User Rating:
Attributes:
Amenities:
Type:
Not right?
by phileasfogg
New Delhi, India
October 27, 2005
The hotel is divided into two wings, the Heritage Wing and the newer Palace Wing. Both lie amidst stands of rosewood, mango, plane (a tree typical of Kashmir, where it’s known as the chinar), and pine trees, with paths leading past lawns to a swimming pool, a badminton court, and a tennis court.
The Heritage Wing, with its sloping green roofs and white-and-yellow columns, is the more opulent, decorated with chandeliers, heavy carpets, and the like. The Palace Wing, where we stayed, is more contemporary, with red brick walls, slate-tile gables, and pillars of grey stone. Our room, a large double, was a luxurious pale green room with a huge bay window overlooking the grounds. Other than a very comfortable bed, there was a chair with wings, a large coffee table, a writing table and chair, a small refrigerator (empty), and bedside tables. The colour TV was large, the luggage rack and dressing table a very smart slab of dark granite built into the wall, and the floor an elegant pattern of green and white marble. On the wall behind the bed, just above the headboard, was a large and very realistic painting of a local woman cooking.
The dining room, all huge windows, five-blade ornate ceiling fans, and chandeliers, was full of reminders that this property still belongs to the royal family of Jammu and Kashmir. The coat of arms of the royal family, depicting two warriors standing with drawn swords, is everywhere: on the crockery, on the silverware, and even in the form of two large brass bosses on the heavy doors leading to the dining room.
There’s no room service (except for morning tea or coffee), and buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are laid only when there are a substantial number of guests, about 15 to 20. Otherwise, you can place an à la carte order at least half an hour before the meal, and they’ll make a few simple dishes for you--they do a wonderfully warming mulligatawny, an excellent crème caramel, and a very good mutton yakhni (a traditional Kashmiri dish with a mild yoghurt gravy).
What I liked best about Taragarh:
It’s quiet, elegant, and very peaceful.
The people are extremely helpful and accommodating--they even lent us a book on birding when they discovered we were interested in bird-watching.
There are loads of lovely Himalayan birds around. Our prize sightings were of blue-throated barbets and a yellow-billed blue magpie. Splendid!
From journal Palampur: Everybody’s Cup of Tea