Where stars chill

Vishal Bhardwaj has been coming to this property since his Omkara days. He would stay here for days together, along with his wife Rekha, and write the dialogues… Omkara, Kaminey and then Ishqiya. “He considered this hotel very lucky, and all these films were hits,” says Anil Sharma, the effusive General Manager of Jaypee Residency Manor in Mussoorie. This fascinating 9-acre property, located bang in the midst of green, tree-topped mountains, is the first and only five-star hotel in the whole of Uttarakhand.

Sharma is walking me through the best part of the property, which is the huge garden with a spacious, lush green lawn, around which guests can enjoy their breakfast, a cup of tea or a glass of beer depending on the weather and the time of the day. Sundown is less than an hour away. As he reels off the names of all the Bollywood biggies — such as Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif — who have recently stayed at this enchanting property, the sky is rapidly changing colours and is covered in brilliant hues of pink, orange, yellow, red and purple. In the far distance, as the mist clears, you can get a glimpse of snow-topped Himalayan peaks.

As the sun goes down, Sharma points to the straight line that seems to have cut the stunningly beautiful horizon into two. “This is the winterline, which can be viewed from only two places in the world, Switzerland and Mussoorie,” he says. One doesn't even feel the need to probe into the scientific details behind this phenomenon… because what you see in front of you is like a dream painting into which the artist has poured all his creativity.

(But if you must know what it is, here is what the Winterline Foundation has to say: The Winterline is a natural phenomenon observable only in a few places around the globe, among them, the Himalayan Mountains. As the monsoon-washed skies turn clear, and the cold winter months approach, the Winterline rises, a second and new horizon elevated above the dust and cooking fires of the plains below, visible only from the perspective of the mountain heights.)

As the light mellows and fades away on a glorious winter day, I head to the spa, where Dimple's expert hands soothe my work-weary limbs in a perfect Ayurvedic massage. I soon learn that one of India's most powerful men — Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi — who never misses out on a chance to stay at this property whenever he is on an election campaign or a holiday, also loves to have a massage at the spa. His routine is to complete his dinner by 8 p.m. and have a massage at 9.30 p.m. Apart from that, how does he spend his time, I ask Sharma. “He just likes to relax and be by himself; he is like King Akbar… with such an imposing personality that unko dekhkar jaisey takhliya (complete privacy required) boley .”

Apart from Modi, several chief ministers such as Ashok Gehlot, Sushilkumar Shinde, and Central and State ministers love to relax in this picturesque locale. “Every second or third day we have a Central or State minister staying with us.”

Spot of inspiration

Sharma shows me the place where Bhardwaj used to park himself with a battery of writers, firing away the dialogues. The bench overlooks the misty mountains and one can well imagine how he would have composed the music for the Omkara raunchy number Namak , if at all it was done here. This is the best spot on this property to get a glorious view of the majestic Himalayas and the picturesque Doon valley. When I sighed that a 36-hour stay is hardly adequate to curl up with a book and a steaming cup of masala chai at this spot, Sharma says that most people — particularly his repeat guests, stay here for at least five nights.

They come with their families and hardly go out of the hotel; there is enough to do here. While the kids have a huge play area, the teenagers make a beeline for The Leisure Mall — the room where M.S. Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir have spent hours playing Mobike games! In the morning, breakfast is served at the garden and on special occasions guests can book a romantic candlelight dinner at ‘Celebrations', the charming cabana set in a secluded corner, which is perfect for honeymooners or for special occasions.

Wedding destination

With the resplendent and gorgeous backdrop of the Himalayas, this hotel is also very popular for weddings with at least two weddings held every month. “These days people are so creative in celebrating marriages, anniversaries and other special events. We had one in which, for three days, the theme was different — one day it was the dhaba theme with the props and food to match, another day it was Bollywood, and so on,” says the GM. On one occasion, the event managers organised full-fledged sessions styled after celebrated television shows such as Koffee with Karan and Aap ki Adalat !

Sharma, who has been with the Jaypee group for 28 years says that this hotel, which was set up in 1990, is also a huge hit for conferences and incentive meetings by corporates wanting to reward their employees or agents. “At least 400 CEOs of big Indian companies have stayed here for conferences or holidays. Now with three airlines — Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India — operating flights to the Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun, about two hours' drive, the place is well connected through road, rail and air. From Delhi it's a six-hour drive; small wonder that most guests are from Delhi. And with prestigious and famous schools such as the 157-year-old St. George's College, bang opposite this hotel, “many of the alumni like to return with their families. I've seen some of them just sit on the lawn and listen to the ringing of the bell; they tell me it brings back such joyous, nostalgic memories for them,” says Sharma.

A skating rink and an indoor, heated swimming pool — I kicked myself for not packing my swimsuit, ruling out swimming on a hill station during freezing winter months — are the other attractions of this property.

At Regency, the multi cuisine restaurant, the food I sampled, particularly vegetarian food, the maize-and- methiparatha , and a simple dessert made with sweet potato (recipe given by Sharma, who also loves to train his staff on yoga and other exercises) was exceptional. “We're now giving a special package for a couple at Rs 16,500 plus taxes for two nights and this includes breakfast and dinner. An additional Rs 2,000 will get you an upgrade,” he adds. If you're lucky, you'll run into Ruskin Bond, who lives in Mussoorie, and this hotel is his favourite haunt. But more than the property, Sharma, who is a lover of nature and its ecosystems, waxes eloquent on the green cover that this enchanting hill station has not only managed to retain but replenished “10 times in the last 15 years. This is one of the most non-commercialised hill stations. Here, it is said that if you kill a guy you might manage to get away, but if you kill a tree, you won't be spared. And the vegetation is full of plants with amazing healing powers.”

He also explains how the utmost care has been taken not to upset the ecosystem; the property is at a couple of levels and during the construction “we never broke the rock, always growing around it. And we've left the natural ecosystem untouched.” The property has trees such as silver oak, Baanjh (infertile; so called because it doesn't bear fruits but is great in absorbing water, keeping all the area around it moist and green long after it stops raining), gulmohar, walnut, baadam , singara and lemon trees.

The rich brown of the luxurious wooden décor in the lobby and the rooms, the muted and yet warm colours, carefully chosen enamels and other artwork in the corridors and the soothing green and blue of nature, add magic to the place. Long after you return, pleasant memories of the fresh and balmy air, the green mountains and the misty valley and the treat they provided to all your senses, are bound to stay with you.

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