“The views from all around both properties were breath-taking and we enjoyed some of the recommended walks you can do around the grounds, especially being treated to a delicious lunch down at the river. The food was great throughout the 4 days, sitting outside for breakfast and lunches is a treat (as long as the flies are not out in force) and dinners were similarly a great experience where you get to chat with other guests in a relaxed, communial manner, though private dining is always available, which we did take advantage of one night, when we were too fatigued to make small talk. Great variation of food also – with a different food ‘theme’ given for different nights – i.e. Indian, Tibetan, etc. The room we had (Singuella Suite – spelt incorrectly I’m sure) was huge, had some lovely period furniture and was decorated to a high, if a little mumsy, standard. Great bathroom and loads of hot water too. Sadly our visit to Darjeeling town was not the best due to it being really overcast, so I would suggest anyone stays here at least 3 nights to make the most of their time here. The road is what everyone else has written about it – bumpy and nerve jangling, but it is what it is – certainly we felt it seemed worse on the way down than up....also it seemed to get slightly more tolerable the more you did that journey, but it’s no deciding factor over whether you should go to this place – it is really special, the views are simply stunning and the bonus of getting all your laundry done here for free was a great boon for us as we had 4 weeks worth of laundry to give them from our previous travels in India. The manager Jemima was lovely too – friendly, welcoming, easy to talk to with a great convivial manner. The shop was a nice, unexpected visit, but needed a bit more diversity in merchandise....again it got all a bit mumsy and twee after a while. The only other small criticism would be some of the employees English is very, very limited, which resulted in some wrong orders and misunderstandings – nothing major, but this is a pricey place to stay at and some guests might expect the service to be highly sharpened to reflect the fee. Still, if you can do go, I felt 4 nights was just the right amount of time to spend here....had a beautiful time which I will not forget.
Room Tip: The newer bunglaow – for sure”
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Secret Retreats is a curated community of independent boutique hotel, villas, yachts and river boats keen to share their Asian Homes with travelers, sustainably and responsibly.
Conservation of the environment, culture and traditions of Asia is of paramount importance to all in Secret Retreats.
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