It is "One of the three Jewels of the Raj", said a celebrated travel writer of The Windamere Hotel. Established in the 19th century as a cozy boarding house for bachelor English and Scottish tea planters, it was converted into a hotel just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Well known to sophisticated travellers the world over, the Windamere is famous for its unique ambience and charm, and has been the subject of many leading stories in the international media.
During the first National Awards Ceremony for outstanding hotels in India, the Prime Minister presented Windamere Hotel with a coveted award for its excellence as a Heritage Hotel of India.
Windamere is the original "Heritage House of the Himalayas". It is situated on Observatory Hill, a Darjeeling landmark, believed to be the focus and repository of life-enhancing cosmic energies.
The Heritage Houses of the Himalayas in the Lands of the Thunderbolt, are an association of inns, each privately owned and managed, all with a common objective in view: to offer the visitor, through their hospitality, an unique and memorable travel experience. Each House has its own character and style. Some are charming old Raj-era inns; others are the homes of well-established and traditional Himalayan families known through the years for the warmth of their welcome.
International Airport : Kolkata-690 kms. Domestic Airport : Bagdogra-90 kms. Railway Station : 0.5 kms. Bus Depot : 0.5 kms. City Center : 0.5 kms.
By Air : Bagdogra which is the nearest airport to Darjeeling, is 2 hours by air from Delhi, and 50 minutes by air from Calcutta. Two main domestic carriers, Indian Airlines and Jet Air, operate on these routes.
By road : The Windamere is 2.5 hours by car from Bagdogra, the nearest airport to Darjeeling. The journey by road offers breathtaking views of earth, water and sky, as the car climbs from near sea level at Bagdogra, to an altitude of about 7,500 feet at Darjeeling, within sight of the "Roof top of the world".
By Train : The nearest railway station for broad-gauge trains, is NJP (New Jalpaiguri Station). Rail travellers bound for Darjeeling, arrive at NJP from Delhi, or Calcutta. Visitors may also travel to Darjeeling from NJP, by The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. This famous journey lasts 7 to 8 hours. The Darjeeling railway station is 1/2km. from the hotel.Alternatively, visitors may travel by road to Darjeeling, from New Jalpaiguri, by a scenic route. Travel time: three hours.
All the accommodation provided by Travelmasti are in the most comfortable hotels/resorts/camps, handpicked especially for you, offering the best stay to make your business or leisure trip, simply 'worth it'.
Cottages & Rooms
Windamere Hotel has two wings: The Windamere and Little Windamere
The Ada Villa The Windamere wing appeals to guests who like tradition, who would be comfortable in a bygone age, and who want a reminder of how people got on with their lives in old Darjeeling. There are no TVs and telephones in the main house called Ada Villa; and only telephones, by request, in the Annexe. Guests, who choose this wing, prefer to avoid the distractions of modern life for the duration of their stay.
Tinker Belle's Cottage Generations of newly-wedded couples have enjoyed the quiet ease afforded by Tinker Belle's Cottage (also known as Honeymoon Cottage). The cottage is set apart from the rest of the hotel, on a sunny little spur that rises just above Windamere's Ada Villa. Couples return to the cottage for anniversaries, to snuggle before the fire in the evenings, only to remember and to dream of days long ago.
Annandale House The Little Windamere wing appeals to people who need to remain in touch with modern life, even while they indulge their love of the past and old things. The residential houses in this wing, Annandale House, and Observatory House, are provided with TVs and telephones. The bathrooms have fittings which were once the property of the Loreto Convent Girls School. These were donated to Windamere Hotel when the Convent closed down its boarding school after 130 memorable years. The Convent is the oldest European school in Darjeeling District, having been founded in 1846. It counts among its many famous former pupils, Vivien Leigh, the actress of "Gone With The Wind" fame.
The dining options at the Windamere hotel include a restaurant and a bar providing an ideal combination of palatable food and wine assortments. The gourmets can enjoy their stay at the hotel in every way.
Windamere's Darjeeling Tea
For a perfect of tea, allow the tea leaves to brew for three to five minutes. Take out the tea strainer and set it aside.
Windamere recommend that you do not dilute this tea with milk. You may sweeten it, although many connoisseurs of tea would prefer that you drink it "straight". Typically, a high quality Darjeeling tea is a pale gold in colour – like the Himalayan sunlight at dawn – and has a pleasant bouquet. Before sipping, inhale the distinctive perfume of your tea to heighten your enjoyment of one of the world's great beverages.
Coffee by Windamere
From the Baba Budan Hills of Mysore in Southern India comes some of the finest coffee in the world. Windamere adds a northern character to the distinctive flavour of this southern coffee by hand-roasting the beans in a rotating drum over a very slow charcoal fire. The beans are then ground to perfection in an old fashioned coffee-mill just prior to brewing. There may be occasional small variations in the coffee brewed for you at meals. Coffee making, even now, remains more of an Art than a Science at Windamere.
The Windamere Conference Center, in elegant surroundings, is an ideal location for Board, and senior management meetings. It offers a setting that is private and intimate, where camaraderie comes easily, and people speak as friends. In recent times, the Center has provided a meeting place for notable organizations, including blue-chip Indian conglomerates (Board Meetings & Sr. Management Conferences), Foreign Banks (Board Meetings & Regional Conferences), & major International Airlines (Regional Conferences of Sr. Management).
The Centre's Fred Pinn Room seats 40 people; The Henry Carpenter Room 20; the Pinnell Board Room seats 10 to 16; the Directors' Lounge 10 to 12; and the Hill Charm Meeting Room seats 60 people.
Notes: # Above rates are on room only basis.
# 10% Service Charge Extra.
# Child below 5yrs complimentary.
# Extra bed cost @ Rs.3300/-
# 25% Supplement on the above rates from 20 DECEMBER 2009 TO 01 JANUARY 2010.
Notes: # Extra bed charges @ Rs.3800/ per person.
# Above Package is inclusive of Breakfast,Lunch & Dinner.
# Above Package is inclusive of all taxes.
# Free stay for two children below 5 years of age on room only basis without extra bed.
# Above package are not valid from December 25,2009 Till January 02,2010.
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