Chhavi and I went to the Himalayan Shire near Phagu in early February for a short non-tennis vacation. And how we cherish the time spent in the wonderful environment of Himalayan Shire Himachal Pradesh. It is quite close to Shimla, Kufr and Phagu.
Journey to Himalayan Shire
The Himalayan Shire is a 7 bedroom, tastefully done, luxury mansion owned by Rishabh Goel. He was there to greet us when we arrived at the property in the evening. We took the Kalka Shatabdi Express train to Chandigarh and then a taxi to Himalayan Shir. The Chai and Pakora was a welcome place for us after a long journey. Refreshed, we headed to the hottest part of the house.
The attic
Above the second floor common area is the most charming corner of the cabin, you can take the stairs up to the loft for the coolest view of the gorgeous mountains. My joy knew no bounds when we were served evening tea there. Chhavi and I climbed and relaxed to our hearts content at every opportunity. You should check it out.
Deodar Suite
We stayed at the Deodar Suite at the Himalayan Shire. It is a huge room with a huge bathroom. I loved so many things in our room.
At the top of our list was an electric fireplace. Despite traveling quite a bit, I’ve never been able to stay in a room with a fireplace. So this was a first for both Chhavi and me. And we liked it. It was cold there in February. There was still a little snow in the corners, which did not get direct sunlight.
The bed’s electric blanket was the most used and useful feature. It was a lifesaver on cold nights. After a while, we’ll disconnect if, however. So even though the room was huge and the weather cold, we were always warm and comfortable.
Chhavi loved the windows in the room, they were huge, had a fabulous view and he could sit in them. We both really loved it.
In the bathroom, amenities are kept in large bottles and refilled. When I mentioned this to Rishabh, he said that they are trying to reduce the consumption of single use plastic as much as they can. While you’re there, check out the bathroom tiles, they’re gorgeous! All in all we had a really nice room.
Common areas
Himalayan Shire has many common areas for guests to enjoy. TVs are only in common areas. We don’t have a TV at home so we didn’t miss it at all. The common area on the second floor has table tennis and pool tables. I spent gala time playing TT with other guests. I can boast that I won all the games I paid.
We had our Sunday breakfast outside on the front lawn. The day was warm, perfect for outdoor activities. When Rishabh asked if we’d like to go on a little hike later, I was really torn. I love to walk, but of late my knees give me a lot of trouble even during a normal day. I said yes to the hike with great hesitation, but I’m glad I did. But the details will be a separate post.
The food
The food is cooked fresh and they always ask for your choice. We enjoyed all our meals. Chavi gives a special shout out to the pancakes. I really enjoyed the bread rolls and parathas.
We had manchurian and fried rice for one meal which was delicious. Otherwise, we enjoyed the Indian meals. Chhavi also yells at Maggi that he ate in the evening.
The scene
We were sold on the view from every corner. The view from the room was fabulous, the view from the loft was fabulous and even more fabulous from the balconies and front lawn. The property is out of the way, which was a blessing for my frayed urban nerves.
When I stay in such places, I wonder why we put up with the pollution of Delhi NCR. My lungs always thank me when I visit such pristine places.
All in all, Chhavi and I have fond memories of Himalayan Shire. The picture above sums up the feeling about the trip perfectly. It was our last non-tennis trip and it did wonders for both of us. We would love to return to Himalayan Shire again one day.
P.S. I was invited by Himalayan Shire as a blogger.