An Experience of a Lifetime: Holidaying at Homestays at Ranikhet
When we first decided to have a holiday in the hills this autumn, we had a dozen –odd options to choose from. Mussourie- Dehradun had become too crowded, Shimla-Kasauli seemed too routine Kulu-Manali didn’t sound exciting and Nainital-Corbett was nothing new. Then what- where to go? By chance while contemplating options around Nainital, I glanced upon a site NAINITALCOTTAGES.com and was enchanted by the choices of home stay cottages in and around Nainital. Since everyone has seen or done Nainital at least once, we wanted this holiday to be differently unique, yet not very off-beat –so we decided to try out the home stays option –and hence chose RANIKHET- the website made our choice of habitation easier- since it offered only one cottage-`Home stays at Ranikhet’- at this location-and were we not glad for the choice!
Being a new location and sited slightly off the main Ranikhet town, we were skeptical about `how to reach and `what to do’? Whatever doubts we had and couldn’t be clarified by the booking partner, Mr. Praveen, were put to rest by the owners- Ruchika & Bhasker –who I later learnt have made it a habit to personally speak to each before they embark upon the journey- so as to clarify all their queries and put the guests at ease- in fact we were even given details of what temperatures to expect and not to carry any extras as almost everything would be available at the cottage to make one’s stay comfortable!
Starting early morning from Delhi was a huge advantage as we crossed all the heavy traffic areas without a hitch and were soon having an early lunch at Kathgodam, by noontime. This being the railhead and last point in plains, the progress thereafter was slow and winding laboriously through the picturesque hillside, which one enjoyed as we kept passing. Taking the Nainital bye-pass, we arrived at the lake town of Bhimtal, within an hour’s drive from Kathgodam. The emerald shaped lake offered boating and swimming pleasures, which we enjoyed, besides listening to the legend of Bhim –the Pandava- after whom it’s named, from the boatman. Numerous options for stay alongside the lake are also available, but we didn’t even consider them and moved on!
Crossing Bhowali Junction next was an effort in traffic management skills, as this small predominantly market town is the gateway to four major destinations- hence is perennially crowded. Frankly its narrow roads and gullies are not made for today’s big trucks and SUVs and one wrong parking can create huge jams on all the four axes. Kainchi Dham comes next- known for the ashram of Neeb Karauli Baba –a 20th century saint- but more popular among tourists as a halting point for the refreshing tea and pakoras- indeed the taste and warmth was truly rejuvenating- especially for our driver, who thereafter covered the kilometers faster! A beautiful nursery with thousands of colorful blooms we cross, and are tempted to buy, but realize that flowers are not going to last long in the warm climate of the plains. Khairna is the next point- which is actually a bifurcation point for roads leading to Almora and Ranikhet. It also has options of angling and swimming, while for others it’s a halting point for light refreshments.
Now the hillside properly descends on you- what with step farms, thatched hut villages, steep hills and flowing rivulets dotting the landscape. Beyond, in the far distance the high peaks of the majestic Garwhal Himalayas beckon every visitor-and we’re told that on a clear day-if one’s lucky-even Mt Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva can be sited from here! Finally, after a 30 km drive from Khairna we see the board of Ranikhet Cantonment welcoming us, along with a majestic entrance and a small memorial to the braves that enchants you on arrival. The toll tax of Rs 20 is promptly paid and we climb the winding Cantt road, till Mall Road, cross the Military Hospital and pass- by the Kumaon Regimental Centre and its various edifices-the museum, the stadium, the War Memorial, Drill Ground, Canteen Complex etc, etc till we cross Upat and reach the Golf Course -a nine hole marvel at 6000 feet, through which the main highway passes and passersby have to be careful of flying golf balls while crossing. We learn that membership is controlled by the local army authorities and with a little bit off influence and nominal deposit one can tee-off to your delight- off course managing a foursome should not be a problem for the enterprising!
