Darjeeling

The best day for us in Darjeeling was on the 2nd day of the trip when we (almost) got lost in one of the tea gardens (Tangadia Tea Estate).

About 5 kilometres from Darjeeling City, the Ranjeet Passenger Ropeway took us from the crest of a hill down to the tea garden below. It's a very interesting experience - you can get a good view of rolling tea gardens, and quaint pretty cottages on hillsides, as well as the clouds that gather against the sides of the mountains.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

The fastest and cheapest way to get to the Ropeway station is to walk down to the Taxi Stand in the Old Supermarket. There is a constant line of taxis departing for the passenger ropeway. Usually the drivers pack in 7 - 8 people per cab and charge Rs 5/ per head. We found this arrangement very convenient, as its a 5-minute drive from the taxi stand. Hiring an independent van or taxi to take you to and from the ropeway station costs you 40 times as much (Rs. 200!). The alternative route, especially if you enjoy walking, is to take the road that runs from the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Tourism, across the front of the Raj Bhavan and the HMI. This road ends right in front of the ropeway.

Alice Villa was a delightful little hotel tucked away in a lane very near the main town square, also known as the "Chowrasta". It was clean, warm, comfortable with a personal touch. The manager was a very friendly person and personally saw to it that we were comfortable.

The place looked as though it was originally a home, which had been converted into a hotel. The entrance hallway and lobby had a homely and inviting look. The hotel has its own dining hall, so we didn't have to worry about going out in the cold Darjeeling weather for dinner. (Pineridge Hotel, where we stayed the first 2 days of our trip, had neither a restaurant nor a dining hall. That's the reason we shifted to Alice Villa.)

We stayed in Alice Villa for 3 days and nights, and will definitely recommend it to any friends going to Darjeeling.

We found the name of Pineridge through an association of hotels and restaurants in India and made our booking by telephone.

When we reached there late in the evening, tired, dusty, sore (after sitting in the toy train for 10 hours), the hotel was a real disappointment.

At 9 in the evening, there was no hot water in the geyser. The rooms were enormous and rather cold. The heating was definitely inadequate. My first impression of the place was that of a haunted house!

Fortunately, it didn't look so bad in the morning. We awoke to a beautiful panoramic view of the city and the mountains beyond - visible very clearly through our window.

There was a quaint little fireplace in one corner and the room didn't seem all that bad, with the morning sunlight streaming into it through the single large window.

But on the 2nd day, the lack of proper heating irritated us and we shifted to Alice Villa.

Glenary was one of the best restaurants we found in Darjeeling.

Situated on one of the roads leading downhill from the Chowrasta, it offers a variety of different menus to suit every taste.

On the ground floor, it has an excellent bakery and a breakfast parlour. The breakfast room faces north and if you get there early enough, you can see the snow-covered peak of Mount Kanchenjunga from the windows.

The first floor has the restaurant, which offers local cuisine, as well as continental, South Indian and Chinese.

The food was good. The bakery was great.

Glenary's also has an internet cafe in front of the bakery counter, so you can check your mail, too, while you're there.