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

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/

 

McLeod Ganj: Heaven on Earth

This divine hill station is sure to enchant you and gift you ample of refreshing memories that will make you come back for more. 

An eagle’s eye view of McLeod Ganj

Far from the maddening crowd, midst the lush greenery lies the abundant serenity. Have you ever thought of being in a place where you find silence in culture, unbound beauty in surroundings like gushing water, chirping birds, misty weather, clouds beneath and a mystique aura? If yes, this is the place for you.

McLeod Ganj, a community of Dharamshala in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, India is a wow place to visit. It’s a hill station that can be well described as a poet’s best poetry, a sculptor’s favorite piece of work or for a traveloholic (travel enthusiasts) like me; it’s simply the heaven on earth. There’s something about this place which urges you to stay. Some strange divinity with enchanting beauty, blended with surreal silence makes you nostalgic. You must break free and let the splendor engulf you.

Beautiful sunrise

The mornings of this place are magnificent and the evenings give them a tough competition by being equally captivating. The sky seems to have draped an opaque sheet, partially made of fog and partially of clouds. At some places you would be bluffed to believe that you are on top of the clouds. The abundant greenery will be a soothing balm to your tired nerves.

Morning glory

Though McLeod Ganj may outshine the city life that’s more contemporary, the sobriety of this place has enough to offer. The petite colorful handicraft shops and stalls along each step will raise an urge to shop till you drop just like you would do in any city mall. There’s lot of stuff for girls who have fascination for jewelry, handbags, shawls or stoles made of pure sheep wool and lots more–so much so that you’ll be scandalized to see. For guys too there’s plenty! If you are fond of fragrances, McLeod Ganj is the place. You get variety of aromatic candles, oils, and incense sticks. Silver and gemstones or semi-precious stones seem to be the USP for the villagers. And the best part is that they are crafted beautifully and each piece you hold is different from the rest.  Then you can also look for prayer flags, Tibetan artifacts, bronze statues, thangkas, small prayer wheels, cham-dance–masks which look quite interesting.

The amazing food joints and coffee shops will make you forget the Mocha of the world. Imagine yourself sitting in a coffee shop that offers the Tibetan delicacies ranging from the popular Thupka to Momos for those who would want to try some local food, while all sorts of Italian, Chinese, Japanese and mouth smacking Indian dishes too. The restaurant has an antique touch with hanging lamp shades throwing some dim yellow light, and the restaurant is constructed out of wood. The big windows on all the sides give you a sneak peek of the mountains and pitter-patter of rain drops; a perfect backdrop for romancing. How do you feel? If just a shot of imagination can make you glee, think of having a real life experience.

Apart from this, McLeod Ganj offers some must see destinations for tourists like us. Bhagsunag temple and the waterfall is one of the mesmerizing spots. To ascend to the waterfall you pass through the temple. Known to be the first Himalayan trek, Bhagsunag waterfall is exceptionally superb if you are visiting at the right time. Try to carry as less belongings as possible because the route to the waterfall is somewhat unruly. If you get a chance to dip in deep waters then you will feel the chills and shivers in your body as the water is freezing cold. The gigantic grey rocks add to the beauty of this place and leave you in awe for a while. The place also offers some strategically placed cafes and the popular one seemed to be the ‘Shiva Café’, the last stop. For the liquor lovers, this place is truly a heaven as alcohol is available under these hatched roof shops.

Bhagsunag waterfalls

Prayer Flags

The Dalai Lama Temple is aesthetically constructed. The architecture is in such a manner that just the right amount of sunlight is permitted to enter the temple. The place is glorified with chants and sermons recited by Lamas as part of rituals.

Prayer Bells at Dalai Lama Temple

While tourists hire a taxi to visit Naddi, one of the highest points of Dharamshala, we chose to trek all the way. You can try it out as it wasn’t exhaustive at all. We enjoyed the path with each footstep and clicked some amazing flicks to cherish for the lifetime. The scenic beauty along the way was magnanimous. From the main McLeod Ganj town to Dal Lake, a beautiful artificially constructed one, we covered a distance of 4 km, wasn’t cumbersome at all. We were not the odd ones out; there were other foreigners too who preferred trekking over taxi. Dal Lake is surrounded by humongous conifers and one side of it has good arrangement of benches at some intervals. You can sit for hours and let the beauty of silence seep within.

Dal Lake

Then there’s Triund known best for trekking, is one of the finest spots to capture the panoramic beauty. It is suggested to hire a guide for this place as way to Triund is midst forests and there’s always a risk of wild animals especially bears. These guides take with them their faithful dogs, which help keeping away these animals. Not too sure, if that’s true as we were not lucky enough to visit this place because of the rains.

If you are looking for some more peace and somberness, you must make a visit to Norbulingka Institue, further down the McLeod Ganj towards main Dharmshala. This institute primarily depicts the Tibetan culture through excellent works of art. The greenery, the pond, the flowers; colorful flags and the dazzling prayer bells in bronze, seem to have a story to tell you. The gentle breeze would kiss your cheeks silently, whispering something harmoniously.   

Further down the McLeod Ganj towards main Dharmshala, lies the Dharmshala cricket stadium, one of the highest cricket stadiums and main tourist attraction. Watching sportsmen play with Himalayan ranges at the backdrop was an overwhelming experience and an experience for the lifetime.

Dharmshala Stadium

So, do not waste time and plan your next trip to the holy land of McLeod Ganj. Capture the breathtaking views and enjoy to the fullest. Take a break and leave behind the chaotic city life to revive yourself.

Quick Facts:

Distance from New Delhi: 480 km (Approx.)

Travel Time: 10-12 hrs (Approx.)

Best time to visit: Anytime between April to December. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit.

Hotels and stay: The hotels in McLeod Ganj are dearth cheap if you are not visiting during the peak season. The good reasonable ones would range somewhere between 800 INR – 1000 INR while they can go up to 8000 INR per night.

Suggestions: Carry some woolens, an umbrella or a raincoat depending on the season of visit. If travelling by road, be prepared for the bumpy ride as there are horrific patches of road with endless potholes.

 

Photo Credit: Google