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The Windamere Hotel - Darjeeling
Observatory Hill, Darjeeling, West Bengal - 734101
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.
ACCOMMODATION: Windamere 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.
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.
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.
DINING: 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.
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.
CONFERENCE: The Windamere Conference Centre, 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 Centre 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. |
