, side cabinets, carpet and other furnishings. Both of these are carefully partitioned with a wooden frame aesthetically done and adds to the beauty of the suite.

Well equipped bathroom at LP Residency

The bathroom was well equipped with everything you could need: good toiletries, multiple towels and hot water as well.

One thing, however, I missed was the view from the window. But there’s enough to keep yourself busy within and outside the room that you are surely not going to miss it for long.

Service & Facilities

I was amazed to see the prompt service of the staff. Right from the room service to the restaurant, everything was as fast as a flash of lightning. Always being in profession demanding travel, I undoubtedly can say, the services and hospitality of this hotel can surpass the services of some of the 5-star hotels. The staff is prompt, proactive and highly professional other than being courteous. Every single staff member is well trained and hospitable. I was overwhelmed to meet such remarkably warm and welcoming people who were always on their toe and super delighted to serve their guests.

The classy interiors and furnishings

Culinary Delights

Well, now this is my favourite part. Not because I am a foodie, I’m not! Mostly because you can not forget the taste and presentation of the food they offer and it’s going to stay with you for long. I still relish the variety of food and beverages I tried during those two days of stay. There are two restaurants in the hotel with amazing and high-quality food menu. The menu is limited to offer the choicest items.

Coco—Osteria; My favourite spot, the Italian Cafe by LP Residency

One restaurant is a popular Coco—Café & Osteria and the other is named Zaffran. Coco offers their speciality Blue Tokai Coffee and is what they call a hotspot in the Hotel. This place is super chic and classy. The décor and interiors are minimal but tasteful. The limited menu also features Neopolitan pizzas freshly baked in a wood-fired oven and I enjoyed watching the Pizza in the making right from the oven to plate. If you want to watch the making video please click on my Instagram IGTV link .

Kebab platter from Zaffran; the Indian Restaurant by LP Residency

The menu also features a wide selection of gourmet food and delicious beverages. I tried Neopolitan pizza for dinner accompanied with their Hibiscus Ice Tea in their hugely romantic candlelight set up in the open air with good music. It was a perfect setup for a heartfelt dinner. The servings were sufficient for two and extremely delicious! I also tried their desserts and relished the taste rest of the night.

Another favourite part was the breakfast at Zaffran! I’m a huge fan of Indian cuisines and this is where Zaffran came into play. I was served a variety of South Indian delicacies right from the crispy Masala Dosa to Utappam to Idlis with their accompaniments along with fresh orange juice. A wholesome and delightful breakfast that made my day. Can you imagine a more perfect start to the day than this?

Later for dinner, I also tried a platter of kebabs. They were super yummy and delectable. Each kebab had a different aroma and taste. They melted the moment I took a bite and the flavour lasted long.

I was blown away by not just the presentation, service but also the great taste of the food. Each time it was a difficult decision to choose between the Italian or Indian restaurants because both the restaurants served unparalleled food, coupled with unmatched service. The ingredients they used were so fresh! That reminds me of the Chicken Salami and Lettuce Salad I chose to have for lunch. I can still imagine the crunchiness of lettuce with refreshing Salami slices.

I had a hard time choosing amongst all the amazing options. Trust me, this limited menu wasn’t limited at all because each time I tasted something I wanted to have it the second, the third time, so on and so forth.

You can choose to have meals in your room or the restaurant. I preferred the latter because I loved the setup of the restaurants.

Concluding Thoughts

My stay at LP Residency was enthralling. You couldn’t possibly ask for a better location as it is easily accessible from all the prime spots in Dehradun. I was totally in love with the red brick-like fascinating look they have given to the hotel on the outside and the lovely interiors of the hotel. The food was extraordinary and the staff was warm and courteous! If you want to see a video tour of my room and the breakfast selection head over to my Instagram highlights and check out the Hotel section!

In case you want to visit the hotel, you can check the latest prices and availability here!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email, I always love helping you out! Have you visited Dehradun or have any plans to visit post-pandemic? Let me know in the comments.

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Pictures taken by Anupriya Mishra and Aman Khan

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Mother’s Day 2021: Smart Gifts For Smart Moms Of Today

No matter how much we make her feel special on Mother’s Day, we know every single day is a celebration of the woman she is. Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful Mothers in the world!

