Sunnymead Estate, Not Your Usual Stay In Shimla

We were looking at options for the long weekend in the hills. Having never been to Shimla yet, while exploring options, my sister came across this quaint little BnB on someone's Instagram story. The place is called Sunnymead estate which is on cart road. It has been featured in google and saregama caravan advertisements. It's being managed by Madhavi, the most helpful and hospitable host you would ever come across!! It's a small place with four rooms which includes one single occupancy room. A day before we were to reach, I got a call from Madhavi enquiring what time we are expected to reach, how much luggage we would be carrying and if we would like to have dinner at home. While enroute, she called almost 3-4 times to ensure that we were on the right track. You would be required to pay the full booking amount in advance and she shares a detailed email about the stay, the facilities along with the directions to property. There are four dogs and two cats at the property and they are not kept under a leash. But they are the most disciplined and quiet ones, you would not get to notice their presence around. We started in the morning around 10am and reached Shimla around 6ish. There's a lot of construction happening on the highway. However, luckily we did not come across any traffic jams on the way. It was sunny all throughout the drive but by the time we reached Shimla, it got nippy. We settled in our room which was upstairs and went down for dinner. There were two couples, other than us staying at the property. The moment you enter the home, you feel like Alice in wonderland and get transported to fairytale books!! Madhavi had an amazing spread for dinner. She is an amazing cook and her staff is extremely courteous. She would be there with you throughout the entire meal, attending to and serving everyone personally. You simply cannot say no to her and everyone at the table would invariably over eat. After the heavy dinner you just crash into the cozy bed!! It had rained all throughout the night and weather is really pleasant today. We had another amazing spread for breakfast followed by a leisurely conversation at the table. We ended up spending almost 3 hours at the breakfast table... time just stops and you tend to forget about everything!! It's the perfect place to just enjoy some me time!! Carry a book along... in fact you do not need one!! Since, there's a huge collection of books also available to chose from!! We went for dinner to this small restaurant cum hotel By the name Spars Lodge, recommended by Madhavi. It was uphill near the post office. If you want to have non veg especially pork, mutton or fish, one would need to check and place the order in the morning itself. We had placed the order for trout. It wasn't as good as one you would get up the hills but a decent meal. It was served with pickled veggies and lightest ever Russian salad, followed by fresh apple pie.

Today morning, we had another amazing spread for breakfast. At the table Madhavi mentioned about taking the dogs to Potters Hill Nature Park, we decided to tag along. We did a nice little nature walk there for about an hour and a half. Post which we went to Mall Road. We parked our car at a multi level parking and luckily it was at a walking distance from the lift which takes you to the upper Mall. The lift ticket costs 10 rupees per person one way and it takes in eight people in one go. We stopped at Wake & Bake cafe (opposite the Nagar Bhawan) for a bite, had toasties and cold coffee which was nice, the pizza was okay. And we also tried the mint and basil natural drink which was different but really refreshing. Another recommended eatery is Himachali Rasoi, run by the owners of Wake n Bake. However, I would say Madhavi is the best!! On our way back, we bought a bottle of Himachali white wine and cherries. You may also pick up some really nice stuff from HPMC outlets. We decided to have dinner at home only. It's a task coming back at night if you decide to eat out since not all the roads are well lit and if the place where you decide to eat is at a distance from where you are staying. We had an amazing soup and fresh salad for dinner, followed by an amazing home baked brownie for dessert. It's been a truly experiential stay!! You feel like as if you've been staying with family... rather from day one. Madhavi really makes you feel at home. It requires real effort coming back to the reality of city life from Sunnymead!!