Chhavi and I traveled to The Himalayan Shire near Fagu at the beginning of February for short non-tennis Holiday! And how we cherish that time spent in the beautiful surroundings of the Himalayan Shire in Himachal Pradesh. It is quite close to Shimla, Kufri and Fagu.
The Journey to the Himalayan Shire
The Himalayan Shire is a 7 room, tastefully done, luxury homestay 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 till Chandigarh and then a taxi to The Himalayan Shire. The Chai and Pakora was a welcome site to us after the long journey. Refreshed we headed to the coolest part of the homestay.
The Attic
Above the second floor common area is the most charming corner of the homestay, you can take the stairs to the attic for the coolest view of the majestic mountains. My joy knew no bounds when they served us evening tea there. Chhavi and I would head up and lounge around to our hearts content at every opportunity. You have to 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 about our room.
At the top of our list was the electric fireplace. In spite of traveling a good bit I never got to stay in a room with the fireplace! So, this was a first for both Chhavi and me. And we loved it. It was cold out there in February. There was still a bit of snow in the corners that didn’t get direct sunlight.
The electric blanket on the bed was the most used and useful feature! On the cold nights it was a lifesaver. After a while we would switch if off though. So even though the room was huge and the weather cold, we were always warm and cozy!
Chhavi loved the windows of the room, they were huge, they had a fabulous view and she could sit in them! We both loved it actually.
In the bathroom the amenities are kept in large bottles and refilled. When I mentioned this Rishabh, he said they try to reduce the consumption of single use plastic as much as they can. When you are there check out the bathroom tiles, they are gorgeous. Overall, we had a real beautiful room!
The Common Areas
The Himalayan Shire has many common areas to be enjoyed by the guests. TVs are in the common areas only. We don’t have TV at home so wee didn’t miss it at all. The second floor common area has table tennis and pool tables. I had a gala time playing TT with other guests. I can brag that I won all the games I payed!
We had the Sunday breakfast outdoors at the front lawn. The day was warm, perfect for outdoor activities. When Rishabh asked if we would like to go on a small hike later, I was really torn. I love walking but off late my knees give me immense trouble even on a regular day. I said yes to the hike with a lot of hesitation but I am glad I did it. But the details are going to be a separate post in itself.
The Food
The food is cooked fresh and they always ask your choice. We enjoyed all our meals. Chhavi gives a special shout out to pancakes. I really enjoyed breadrolls and parathas!
We had Manchurian and fried rice for one meal which was delicious. Otherwise, we enjoyed Indian meals. Chhavi is also giving a shout out to the Maggi she ate in the evening!
The View
We were sold out on the view from every corner! The view was fabulous was the room, the view was fabulous from the attic and it was still fabulous from the balconies and the front lawn. The property is away from the road, it was a blessing to my frayed city nerves.
Whenever I stay at such places I wonder why do we put up with the Delhi NCR pollution. My lungs always thank me when I visit such pristine places.
Overall Chhavi and I have beautiful memories of the Himalayan Shire. The above picture perfectly sums up over feelings about the trip. It was the last non-tennis travel we did and it did wonders for both of us. We would like to go back to the Himalayan Shire some day again.PS. I was invited by the Himalayan Shire as a blogger.