Gifts For Mom | Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Mother, one word that brings a deep sense of affection to us. This is one selfless and pure relationship on earth. She can neither be defined nor described in its entirety yet holds such a significant position in life. She’s the epitome of sacrifice and unconditional love. She’s also a perfect manager, financer and leader who can successfully execute any task and keep each family member involved. Mother’s today are also tech-savvy and digitally proficient. She’s more inquisitive and excited about technology and gadgets than we are. No matter how well and how often we express our gratitude towards our mother for all the pain and sufferings she has gone through only to make us a better person, nothing can replace the good she has done. However, some gestures can make her feel loved and wanted whether we are far or near.

This is the time of the year other than the birthdays and anniversaries when we get one more chance to express ourselves. For me, gifting has always been a huge task as I am the most confused one to look for gifts. I know so many people who know the right nerve when it comes to choosing a gift. It is a cakewalk for them. I, however, struggle in making a selection for others and I am sure many of you, just like me, face the same challenge. Thus, to make your life simpler I have carefully thought of and listed below the top 10 items I would like to gift my mother on this Mother’s Day; for you to borrow some inspiration from. These gifts are meticulously picked considering my Mother’s hobbies, passion, health and lifestyle. With each item, I have also specified reasons for choosing them to help you make the right choice without spending hours browsing the websites.

Here’s what I recommend:

Mother’s Day Gift Idea 1: Air Purifier For Breathing In Fresh Air, Free Of Impurities And Pollutants

In times like these when the entire world is fighting a pandemic, the first thing that comes to mind is to keep your loved ones safe and healthy. Nothing can cost more than health. COVID-19 has certainly taught us some major life lessons. I would not mind spending a fortune if I have to keep my loved ones safe. Although, big researchers have not been able to figure out a fool-proof safety method against the deadly virus, however, we can do whatever is in our hand to maintain good living standards and hygiene. Thus, the very first gift idea I would like to recommend for the well-being of mothers is an air purifier to keep the pollutants in the room at bay. Air purifiers are devised to sense the air quality and remove airborne pollutants. These can be as small as 0.003 microns. It can purify a standard room in just a few minutes and can also remove pollen and house dust mites, which is also beneficial in case they are allergic to these.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 2: Echo Dot For The Satisfaction Of Instructing Someone Throughout the Day 😉

The second item that instantly came to my mind was the Echo Dot. I wanted to gift a Bluetooth speaker to my mother and then I thought why not buy a smart speaker with Alexa. It would be fun to see moms giving instructions and Alexa performing all the tasks she demands. This would be a good way to keep her engaged and entertained especially when we are all mostly at home. Also, because my mother is a great learner and takes a keen interest in experimenting with new things, I thought this can be a new and easy way out for her to stay abreast of news, stories, music, information and simultaneously explore a new gadget. There are a lot of other voice control features as well that come along with it.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 3: Hair Dryer and Styler To Make Her Flaunt Her Beautiful Hair

My mother has beautiful straight silky hair. I used to ask her why don’t have hair like you. We spend so much of our time looking good while most of the time our moms invest in is looking after the family. Since this latest trending product had grabbed many eyeballs, I thought it could be a good gifting option for mothers. They need all the love and pamper they deserve. Give them this trendy and chic looking hairdryer and styler, which is easy-to-use for her. Style her hair your way whenever you are with her and make her fall in love with her hair all over again.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 4: Foot, Calf and Leg Massager For Relaxing Her

Why should mothers be deprived of anything that can comfort their wearied nerves? I added this foot, calf and leg massager to my kitty long back for this day. On days when you could not be close to her to give her a good foot massage, this machine would do the job and remind her of you.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 5: Kindle Book Reader For Urging Her To Read

Books are a great way to stay involved and pass time and what better way than to get used to reading on Kindle. I am addicted to it. It’s portable and saves me from making space from buying and maintaining hundreds of books. Once a book hoarder, I am now a bookaholic without accumulating books. More than that being a traveller, gives me good company on all my tours without taking much space. I gifted Kindle long back to her but would love to upgrade to this better version because she loves to read and I want her to keep the pace.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 6: Air Fryer For Her Love Of Food Which She Has Otherwise Given Up

There was a time when you could not think of giving up on fried food or the use of oil. With changing times people have become more health-conscious. To keep my parents away from ailments I have urged them and even they have consciously cut down on fried stuff. Gifting my mom an Air fryer will be a good option to firstly not deprive her of the foods which were earlier not possible without frying and secondly would not increase my blood pressure level to know she has again prepared something fried like my dad’s favourite Samosas.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 7: Instant Camera Gift Pack For Developing And Building Instant Memories

Mothers are generally fond of decorating homes with beautiful pictures of their children and loved ones. What better than gifting her the Instant Camera that can capture any memory– develop instantly. She can make endless memories herself and decorate one entire wall, make fridge magnets out of pictures or the complete house with beautiful pictures. While finding an instant camera I came across this useful kit with a camera, buntings for decoration, battery, camera strap, etc.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 8: New Apple iPhone For The Love Of iPhone

You don’t need a reason to buy an iPhone for yourself or for the person you adore. You can upgrade your mom to a new iPhone or buy her one if she doesn’t have one. iPhone is a perfect gift if you can afford one because it could never disappoint you. Its performance and experience is exceptionally good and once an iPhone user will always be an iPhone user. Try it out!

