Meghalaya – What's Next?

12 Homestays you must add to your 2015 Bucket list

20th December 2014Posted in SaffronStays DiariesTagged coorg, Coorg Homestay, Darjeeling, Darjeeling, Darjeeling homestays, Goa, Goa, Goa Homestays, Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh homestays, Indian hospitality, kashmir homestays, Kerala homestays, Kottayam, Kullu Manali, Ladakh homestays, Manali homestay, Meghalaya, Rajasthan homestays, Sikkim homestays, Udaipur, Udaipur HomestaysLeave a comment

By Sarita Santoshini

2014 has been a remarkable journey for us. We launched our website and travelled to different parts of the country to bring some beautiful properties to you. As the year draws to an end, we want to leave you with plenty more reasons to travel in 2015 through our curated platform – great adventures, friendly locals, delicious food, beautiful landscapes, and warm experiences irrespective of where you decide to go. Out of the 800, we’ve painstakingly chosen these 12 beautiful stay options across India that we think you should add to your bucket list – one destination for every month of 2015!

1. Surround yourself by luxury, nature and tens of spotted deer – Udaipur, Rajasthan

Udaipur Homestays — You’ll always be surrounded by nature in this luxury homestay.

Amidst verdant and scenic hills of the Aravali mountain range in Udaipur is Shikarbadi. Once the chosen big game hunting area of the royalty of Mewar, Shikarbadi today is home to this beautiful, luxury property that allows you to experience an untouched side of the White City. The six themed suites of the homestay have been set around a manicured garden on a floor above the host’s rooms. Here, you can listen to the songs of the birds and often spot deer, porcupines and foxes trotting outside the fences of the house. Rest assured you can experience true Rajasthani hospitality here through the friendly service and delicious local food, recipes of some of which have come straight from the royal kitchen.

Click here to learn more and book.

2. Getaway from Mumbai to a hilltop farm overlooking the valley – Chiplun, Coastal Maharashtra

Maharashtra Homestays — Plunge into this inviting pool and enjoy the view of the mountains and the valley.

If you’re looking for an offbeat getaway from Mumbai, this farm house in Chiplun, built on an 18 acre land, on a hilltop overlooking the valley, is just the place for you. The rooms are very simple, but you’ll have peacocks and friendly dogs here for company, an inviting open pool that you can plunge into, and home-cooked Maharashtrian fares, prepared on the traditional wood-fired stoves under a mango tree, to relish. During your stay, you can spend your day floating on a boat in the Vashisth estuary and your nights either watching a star studded sky from the terrace or driving through the jungle in a jeep. Not a dull moment here! (Also read: A Surprise Anniversary Getaway )

Click here to learn more and book.

3. Escape to a royal Villa overlooking the Dal Lake – Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir

This beautiful Villa in Srinagar is owned by the descendants of Maharaja Hari Singh.

Overlooking the Dal Lake and facing the Zabarwan range, this beautiful Villa is home to the descendants of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Nestled amongst apple, cherry and plum orchards, it is a part of their larger private estate, one where they organise fortnightly farmers market and the annual Darah Shikoh Festival. With a 36 feet high central atrium, tastefully done rooms and a lounge that comes with a view, it makes for a perfect retreat when in Srinagar. During their stay, guests can enjoy strolls in the walking trail around the estate and the nearby pond that attracts a large number of migratory birds. If you are lucky you may even come across a Himalayan Black Bear!

Click here to learn more and book.

4. Stay with one of India’s best birding guides – Kewzing, Sikkim

Enjoy the unspoilt beauty of Sikkim while you stay in this Log House.

If you’re a birding enthusiast, this is just the place for you. Mr. Bon, your host, and one of India’s most renowned Ornithologists, has been leading birding tours around Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan and Nagaland since 2001. During your stay, you can take guided birding tours to Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary, Borong and on trails that lie close to Doling Monastery in Ravangla and Mambru Monastery that is perched on top of a hill. The homestay itself is located next to a monastery. You can choose to stay in the log houses, suites or the family rooms, and eat delicious organic meals with a view of the Kanchenjunga during your stay.