Kalika Village comes next- famous for it’s `Kali Mata Temple’ and a forest nursery. We give it the skip as our destination is approaching- and we get the first view of the Vimoksha Valley Complex –as we site the pink roofs of the cottage complex- just across from the main road. As the signboards announce that you’re to slow down as one is approaching Majkhali market- were flagged down by the caretaker of `Ranikhet Home stays’- who is standing beside their notice board on the turning to Digoti Village- which is the actual location of this holiday resort complex. The steep descent as we enter the complex is a bit scary, but since Shankar is there to guide the driver, we overcome the fear- as it gives way to exhilaration at the marvelous view –the beautiful countryside with the snow capped Himalayas in the yonder is indeed a treat to watch. The complex is so well sited that its open on three sides- with the front giving the best view, its rose garden enhancing the aura ,as do the lush green pathways and fruit laded tress and verdant greenery all around you- it’s truly a divine experience !
We enter `Home stays’ through its imposing entrance, the pathway leading through the well kept garden, with creepers and climbers dotting its surrounding wall and the wrought iron poles of the extending lobby at the entrance .On entering the cottage- aptly named- la Casavv- Italian for my Castle- we cannot but admire the aesthetic sense of the owner, which reflects in each if its item-be it décor, furnishings, pure sheesham furniture or the imposing French style windows. As Shankar serves us fresh Buransh Juice,which is a local delicacy- we explore the cottage further and climb up the wooden staircase that leads to the first floor, which has two tastefully done up bedrooms, interconnected by a lobby and leading out to a common balcony, which easily accommodates six seats-and we immediately roll out the folded chairs to enjoy the view-now from an elevated posture !
What to do is no more the worrying question once we learn that there are numerous walks/ treks from this location to various exciting locales- sightseeing options too are a plenty- ranging from Chaubathia Gardens to Kasauni considered the Switzerland of India – which is just a 2 hour drive away, along with its pre-historic Baijnath Temples; Tarikhet- Shitlakhet among the closer ones and Binsar-Bageshwar- Someshwar- being the slightly far-off options. But for now- one doesn’t feel like going anywhere- so we just let the cottage and its heavenly surroundings steep into our system first- other sights and excursions we leave it for another day!
The sight of the setting sun from this location is just breathtaking- Shankar tells us that we’re lucky yet again as only on a clear day could we get such a view. As evening descends, we notice the flocks of birds returning to their nests, one woodpeckers is busy plucking away at the bark of a nearby tree- while another bunch of blue- birds is in the cottage garden –with butterflies and moths for company! As the light fades away and the evening descends, the weather too changes and with the night moths emerging- the chill too surfaces, and we scamper to get our woolens on.
Then Shankar offers to light up a bonfire and we immediately consent and carry the warm cuppa tea-into the garden- to be savored alongside the fire which starts to light up. Others in the group look for enterprising ways and other spirits to warm themselves up- especially once Shankar has informed that there’s a licensed permit shop in Majkhali market- which closes at 7 pm!
The night then just passes by- the warmth is added by Shnakars exotic cooking- pakoras and French fries are quickly mustered up- with Kebabs and Tikkas to follow. The fire by now is glistening and warms up even the souls – in the meanwhile the kids get busy watching their favorite TV program- Shankar gets busy rustling up some Indian delicacies as the main course and the spirits(of all likes) take over our memories thereafter. The 3 day holiday had to be extended by another day on popular demand-what sights we saw will be another story in itself- but the experience of staying at a `home away from home’, reasonably priced, excellently located and tastefully made up to add to everyone’s comfort- is what we’ll remember for a lifetime ! The piece–de –resistance is the visitor’s book, which the owners have kept for guests to pen their views and feedback and suggestions- a novel idea- which seemed to have caught on the fancy of guests .Scanning through others visitors ’comments, we realized that in a short span of little under tow years, this home stay cottage had become so popular that it had started getting repeat guests and everyone had praises and acknowledgements for its lovely upkeep.
Need we say more- only long to come back again- this time for an even longer duration- and probably with friends and relatives in tow- even the pet dog- who we’re told is allowed here- unlike at most similar places- as long as the guests look after its food and cleaning responsibilities!
Wow- it was indeed a lifetime’s experience!!