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 9: Robotic Vacuum Cleaner and Mopper Can Be The Biggest Help In Challenging Times Like These

I was happy to find something like the robotic vacuum cleaner and mopper that can not just wipe away the dust and floor but also your mother’s maid woes now and then. Especially during the lockdown and uncertain times, this can turn out to be a blessing for all mothers. Its remote, app and virtual control modes make it all the more convenient for her to sit from any corner, monitor and instruct this super gizmo. This blew my mind and sooner or later I am going to have one for myself too. Read about its versatile functionality by clicking on the link below and no doubt you would fall in love. This can make anyone self-reliant. Say goodbye to the maid’s woes.

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea 10: FitBit Health and Fitness Tracker For Monitoring Daily Activities To Stay Hale And Hearty

Needless to say, this sleek band is the need of the hour with all the limited activities and sedentary lifestyle we have. Mothers are no less when it comes to making a move and staying active. More than that it’s like telling her your health is in your hands so keep moving and keep tracking your daily activities for the number of steps you take, calories you burn, hours you sleep and more. This is no less than a love band for your mom if you can convince her to wear it always and follow the daily activity reminders.

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If you have not given a thought to what your mother loves to do, now is the time. I believe gifts should not always be weighed with their price tag. No gift is cheap or expensive considering it is of utility to the person you are gifting it to. Make it a point not to gift things you love but what the other person would love to have. More tips on it may be in some other blog.

Super Moms Deserve Super Gifts. Happy Gifting!

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Hotel Review: Ride Inn Café & Resort in Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Early morning at Ride Inn Cafe & Resort in Manali

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” -Oprah Winfrey

Sneh and Godwin, the owners of this enthralling property, have certainly proved this to be true. If you get a chance to stay at this place, you would know. You can easily relate to their undeniable love for bikes and travelling. These reflect in unimaginable ways. Every element they have used for adding aesthetic value to their hotel is well thought of and crafted assiduously. It not just speaks of their fascination but exudes enormous attention to detail as a traveller. Ride Inn, a motorcycle-themed café and boutique hotel, and as the name suggests may seem more inviting to bike lovers; however, this is not just limited to bikers or bike enthusiasts. We drove into this place and enjoyed a four day stay experiencing and evaluating every corner. I will take you through the observations and experiences I had, staying here.

Ride Inn is nestled amidst the mighty Himalayas and offers a 360-degree view of the mountains

Nestled Amidst the Mighty Himalayas: Imagine! You stay at a place with a 360-degree view of the mountains, river Beas flowing adjacently, picturesque orchards surrounding you when you step out of your room, a landscaped garden at your disposal. You are at Ride Inn. Yes, a place that is no less than divine, when it comes to the sceneries. It’s a perfect abode to spend quality time with your loved ones or just be yourself in a dreamy set-up and enjoy your own company. You would require crossing the stunning Shanag Bridge, Nehru Kund, which lies on the Manali-Leh Highway, to reach this resort. Crossing the bridge in itself would give you goosebumps and make for a joyous ride.

The garden area at Ride Inn is beautifully landscaped and a perfect place for bonfire

A Perfect Destination for Comfort and Pleasure: I was amazed multiple times for different reasons. I realized I was not only exposed to bewildering sights but also a magnificently done hotel. The exteriors have an earthy appeal considering the colour, texture and the moderate use of wood. I later got to know the architecture of Ride Inn drew inspiration from old Himachali Kathkuni architecture. It is a traditional form of architecture prevalent in Northern Himachal Pradesh and is eco-friendly. Such architecture is weather-friendly, aesthetically pleasing and stable for years. In addition to this, Ride Inn is designed to ensure comfort and provides rooms and corners, giving personal space to guests. Each corner is distinct. The garden area has logs of woods for seating arrangement and bonfire; the attention-grabbing café too has cosy corners done differently; I would like to mention in a separate point. Also, they have a sufficient parking space that can contain up to 8-9 cars within the premise.