Click here to learn more and book.

5. Stay in a charming cottage surrounded by apple orchards – Manali, Himachal

The homestay lies surrounded by apple orchards and green mountains

Located in Bipasha Valley near Manali, this charming cottage lies nestled by apple trees and offers a scenic escape from the chaos of city life. The bedroom comes with a number of windows and a small personal balcony overlooking the hill station of Manali. There is a small garden outside where you can spend time enjoying the view, writing or sipping a cup of hot tea. The friendly hosts also whip up a delicious meal using fresh organic produce from their garden. During your stay, you can go for short treks around the cottage, on a trail leading to the Some River and another to a beautiful waterfall.

Click here to learn more and book.

6. Explore an exotic village while staying in the midst of a community forest – Mawlongbna, Meghalaya

Your cottage lies a walk away from this breathtaking spot. — Your cottage lies a walk away from this breathtakingly beautiful spot.

The beautiful village of Mawlongbna in Meghalaya, tucked away from local tourists, houses two cottages for the adventurous travellers. Reaching the village involves a walk through the community forest, with little streams, brooks and a waterfall en route. During your stay, you can set off with the locals to discover fossils of sea-creatures (remnants of an era when the entire area was covered by the expanse of the seas), go fishing or kayaking in a water reserve nearby, and visit the local markets. The best part? Dining on local Khasi cuisine with a view of the plains of Bangladesh! (Also read: The Bridges that Grow )

Click here to learn more and book.

7. Experience a lesser-known Ladakh by the cliff bank of River Indus – Uleytokpo, Ladakh

Set on the banks of the Indus river, these cottages let in a stunning view of Ladakh's landscape. — Set on the banks of the Indus river, these cottages let in a stunning view of Ladakh’s landscape.

Set at the cliff bank of river Indus, 70 Kilometers into Sham valley is the village of Uleytokpo. Here, set amidst apple and apricot orchards is a beautiful eco property that allows you to experience luxury, serenity as well as a lesser-known side of Ladakh. The rooms are large and spacious with a large number of windows where you can wake up to a view of the vast mountains. During your stay, you can pick from one of the many books in the cosy library, indulge yourself with a refloxolgy session in the in-house spa, or venture out for river rafting and hiking.

Click here to learn more and book.

8. Spend the night star gazing from an attic room – Chimney, Darjeeling

The stunning bird's eye view from the village of Chimney — The stunning bird’s eye view from the village of Chimney

Located in a charming little village called Chimney that lies at an altitude of 6800 feet, this homestay is your window into a side of Darjeeling that not many know or talk about. The best part about the location is the bird’s eye view of Teesta River, Siliguri and neighbouring regions from its roads. On the other side is a beautiful misty juniper forest, and there are a few waterfalls and viewpoints that lie a short hike away. Stay in this cosy attic room, taste some delicious Nepalese food, and spend your night star gazing or watching lights flicker in the valley below. (Also read: Memories of a Dreamy Village )

Click here to learn more and book.

9. Experience the lavish plantation life in a Colonial Bungalow – Coorg, Karnataka

Experience the lavish plantation life in this Heritage Bungalow in Coorg

Surrounded by sweeping vistas of the ever picturesque Kodagu Hills, this Heritage Bungalow is fit for royalty. With large, spacious rooms, fireplaces, Victorian furniture and manicured lawn, the Bungalow takes you back to a bygone era with its old world charm. During your stay, you can eat scrumptious meals of Coorg delicacies like Pandhi (pork) or Koli (Chicken) Curry, Akki Roti (Rice Roti), Kadumbuttu (Rice Dumplings), Wild Mushroom and Mango Curry. While there, other than strolling through the coffee plantations, you can take a trip to Abbey Falls, Nagarhole National Park and the Namdroling Tibetan Monastery.

Click here to learn more and book.

10. Stay in a rustic cottage in the heart of a forest – Corbett, Uttarakhand

These rustic cottages allow you to be one with the forest.