When we first decided to have a holiday in the hills this autumn, we had a dozen –odd options to choose from. Mussourie- Dehradun had become too crowded, Shimla-Kasauli seemed too routine Kulu-Manali didn’t sound exciting and Nainital-Corbett was nothing new. Then what- where to go? By chance while contemplating options around Nainital, I glanced upon a site NAINITALCOTTAGES.com and was enchanted by the choices of home stay cottages in and around Nainital. Since everyone has seen or done Nainital at least once, we wanted this holiday to be differently unique, yet not very off-beat –so we decided to try out the home stays option –and hence chose RANIKHET- the website made our choice of habitation easier- since it offered only one cottage-`Home stays at Ranikhet’- at this location-and were we not glad for the choice!
Being a new location and sited slightly off the main Ranikhet town, we were skeptical about `how to reach and `what to do’? Whatever doubts we had and couldn’t be clarified by the booking partner, Mr. Praveen, were put to rest by the owners- Ruchika & Bhasker –who I later learnt have made it a habit to personally speak to each before they embark upon the journey- so as to clarify all their queries and put the guests at ease- in fact we were even given details of what temperatures to expect and not to carry any extras as almost everything would be available at the cottage to make one’s stay comfortable!
Starting early morning from Delhi was a huge advantage as we crossed all the heavy traffic areas without a hitch and were soon having an early lunch at Kathgodam, by noontime. This being the railhead and last point in plains, the progress thereafter was slow and winding laboriously through the picturesque hillside, which one enjoyed as we kept passing. Taking the Nainital bye-pass, we arrived at the lake town of Bhimtal, within an hour’s drive from Kathgodam. The emerald shaped lake offered boating and swimming pleasures, which we enjoyed, besides listening to the legend of Bhim –the Pandava- after whom it’s named, from the boatman. Numerous options for stay alongside the lake are also available, but we didn’t even consider them and moved on!
Crossing Bhowali Junction next was an effort in traffic management skills, as this small predominantly market town is the gateway to four major destinations- hence is perennially crowded. Frankly its narrow roads and gullies are not made for today’s big trucks and SUVs and one wrong parking can create huge jams on all the four axes. Kainchi Dham comes next- known for the ashram of Neeb Karauli Baba –a 20th century saint- but more popular among tourists as a halting point for the refreshing tea and pakoras- indeed the taste and warmth was truly rejuvenating- especially for our driver, who thereafter covered the kilometers faster! A beautiful nursery with thousands of colorful blooms we cross, and are tempted to buy, but realize that flowers are not going to last long in the warm climate of the plains. Khairna is the next point- which is actually a bifurcation point for roads leading to Almora and Ranikhet. It also has options of angling and swimming, while for others it’s a halting point for light refreshments.
Now the hillside properly descends on you- what with step farms, thatched hut villages, steep hills and flowing rivulets dotting the landscape. Beyond, in the far distance the high peaks of the majestic Garwhal Himalayas beckon every visitor-and we’re told that on a clear day-if one’s lucky-even Mt Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva can be sited from here! Finally, after a 30 km drive from Khairna we see the board of Ranikhet Cantonment welcoming us, along with a majestic entrance and a small memorial to the braves that enchants you on arrival. The toll tax of Rs 20 is promptly paid and we climb the winding Cantt road, till Mall Road, cross the Military Hospital and pass- by the Kumaon Regimental Centre and its various edifices-the museum, the stadium, the War Memorial, Drill Ground, Canteen Complex etc, etc till we cross Upat and reach the Golf Course -a nine hole marvel at 6000 feet, through which the main highway passes and passersby have to be careful of flying golf balls while crossing. We learn that membership is controlled by the local army authorities and with a little bit off influence and nominal deposit one can tee-off to your delight- off course managing a foursome should not be a problem for the enterprising!