The vibrant, cosy rooms and the wooden furnishing keep you warm

Warm and Comfy Rooms: This is one of those hotels where you would not want to step out of your rooms. I am one restless person, always on foot and never taking a rest. When I visit a place, I am a traveller and not a tourist. I do not believe in wasting a fraction of second because I love to explore. Ride Inn changed that for me. Most of the time, I was busy finishing my work on the laptop and enjoying coffee breaks with a surreal view right from my balcony. The room is compact and cosy with simple wooden furnishings and dreamy yellow lamps. A nicely done bed and a neat and clean washroom with all amenities like hot water geyser, toiletries and a balcony with a view. You would find a floor rug and a small cabinet with extra blankets for extremely cold weather. It only shows the thoughtfulness and planning that has gone into making and maintaining this homely abode. Generally, when I visit a cold place and stay in a hotel, I have to ask for extra comforters. This beforehand concern, to ensure the comfort of guests, pleased me.

The décor elements at Ride Inn Cafe are made of bike gears and are interesting to see

The Roof-Top Café & Food: I never found the cafe vacant, not even once. People, especially youngsters, frequently visit here. You can sit in this roof-top café with a view, read books, work and spend hours with some good food at your disposal. As earlier mentioned, each corner is distinct. The décor elements are made of bike gears and are very interesting to see. You would find glass tables decorated with bike gears, stools made of motorbike seats with a spring, tissue holder made of nut and bolt, lampshades made of some iron spikes, I am sure they are called something in riders’ lingo. They have a washbasin area with a Yamaha oil tanker used as a water dispenser, Rajdoot accessory made into a soap dispenser and a bike tyre into a washbasin. If you have to witness the height of creativity, zeal for standing out and passion for your work, Ride Inn is the place to be. One part of the cafe is converted into a dining area and is extremely vibrant. They have made a dining table from a scooter (Bajaj Chetak) with serving bowls mounted on the top. Then there is a comfortable floor-seating arrangement with a view on one side and a slightly sophisticated seating arrangement with wooden tables, chairs and bean bags on the other. The centre of the café has a furnace made of barrels. A vibrant wall with stickers all over and interesting travel quotes on walls everywhere are sure to inspire you to travel more and of course to revisit Ride Inn whenever feasible. 

Ride Inn menu is loaded with lip-smacking dishes; offers curated dining experience and divine desserts

The food at Ride Inn needs a special mention because the owners Sneh & Godwin are chefs themselves. So you can imagine how carefully they must have put the menu in place. Each cuisine is carefully curated by them and passed on to the chef in charge. The food is sumptuous. I have had the best of foods but whatever I ate here was a perfect balance of spices, aroma and taste. The presentation is simple yet chic. A lot of attention has gone into the cutlery to complement the furnishings. Once you have absorbed all of this, try their divine dessert. My personal favourite is Apple Caramel Blondie. It tastes heavenly! Slightly warm and melts in your mouth to leave a creamy, caramelized taste to relish for long. Everything on the menu is so perfect that you might feel satiated but can never get bored eating the same dish.  

Enjoyed the warmth, service and the room with a view

Good Hospitality and Service: Right since the time I stepped in to Ride Inn till I checked out, I found the staff and management extremely courteous, helpful and always on their toes. They guided us on various things. They told us about the place, food, explained the menu thoroughly without rushing and served us the best and most delectable dishes we had ordered. If I sound too full of praises, please know that it is worth it. After all, it is a well-trained staff that makes your stay an exceptional one. No matter how good a hotel is, if you do not find them hospitable enough, you ruin your mood and eventually the trip. Ride Inn hospitality is good.

Sneh & Godwin – The owners of Ride Inn (Image courtesy: Ride Inn)

More About the Owners – Sneh & Godwin, the owners of this place have too many things in common. Call it a coincidence or destiny; they are both professional hairdressers and chefs and have an unparalleled love for travel. The duo is making excellent use of their commonalities and serving fellow travellers with the finest of experiences in the form of Ride Inn. After exploring India extensively in the last many years, they fell in love with the Himalayas and decided to make it their home. Being hair artists, they also offer salon services at Ride Inn (I’m yet to explore). Constructing a luxurious building is one thing, infusing life through experiences, intricacies and cautions another. And, that is what the two masterminds have done through Ride Inn.