These cottages make for a very special wilderness destination where you can be in, and one with the forest. Situated on the banks of the Ramganga River in Corbett National Park, and accessible on foot, it’s for true forest lovers and those that seek the wild in its original, pristine form, away from the crowds, the vehicles and heightened human activity. The cottages here are beautiful and have been constructed with locally sourced clay, savannah thatch and wood inspired by traditional Vangujjar tribal style. While here, soak up the wilderness from your verandas, enjoy some delicious meals, explore the forest on foot, enjoy birdwatching, butterfly spotting, or look for signs of the big ones.

Click here to learn more and book.

11. Watch the sun set over lush fields from a hill top Bungalow – Kottayam, Kerala

Enjoy a gorgeous sunset from your balcony in the hill top Bungalow.

Set in the hills of the beautiful town of Kottayam, this bungalow lets you soak up the rich natural surroundings of Kerala away from the tourists trails. The charming rooms open up to a view of lush green fields and backwaters, which can be enjoyed with multiple cups of tea from the veranda. Other than enjoying delicious Malayali meals, you can enjoy cycling by the hilly countryside, take long leisurely walks through the fields and go for backwater rides through sleepy villages.

Click here to learn more and book.

12. Stay in a Wooden Chalet on the banks of a river – Ribandar, Goa

Goa Homestays — The beautiful wooden chalet by the Mandovi river in Goa.

Situated on the banks of Goa’s largest River, Mandovi, is this beautiful wooden chalet that looks straight out of a Hollywood movie. Built in 1730, the property comes with three bedrooms, one of which opens up to a paved patio by the edge of the river, living rooms, dining hall, kitchen, sun decks and even a convenience store. The house is designed perfectly to allow the view of the river, the Salem Ali Bird Sanctuary and adjacent islands from every location in the house. During your stay, you can enjoy fishing or rent a bike to explore the town of Ribandar.

Click here to learn more and book.

Which one of these homestays would you add to your 2015 Bucket list? Tell us in the comments section.

About the Author: Born and raised in Assam, Sarita Santoshini has been travelling around India and penning down her experiences over the past year. She currently works as the Content Editor for SaffronStays. You can read more of her travelogues on her blog-http://crumbsfromyourtale.wordpress.com.

How Shillong made me love walking- A retrospective read

20th October 2014Posted in Hometown tales, MeghalayaTagged Homestays in Meghalaya, Lower Lachumiere, Meghalaya, Shillong, Upper Shillong, Walking in Shillong, Wards LakeLeave a comment

By Amrita Das

It was an uphill task. For years, I stood there and imagined the prospect of climbing the hill to my school. There were many ways I tried to cheat it; sometimes taking alternate route which was more elaborate, sometimes keeping unwanted company and most often, getting a car drop to school. Soon, school was over and I never had to walk up that hill again.

Years later, I was visiting my hometown, Shillong, during my semester break in college and I stood at the same junction, looking at the road which went upward to my school. The only marked difference this time was that my feet craved for the walk up the hill. And as I concluded the infamous walk, I was glowing with contentment.

I have lived out of home for more than a decade and one of the essential lessons from Shillong is the habit of walking. As a child who has grown up in this scenic city, this form of exercise was forced upon me by my family members as ‘kilometres of morning walk’ or by situations ‘walk to the market’ when there was something to be purchased. At that point, it was least desirable. However, as I grew up I realised that I soaked up some of my favourite conversations and memories while engaged in this activity. It defined companionships, helped me explore the unknown spaces within my home, and introduced a certain stability within me.

As the sunlight made its way through the tall trees of Shillong, I would near the completion of my morning walks. Attempting a different route every day, these walks were now idyllic and therapeutic. Recovering with a hot cup of chai, placidly seated on the stairs of my balcony, I have spent hours writing in my journal. Most of them, inane feelings or elaborate letters to loved ones across the country. You know, writer’s block is an illusory concept which promptly disappears if you’re writing after a walk. Until this recent article in the New Yorker, I never realised the scientific co-relation behind walking and writing. And even now, when I am filled with distractions before writing, I go for a walk.

