Tiffin-wallahs, Churchgate Station, Mumbai

Mumbai is mesmerizing

Imagine New York and Hollywood rolled into one, set in the tropics and squeezed onto a peninsula several sizes too small. Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) is one of the biggest and most densely packed cities on earth, India’s economic engine and the home of Bollywood, the glamour factory that makes more movies than anywhere else – more than twice as many as Hollywood. It buzzes, it never sleeps and don’t get in its way! Mumbai is on the move, and you better be too if you want to get on and off trains, cross the street, order food, shop or achieve any kind of success. For this city represents both the future, in the shape of the dreams of millions, and the past, in the streetscape of grand Victorian buildings.

What do you do with two days and two nights in Mumbai? Try these suggestions. (more…)

Uma Paro, Bhutan

Heavenly haven

Imagine my surprise when I arrived in Paro, Bhutan, was met at the airport by two very charming men, Kanchzen (my guide) and David (my driver), driven about 10 minutes up a hill outside of town to the Uma Paro boutique hotel, introduced to my butler Jeewan and shown to my 1,200-square-foot villa. It was a bit like waking up in Oz and seeing everything in Technicolor. Or having an old dress turn into a glittering gown and a pumpkin turn into a gilded carriage. I had to rub my eyes and pinch myself to believe it.

The bedroom in my villa

I really didn’t know what to do first. Explore the delights of my villa: Have a bath in the claw-foot tub? Warm up in front of the wood-burning traditional stove (called a bukhari)? Sit outside on my terrace and use the WiFi service on my laptop? Ask Jeewan to fetch me a fresh fruit smoothie from the hotel’s stellar kitchen? Or just stare out the enormous picture window in my bedroom at the million-dollar view of the Paro Valley and Himalayan peaks?

Or explore the hotel: Eat lunch in the glass enclosed circular dining room, Bukhari? Have a treatment at the COMO Shambhala spa? Swim in the indoor pool and use the steam room in the ladies dressing area? Or sit outside and have a cup of steaming chai?

I opted for lunch in the dining room, knowing that over the course of the next five days I would get a chance to try everything else. And I did. (more…)

Dining on the rooftop terrace, under the shadow of Garh Palace

I had great expectations for Bundi Vilas. It is the highest rated hotel in Bundi on Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet gives it an excellent write-up and I had met owner JP Sharma in Delhi — and knew him to be an intelligent, professional man with excellent taste and a deep-seated commitment to tourism in Rajasthan. I was not disappointed. From the moment I came out of the twisting narrow alley leading up to the heveli and saw the soaring archway that marks the entrance, I sensed something special. Again, my intuition and India’s magic led me to a very special treasure, the kind of accommodation that is itself a destination.

And, of course, it helps that Bundi Vilas is located deep in the heart of the old city of Bundi — a town filled with fascinating architecture, exquisite art, elaborate stepwells and an ambience that is reminiscent of medieval Europe. You can read about Bundi in my post, Bundi: Exquisite jewel needs polishing. (more…)

Rooftop swing chair, Inn Seventh Heaven, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

My favourite hotels in India

These are my top 5 hotels in India. I have stayed in all of them, and no considerations of sponsorship, price or relationship has influenced my decisions to recommend them. I look for places that combine personality, charm, comfort and integrity. Rooms must be clean, staff must be friendly and the hotels have to offer a  little something special — such as extreme helpfulness or impeccable service — to make it on the list. Part two, favourite hotels 6-10,  coming soon.

1. The Windamere Hotel, Darjeeling

The Windamere Hotel site. It’s probably the most expensive hotel on the list, and I stayed there as a guest of IndiaTourism, which might cause you to doubt my credibility for recommending it — but I genuinely LOVE this hotel. It’s number one for a reason: it’s my favourite hotel in the world. No, it is not the newest or the sleekest, but the Windamere is a very special place. It’s a near-perfect combination of stunning location, English-cottage-inspired coziness and impeccable service. Originally a home for bachelor tea planters out from England to make their fortune in India in the 19th century, it was turned into a hotel after World War II. (more…)

For Video Friday on BreatheDreamGo, I have a video I took while riding in a bicycle rickshaw on the way to the train station from my hotel in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela. I was staying at the wonderful Haveli Hari Ganga, which is located deep in the bazaar – where the streets are too narrow for cars and too crowded with people and stalls piled high with brass figurines of the Hindu pantheon, pyramids of vermilion kumkum powder and neatly stacked wafers of pastel sweets. The hotel has its own bicycle rickshaw for transporting passengers to and from the train station.

Classic Sikkim view: rhododendrons, mountains, mist

I left Darjeeling for Sikkim thinking I could visit Gangtok and Pelling in three days. They are only about 130 kms apart. Sometimes, it is hard to leave Canada-brain behind: in Canada, that would take about an hour-and-a-half. In Sikkim, it takes most of the day. The roads are so narrow, so windy,  so bumpy and at such an incline (either up or down) that you have to drive very slowly. So, three-quarters of the way to Gangtok, I had to decide where I would spend my three days in Sikkim, and I chose Pelling. This added many difficult hours of driving to my trip, more so for my wonderful guide (Paras) and driver (Ashok). It was very sporting of them to not only agree to this abrupt change of plans, but to encourage it: they wanted me to have the best possible experience in Sikkim, and they felt Pelling would be a better choice. These guys from Help Tourism are true professionals; I cannot speak highly enough about them. (more…)

Kanchendzonga, sunrise, March 8 2010

Stop two on my IndiaTourism-sponsored road trip was three nights in Darjeeling, known as the “queen of the hill stations,” and home of the “toy train” and of course the “champagne of tea.”

I have long wanted to visit Darjeeling and when I was researching and planning my trip, I set my heart on staying at the Windamere Hotel.  I had also set my heart on getting up at 4 am to drive from Darjeeling to Tiger Hill to watch the sun rise light up the great Himalayan range on my 50th birthday. Luckily for me, both IndiaTourism and nature cooperated. (more…)

Guruji feeding elephant, after our interview, AOL ashram

During my week in Bangalore I had the good fortune to meet some very inspiring, warm and wonderful people. Bangaloreans, as a rule, tend to be friendlier and more laid-back than in other Indian cities. Until recently, Bangalore was a small sleepy town with an idyllic climate (the best in India, they say), abounding with graceful traditions such as inner-city golf, horse racing, dawn flower markets and leisurely breakfasts. (more…)