Evening at Ride Inn Cafe & Resort

If you ever visit this place, do not just stay here like you do in any other hotel. Instead, feel the emotions that go in every bit and the very existence of this place. Observe; to learn how you can make a difference if you are passionate about something. You got to feel this place more than just staying in at Ride Inn. So next time when you visit Manali, you know your favourite dwelling. Ride in to Ride Inn!

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Website: https://rideinn.in/

Location: Across Nehru Kund Bridge, Burwa Road, Manali

E-mail: info@rideinn.in

Contact: +918894539495; +918894594951

Book Review || Sur/Petition by Edward de Bono

I had mentioned in one of my Instagram posts, “Life is about constantly working on yourself.” Further to this, the excellent book by author Edward de Bono, explains the necessity of going over and beyond competition to sustain and win in the global marketplace. Edward de Bono, the author of this book encapsulates the need to move beyond old competitive strategies. In a world, where everyone’s constantly thinking of going ahead of their competition, it is time to focus more on creating/ manufacturing value that goes a long way i.e. competing with yourself.

The book is for individuals, who are competitive, creative and always strive to go over and beyond, especially when it comes to strategic thinking. We anxiously watch and focus on what others are doing, and often forget to translate our own thoughts and to work towards value creation. Competition is just a bottom line to any business and is a traditional way of looking at things. What’s more important in today’s time of global connectivity and marketplace is to unleash the vast potential of ‘integrated values’ that revolves around any business. A deep study, research, knowledge and understanding of any business is important to be in the competition. However, reinventing ways to go beyond competition by exploiting and leveraging strategies and values, around the product or service you aim at, makes all the difference.

What I loved about the book is, it’s published in 1993 and each word stands true to this day. Bono talks about preparing for the time when there’s a slump in the economy. He also mentions how it is important to stand out if one deploys serious creativity, concept design and R&D and elaborates on the application of each one of these. Although the book speaks more from the business mindset, it is yet well relatable to any profession you are in. I could relate to it from being a marketing & branding professional to also as an entrepreneur.

It will inspire you to go beyond not just average but beat the best of the bests through quality, creativity and giving serious value for anything. The book does not say that the competition is wrong; it just tells you how to think beyond the competition. In other words, to be extraordinary, it’s important to beat the ordinary by providing unexpected products and services. You can’t just replicate business to be in the global marketplace because if you do so, you’ll never be able to create a monopoly. Monopoly is the art of ‘Sur/Petition’. It is the art of breaking the rules by unleashing the value propositions to stay ahead of the game. Being the best or producing the best is not enough in today’s competitive world. Sur/Petition is the need of the hour because value backed with strong strategy, concept and R&D can never go wrong.

Bono explains every aspect of the behavior in a world of competition to the aspects that fall under sur/petition and how the two are different. With thorough experience and life examples, he has done an incredible job in writing this book for generations to come. There’s lot to learn and follow. The initial few chapters would make you feel; you know things already because we have been in the competition state always. Do not stop there. The second half of the book brings you the interesting ways to stay ahead of competition through sur/petition. Go on, read this book and leave in comments how you felt about the book. Please like and share if you found this review useful and follow me on my social media.

Pages: 240

Publisher: Penguin

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Pinewood Cottages Kasauli: A Jungle Retreat

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

Pristine, serene and majestic! These are the adjectives that completely define this place.

Pinewood Cottages Kasauli is a place to be. Located in the outskirts, these cottages are situated with village on one side and jungle on the other. The deep valley, the curvacious narrow lanes, the abundant greenery makes for the picturesque beauty.

Weekend Getaway

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

We planned to visit this place over a weekend. Provided, the stay was short, we had an amazing time. With me was my spouse, his friends and my pet. Yes, this place is pet-friendly and to my relief there were no other visitors than us, and my dear Labrador, named Dollar, had the best time of his life. We were not untouched with all the magnificent beauty of this place. The silence was overwhelming. Our senses could now unwind to a completely non-polluted hill station.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

The Journey Began

We left at 5 in the morning from Delhi on a Saturday and reached the destination around 2 PM. We booked a tempo traveler that cost us around 14 grands, but gave us ample space to even lie down and keep our bags. It was a smooth journey throughout. With a halt at Sukhdev Dhaba, Moorthal in Haryana where we had rich and most famous parathas served with excessive white butter. They were even more delicious when followed by tea. Without any other major stop, we finally reached Pinewood Cottages in Kasauli. The last 4 km stretch was a bumpy ride, as there was no pakka road.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