Then I remember the first time I discovered that alternate way to my best friend’s home. It was across the steep hill in Upper Lachumiere and steeper were the steps which comprised this ‘shortcut’. If anyone believed that shortcuts were easy in life, didn’t climb these flight of stairs! Towards the end of it, I was out of breath, panting and relieved. However, what stays with me was the quaint houses I discovered en route, the shrubs of wild flowers that paved our path, our exhausted-laughs and the 10 minutes that I saved having taken this route. These additional minutes were well-invested in our conversations and my walk through this route only got easier every day.

Wards Lake in Shillong — One of my favourite walking routes is near Wards Lake. Photo by Amrita Das

Shillong taught me the only way to truly discover a place is on foot. From those elusive short routes to the unknown turns in city centre, when we are walking, we are accurately observing the sights and the vibes of the place. This has also helped me build my sense of navigation. Walking can put even sophisticated applications like Google Maps to shame. Trust me, the richest of experiences don’t show up on apps; they are chanced upon while curiously peering through corners of an unknown neighbourhood.

The typical Shillong sky. Photo by Amrita Das

Whether it has be the countless strolls around the streets of Lower Lachumiere or the questionable trails around Shillong Cantonment area or the impromptu hikes around Upper Shillong, every time, my legs have grown stronger and deepened my relationship with the outdoors. There are moments when I escape into the clean environs of Shillong in my head, wandering through the forest on foot and breathing in the fresh greens. Immediately, I transcend into a calmer space, no matter where I may be.

Visit our website to book homestays in Shillong

About the traveller: Amrita Das is a travel blogger and a freelance travel writer. She travels solo and has travelled across 20 states in India and explored countries in Europe. Her travelogues have been featured in National Geographic Traveller India magazine, amongst other publications and websites. She blogs at www.travellingidesofmarch.com, tweets at @Amrita_Dass and shares regular photo stories on her Facebook page – www.facebook.com/travellingidesofmarch.

A Walk to Remember

6th October 2014Posted in Meghalaya, Ninja Diaries, Responsible tourismTagged Farm house, Khasi, Mawphlang, Meghalaya, Meghalaya home stays, Sacred Grove, ShillongLeave a comment

It was a pleasant, overcast day. We’d taken hints from the slightly clueless locals and driven off road down a beautiful valley. We soon found the wind mills we were looking for but there was no visible road in sight to get there. Getting off the car, we leisurely walked through a field and across a steady flowing stream before we reached an entrance of sorts. The wind mill now loomed right over us and a beautiful farm house stretched in front.

We were in Mawphlang, a village in Meghalaya that lies at a distance of about 26 kilometre from the capital city, Shillong. We had heard enough great things about James Perry’s property to make our way there ourselves. Built from scratch by the host Mr. James himself, with wind mills and a solar grid to generate power, it is a perfect hideout from the hustle bustle of the city. There are rolling fields and farms surrounding it, while a serene forest and the hills lie only a short trek away. If you’re not distracted by the stunning natural surroundings, you could spend your time snuggled up with a book in the loft of their wooden cabins or indulge in their home cooked delicacies.

Tearing ourselves away from the property, we made our way to the Sacred Grove next. Spread across an area of 78.6 hectares , with 400 species of trees and a number of monoliths, the forest holds cultural relevance and serves as a religious symbol to the local Khasi tribe. As we began our walk, our guide, Sanborlang, informed us of the sarcifices that are offered at regular intervals to seek divine blessings for victory, good harvest season and the betterment of society. A chief is elected from the Lyngdoh community and the four communities -Blah, Kharsiang, Khaunai and Sohliya – serve and protect the grove by electing a minister each.

Walking through the still forest – its stillness interrupted only by our hushed conversations with Sanborlang and the occsaional chirruping of birds from a distance – is a surreal experience. Since you can’t pluck, break or take anything out of the forest, fallen timber trees have taken beautiful moss-laden forms on the ground, and other than the narrow concrete pathway, the rest of the forest floor is beautiful shades of orange-brown-green.

