Holi Weekend 2010 near Delhi

                                Holi is celebrated in India since time immemorial but the popularity of Holi celebrations seems to be rising with every passing year and so is the level of hoo-ha. As no other festival gives so much liberty to the people to let their hair loose and enjoy their hidden crazy self. Planning to celebrate a quiet weekend near or around Delhi as Holi is falling on a Monday and you can start on Saturday or Sunday and be back on Monday in the evening. Here are the options where rooms are still available.

Sariska-Sariska Palace, 4 hrs drive from Delhi, a heritage property based in 100

acres right next to Sariska Tiger Sanctuary. 

WillowBanks, Shimla, situated on the Mall Road, this beautiful hotel is
conveniently located on the Shimla Mall road and offers 4 star facilities.

CorbettRiverView and Ramganga Corbett is just 6 hrs drive from Delhi and all year round
destination plus a great place to watch the wildlife. Also available are
convenient 2/3/4 BR cottages.

 Jaipur is fun with it's colourful bazaars, variety of cuisines and various old forts and
havelis. Stay at  the KK Royal next to Amberfort or the Pride Amber Vilas, a new
resort in Jaipur based on a Rajasthani village, right opposite the Chokhi Dhani.

Situated near Shimla, Oakwood Shoghi is a great place for some adventure activities in natural surroundings.

Claridges Nabha is a lovely 4 star resort near Mussooire in beautiful and quiet surroundings.

HotelSilver Rock at Mussoorie on the Mall Road Mussoorie,

ResortCountry Club, Gurgaon, a beautiful resort 50 km from Delhi.

Fort Unchagaon, 130 km from Delhi in an Village setting is a heritage resort, 7km from the river Ganges.

For other options log on to www.AroundDelhi.com  

For bookings nd queries call Seema @ 9891458220/ Anand 9811193634

R.Anand 

Kikar Lodge near Chandigarh

                                    Did a conference for a client at Kikar Lodge near Chandigarh(70k, 300k from Delhi). We started on Wednesday night on a Volvo having fears of the North India fog in our hearts. The journey was quiet smooth till Ambala and we made good time, after that a stretch of about 10k brought our heart in our mouth. On that day I realized what is "zero" visibility in actual terms, nothing was visible, not even the white lines in the middle of the road till you were on them. And the outside temperature must be close to 2-3 deg C, slowly we crawled at 10-15k speed and heaved  a sigh of relief as it cleared up. Still we were ahead of time and reached Chandigarh in about 4 hrs, Volvo does make good time on the road and the journey is jerk free. Kikar Lodge is a jungle resort beyond Ropar away from all habitation, we reached in about 2 hrs from Chandigarh. One has to make it's way first though a small village and then a kucha track to reach Kikar Lodge. The first impression if of beautiful cottages in a green setup with small hills all around, the set up is just perfect and you can smell the freshness in the air. The resort gives you a jungle feel at the same time giving you comfortable and luxurious stay. As it is not big, only 30 tents and cottages, it can never get too crowded. After a hearty breakfast the group went into the conference we planned to explore the resort and the surrounding areas. 

                            There is a lot you can do at Kikar Lodge, go for the spa treatment by trained staff, sauna and steam treatment, dip in any of the two big sized pools, read some thing in the quaint little library or play a game of ping pong or pool. For adventure seekers there are soft treks all around, trek to the famous Kikar tree, a small trek up the hill and you are rewarded with a beautiful view a the top. Go for quad biking or rock climbing or obstacle course, there is also a night safari in the surrounding jungle area. For foodies there are ample amount of thing available in the buffet or order ala carte plus of course a well stocker bar. Kikar Lodge  turns out to be a perfect place for conferences as it is quiet, has a good conference hall and even lawns can be used for a discussion. Similarly, it is also suitable for training programmes and all with great outdoors. For young couples and families it is quiet, luxurious, close to nature and offers a lot to do, plus it is not too far, you can easily make it in about 6 hrs from Delhi. Last day of the stay, the group planned to prepare a jungle lunch on their own with a little help from us at Around Delhi and the resort. In the end it turned out to be a great outing for the group which I am sure they will cherish for a long tome to come.

For bookings call us at Around Delhi Holidays @9811193634/9891458220 or log onto our website www.AroundDelhi.com.

R.Anand 

Other holiday options around Chandigarh