When our Meghalaya trip had to be cancelled due to last moment work commitments, we decided to look for options for a good workation to at least get a break from the city life. The requirement was an easily drivable (didn't have much experience in mountain driving), somewhat luxurious (Anniversary week) and a little secluded but a place with good internet connectivity (as we had to work) .
Most of the above requirement got checked out for us in 'The Woods Retreat' resort near Lansdowne. Situated a little away from the main town, near a village called Jaiharikal , and with a great view for the valley and snow capped mountain cliffs, its a great place to relax and unwind yourself .
About the property:
The resort situated perfectly among the forest and over looking the valley, is apt for practicing the art of doing nothing, just get lost among nature and create some beautiful memories. The whole resort is aesthetically pleasing in design and has almost 70% of open space. It has 18 premium wooden residential rooms/cottages and each rooms has individual sitting area with scenic view of the valley and pine trees. The rooms are spacious with pine wood furniture , big glass windows on 3 sides to get ample sunlight and good views. And in the middle of the resort, are the restaurant and sky lounge with stunning views of the Himalayas on clear days, perfect to relax, work, eat or play some board games. The 5G connectivity makes it ideal for setting up your workplace here.
Food & Dinning Experience:
The food served and the dining in a resort/hotel is one of the most important factor for the comfort of the guests. All the meals for the 7 days that we had stayed had been lip smacking & delicious. Be it any kind of cuisine, all foods are prepared with utmost care and were very tasty. Special mention for the south Indian dishes in the breakfast spread, they were almost similar to home made dishes. Though there is no separate menu for children, they entertain any request to prepare customized food for babies/toddlers whenever required.
Accommodation:
The resort has 18 residential rooms falling into 3 categories
Octagon :Base Rooms, One Octagon structure has 4 rooms. 350 sq.ft .
Hexagon:One Hexagon structure has 2 rooms on different floors. 450 Sq.ft
Family Suite: : Suitable for a family of 4 to 7. Has two separate rooms with double beds and a common area.
Activities:
In the sky lounge you have option to play few board games like Carrom, Ludo and Chess. For outdoors there are options for badminton, archery and darts. Also the resort organizes a common bonfire and live music on Saturday evenings and apart from that you can request for personal bonfires for other nights.
Tripoto's suggestions:
There are a lot of trails around the resort, used by the nearby villages for commute, which can be explored during morning walks or nature walks at your free time. Night time strolls outside the resort is not allowed as there are possibilities of encounters with wild animals.
The resort can also guide you to a virgin river bed (locals call the rivulet as Sheela), this place is totally unexplored. And if you are a lover of solitude, then you are in for a treat. You can spend couple of hours enjoying near the crystal clear waters of the river or/and could take a hike along the stream to explore the area. The approach road to this place is very rough, so the resort could provide transport with extra charge or if you are good driver and have a vehicle with good ground clearance, then can go on your own.
Service & Hospitality:
The biggest USP of any property is the overall behaviour of the staff to the guests. For this, I would give a 10 on 10 to "the Woods retreat". Each staff member has been very helpful and the service provided was quick, efficient and with a big smile.
How to Reach?:
Driving down to the resort is the best way. From Delhi, we need to take the Meerut Expressway, then either, you can go via Haridwar-Ganga Canal-Nazibabad-Kothdwar route or via Bijnor-Nazibabad-Kothdwar route, the later is shorter in distance by 50kms, but the road is very bad till Kothdwar. From Kothdwar till Landsdowne, the drive is extremely picturesque and smooth except for the last 3 kms to the resort which again is little narrow and rough.
Booking:
You can send your request for booking in the below link - https://thewoodsretreat.in/
Have you been to any such place from where you enjoyed the bliss of nature while balancing your work life? Do let me know in the comments below.
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