Scared Forest — These monoliths, serving as places of sacrifice, lie scattered through the forest

It began to rain while we were there and we had to retire back sooner than we’d liked, but somehow, the experience left us tranquil for the rest of the day. Nature tends to have astounding effects on us, and sometimes, it leaves me at a loss for words.

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About the Traveller: Born and raised in Assam, Sarita Santoshini has been travelling around India and penning down her experiences over the past year. You can read more of her travelogues in her blog- http://crumbsfromyourtale.wordpress.com .

The Bridges that Grow

4th October 2014Posted in Meghalaya, Responsible tourismTagged Hiking, Living root Bridges, Meghalaya, Nature, trekkingLeave a comment

By Bhavani

A couple of years ago, three of us went on an all-girls trip to Meghalaya . Deciding against popular tourist haunts, we skipped the main Cherrapunji town and made our way to a hotel 15 km in the outskirts instead. The Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort, contrary to the name, is a family run guesthouse perched on top of a hill that boasts better views than Cherrapunji itself. It definitely lived upto every bit of the promise! The host told us about a range of the activities we could engage in and one caught our fancy—the root bridges. How could there be roots that were directed to grow across the rivers? Root bridges that could bear 50 people at one time? There were four bridges close by and we decided to do the easiest trek down to the one that lay in Umunoi. A determined trio went to bed but the less sleepy duo set out the next morning with some fruit, water, and a backpack stuffed with gumption.

Our guide, a local from the village, was wearing flip-flops! I looked at our expensive ‘trekking’ shoes designed to navigate this terrain and asked, ‘Will you manage?’ He smiled and shook his head with that all-over nod that probably meant ‘Yes I will’. At the beginning, the trek seemed simple, but soon the road turned into a steep descent over rough stone steps covered in moss. Moss in May? I wondered to myself. Doesn’t it grow in monsoons or maybe it’s… WHAM! My friend had fallen flat on her behind. And that set the tone for the rest of the trek. Two falls and one ‘sole-less’ shoe later we reached the base of the hill with zero pride. That ‘easy’ trek moved to difficult in our dictionary, but all pain vanished when we saw the root bridges in front of us.

Intertwined roots ran from one bank to the other forming a bridge of comfortable width to carry two abreast. It had a side railing for support, formed by yet another root. The bridge was dynamic and growing in strength with every passing day. Our guide told us about his Khasi ancestors, the masterminds behind these bridges. The roots of the rubber tree are directed to grow horizontally through hollowed betel nut trunks. These bridges take over 10 to 15 years to grow and can extend over 50 to 100 feet. They are believed to last over 500 years with little ‘maintenance work’. In a place that once received the highest amount of rainfall in the world , other wooden bridges might rot and decay, but these, thrive.

Living Root Bridge — The roots grow thick and strong across the river; you can hardly imagine a stream rushing below. Photo by Bhavani.

‘Living bridges’ our guide called them—I rolled those words over my tongue, liking the sound of it and the sheer ingenuity on display! I removed my shoes and walked across barefoot, feeling the firm roots, the soft mud and the stones all forming a carpet for me.. Below me, the river went by rapidly, as I lingered above, secure. Nature goes out of its way, literally, to help man. Do we reciprocate?

A little time later, rested and content we turned to go back to our hotel. We reached the base of the path and it hit us—a steep descent meant a steep ascent! We stood there staring up at the path in front of us with our mouths open and eyes round like saucers.Would we ever reach the top?

P.S. We were at our lowest levels of fitness then; others completed the entire trek in 4 hours with little difficulty. Today, we might too!

To explore stunning homestay options in Meghalaya : Homestays in Meghalaya

About the traveller: Bhavani is a traveller by choice, photographer by interest and writer by desire. She has crafted 12 heritage walking tours for Audio Compass and her articles have been published in Indian Express, Lonely Planet India, The Alternative and Unboxed Writers. She is in a dedicated relationship with chocolate, her husband and lower case – though confused about the order of preference! She blogs at merry to go around and tweets @bhavan1.