Kalika Village comes next- famous for it’s `Kali Mata Temple’ and a forest nursery. We give it the skip as our destination is approaching- and we get the first view of the Vimoksha Valley Complex –as we site the pink roofs of the cottage complex- just across from the main road. As the signboards announce that you’re to slow down as one is approaching Majkhali market- were flagged down by the caretaker of `Ranikhet Home stays’- who is standing beside their notice board on the turning to Digoti Village- which is the actual location of this holiday resort complex. The steep descent as we enter the complex is a bit scary, but since Shankar is there to guide the driver, we overcome the fear- as it gives way to exhilaration at the marvelous view –the beautiful countryside with the snow capped Himalayas in the yonder is indeed a treat to watch. The complex is so well sited that its open on three sides- with the front giving the best view, its rose garden enhancing the aura ,as do the lush green pathways and fruit laded tress and verdant greenery all around you- it’s truly a divine experience !
We enter `Home stays’ through its imposing entrance, the pathway leading through the well kept garden, with creepers and climbers dotting its surrounding wall and the wrought iron poles of the extending lobby at the entrance .On entering the cottage- aptly named- la Casavv- Italian for my Castle- we cannot but admire the aesthetic sense of the owner, which reflects in each if its item-be it décor, furnishings, pure sheesham furniture or the imposing French style windows. As Shankar serves us fresh Buransh Juice,which is a local delicacy- we explore the cottage further and climb up the wooden staircase that leads to the first floor, which has two tastefully done up bedrooms, interconnected by a lobby and leading out to a common balcony, which easily accommodates six seats-and we immediately roll out the folded chairs to enjoy the view-now from an elevated posture !
What to do is no more the worrying question once we learn that there are numerous walks/ treks from this location to various exciting locales- sightseeing options too are a plenty- ranging from Chaubathia Gardens to Kasauni considered the Switzerland of India – which is just a 2 hour drive away, along with its pre-historic Baijnath Temples; Tarikhet- Shitlakhet among the closer ones and Binsar-Bageshwar- Someshwar- being the slightly far-off options. But for now- one doesn’t feel like going anywhere- so we just let the cottage and its heavenly surroundings steep into our system first- other sights and excursions we leave it for another day!
The sight of the setting sun from this location is just breathtaking- Shankar tells us that we’re lucky yet again as only on a clear day could we get such a view. As evening descends, we notice the flocks of birds returning to their nests, one woodpeckers is busy plucking away at the bark of a nearby tree- while another bunch of blue- birds is in the cottage garden –with butterflies and moths for company! As the light fades away and the evening descends, the weather too changes and with the night moths emerging- the chill too surfaces, and we scamper to get our woolens on.
Then Shankar offers to light up a bonfire and we immediately consent and carry the warm cuppa tea-into the garden- to be savored alongside the fire which starts to light up. Others in the group look for enterprising ways and other spirits to warm themselves up- especially once Shankar has informed that there’s a licensed permit shop in Majkhali market- which closes at 7 pm!
The night then just passes by- the warmth is added by Shnakars exotic cooking- pakoras and French fries are quickly mustered up- with Kebabs and Tikkas to follow. The fire by now is glistening and warms up even the souls – in the meanwhile the kids get busy watching their favorite TV program- Shankar gets busy rustling up some Indian delicacies as the main course and the spirits(of all likes) take over our memories thereafter. The 3 day holiday had to be extended by another day on popular demand-what sights we saw will be another story in itself- but the experience of staying at a `home away from home’, reasonably priced, excellently located and tastefully made up to add to everyone’s comfort- is what we’ll remember for a lifetime ! The piece–de –resistance is the visitor’s book, which the owners have kept for guests to pen their views and feedback and suggestions- a novel idea- which seemed to have caught on the fancy of guests .Scanning through others visitors ’comments, we realized that in a short span of little under tow years, this home stay cottage had become so popular that it had started getting repeat guests and everyone had praises and acknowledgements for its lovely upkeep.
Need we say more- only long to come back again- this time for an even longer duration- and probably with friends and relatives in tow- even the pet dog- who we’re told is allowed here- unlike at most similar places- as long as the guests look after its food and cleaning responsibilities!
Wow- it was indeed a lifetime’s experience!!
Luxury cottage available for rent near Ranikhet in Uttarakhand.
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