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 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 one of the original "Heritage Houses of the
Himalayas". It is situated on Observatory
Hill, a Darjeeling landmark, believed to be the focus and repository
of life-enhancing cosmic energies.
Facilities
The hotel has two wings : The Windamere and Little Windamere
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.
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 hotel
sponsors The DHR Club, which is located on its
grounds. The club aims to foster fellowship among people who like rail
travel, by providing a congenial meeting place for them in Darjeeling. The
club's facilities are open to people of good standing, with valid
membership cards of recognized railway societies from anywhere in the
world. Members in good standing of mountaineering institutes, explorers
clubs and geographical and botanical societies, may also be admitted to
the DHR Club.
The club has a library of travel related reference books, and provides
facilities for viewing video films and slides. It is housed in The
Snuggery, a 19th century stone cottage, and one of the
oldest buildings in Darjeeling. A residential facility of eight double
rooms with or without meals, is available to club members, at moderate
rates.
Conference Room / Board
Room
Situated on the Mall, Darjeeling's beautiful scenic walk, and
overlooking the Chowrasta, the town's famous promenade, the Windamere
Conference Centre is an attractive location for meetings of up to 40
people. The Centre offers board room and conference facilities, in elegant
surroundings. The setting is intimate, camaraderie comes easily, and
people speak as friends. The Centre is well equipped with modem projection
equipment, and computers for E-mail and Internet access.
Entertainment
Windamere has its own company of artistes, who
perform "The Songs & Dances of the Hills", in an outdoor setting; and
"Gazals", in the intimate setting of the hotel's Bearpark
Parlour.
"Christmas Week at Windamere", which runs from
December 18th to January 1st" each year, has been celebrated at the hotel,
in the same way, without interruption,
since 1939. It has become a
tradition for well known entertainers from London's famous West End
theatre district, to entertain at Windamere during Christmas week. The
outstanding millennium Christmas of 1999 drew guests from 15 countries,
including Brazil, Britain, the United States, Germany, Switzerland,
Australia, South Africa, Thailand and Japan
Location
Windamere is situated on historic Observatory Hill where Darjeeling
began, and overlooks the Chowrasta, the town's exclusive promenade. From
Observatory Hill, one can glimpse Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and Sikkim, against
a stupendous backdrop of twenty of the highest mountain peaks in the
world.
Access
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.
ROOM
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