Beauty of the Cottages

On the right hand, I saw some varnished cottages. These cottages were looking all the more beautiful because of the sun rays, which made them look golden in color. There was abundant greenery and huge pine trees, the spiky needle like leaves shined splendidly. On these trees were found cones scattered here and there. These brown cones added to the beauty and I badly wanted one of them to take back with me as a memory. Unfortunately, these pine cones were too high from our reach and I could only bring back the ones I found lying underneath.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

There were around six cottages including the tree house. Each one of us picked the cottage and dumped the luggage. The rooms were neat, made of wooden logs, including the furniture. There were lights and a fan, but no electricity. The washrooms were clean and spacious, but the water was freezing cold. Since, there was no electricity, no point of expecting a hot water bath.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

The Stay

It was sunny at the time we reached this place, but with the setting sun the temperature fell down considerably and we had to put on our woolens. We sat on the front lawn where there were chairs for us and demanded for a bonfire arrangement. The two caretakers Inder and Ganesh arranged it for us and we were highly pleased with Inder; he was spontaneous. However, later to our surprise we were told that there was no milk for tea and no food. Each time we would ask for something, they would go to the market in main Kasauli and get it for us. And, it took them almost one to one and a half hours each time they went uphill to the market. There was always a probability that we would have had to stay without food. We were lucky enough to have stayed only without tea. Of course, we drank tea; without the milk.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

As it went dark and cold, we were at our best. The bonfire kept us alive under the open sky. Oh! That reminds me of millions of stars I saw after ages. The last I saw them was on one of the camps I stayed in Rishikesh, some two years back. It was marvelous. Imagine the soft cushion like grass under your feet, cold breeze caressing your cheeks, fire to warm the place and snacks and beverages to accompany you in your chit chat session with friends. Right in front of us was a valley and little farther, a mountain with trees symmetrically arranged that looked pitch black in the night.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

Finally, we had dinner, which the poor chaps had arranged from the market. The food wasn’t excellent, but good to satiate your stomach pangs and taste buds.

The only drawback was that we could not charge our mobile phones, which were completely dead by then.

The Caretaker

Inder was an extremely benevolent  and humble being, who had been on his toes throughout. He made the best arrangements to his capacity and told us stories about leopards that visited the cottages late in the night. He added to the thrill as the place was pitch dark, the only light we had was of the bonfire which was sure to die. He also promised to take us to the waterfall early morning. With this, we left for our cottages to wake up early morning.

We all managed to sleep soundly.

We woke up in the middle of the night to look out for leopards without stepping out of the cottages as instructed by Inder, till we saw the morning light.

The Dawn

The sun rise was splendid. The beauty of the sun cannot be ignored at the time of dawn. The sun rose beautifully behind the mountains and spread its redness, near and far to its circumference just like a deep red dye spreads across a white fabric–deeper towards the center and lighter towards the periphery. The pine trees in the front, still looked black, but distinct.

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

We planned to go to the waterfall, but it was nothing but a stream of water and we came back a little disappointed. On our way back we met the villagers and local people.  They were quite welcoming and had a warm smile on their faces.

We then decided to go down the valley, which were the farms of the villagers, their bread and butter. We must have touched almost the end of the valley and found a variety of plantation. Some of them were the citrus fruits, red hot chillies, ripe tomatoes, radish, bamboo shoots, cucumber and lots more.  After the trekking to the valley plantation, we decided to rest a while and eat breakfast.

 

Photo Credit: Ashish Verma

We also went to the market in main Kasauli to curb our tea cravings.  Tea was exceptionally sweet for people like me who do not have a sweet tooth.

There is nothing much to see in Kasauli. Despite the drawbacks like lack of basic amenities and poor service, we enjoyed our stay because we were on our own. It was an overall thrilling experience to stay in the wooden cottages amidst forest.

Far from the maddening crowd

Pinewood cottages are worth a shot if you are in a large group of friends and family. The best you can do is to keep a backup for everything, be it torch, lighter, extra water bottles and food or snacks to munch. You’ll enjoy this place completely if you wish to while away with the traffic, honks and fast life. The beauty of vicinity, the silence of the mountains,  cottages amidst deep dense forests would make up for all the shortcomings. Try it out!

Tariffs:

One Night Room Tariff Only

Deluxe Cottage : Rs.3600

Super Deluxe Cottage :  Rs.4200

Duplex Cottage : Rs.5400

Tree House Cottage : Rs.6000

Child 5-10 years : Nil

Child (10+) / Adult : 500

– without extra bedding

– except in Deluxe and Tree-House

 

Website: http://www.pinewoodcottageskasauli.com/