Meena Bagh Shimla. A Himachali Cottage in Shimla.

With its wood and mud-plastered walls, this is the closest you get to live in a typical 'Himachali' home in Shimla. The house is part of Meena Bagh Homes; newly opened Himachali homes, committed to eco-friendly practices. We are barely one year old but have garnered appreciation for our hospitality, design and sustainable practises from guests, media, and award committees. In Feb (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) we were awarded by the Outlook Responsible Tourism Awards in the Best Boutique Property category. You get the entire space to yourself. This includes the spacious living room the fully equipped kitchen and four rooms with attached bath. (All bathrooms heated for winter). Three rooms ( Room No 2, 3 and 4) are connected to the living room and kitchen. The fourth room (Room No 1) has an independent entry. For the duration of the stay, you will be attended to by a caretaker, a cook and orderlies. The house is good for families, office-colleagues, or group of friends who want their private space for lounging, meetings, get-togethers or reunions. This is suitable for a group of 8 people or more. (The price quoted here is for all the four rooms). Meals: -------------- Meals are not included in the tariff. Kindly note that breakfast will be served till 10 am only. after which our kitchen closes. Kindly give your breakfast order latest by by 9:30 am. We also serve Dinner. Do notify the kitchen about the dinner options latest by 4 in the evening please. Discounts / Preferences : ----------------------------- a) We offer upto 50 percent discount to writers, artists, journalists and anyone associated with any sort of conservation activity. b) We also give preference to travellers with pets. c) The house is gay friendly. d) We also allow married couples. How to get here : ------------------- One can take the Shatabdi Train to Kalka from New Delhi. Then a connecting Toy Train from Kalka to Shimla. Or one can do the Kalka-Shimla journey in a cab (Ola works too). Volvo bus service from New Delhi is also another good option. (Please check Himachal Bhavan for timings). New low cost New Delhi -Shimla flights were recently introduced. Kindly check with your travel agent for details. When you enter Shimla take the road via Chotta Shimla. This road meanders through a forest and goes by St. Bedes College from where the house is about 800 meters away. Its on the Engine Ghar road in Sanjauli. The house is not in central Shimla. Its over 2 kms walk from The Mall (via Snowdon Hospital). A cab will take about 5 minutes. Eco-friendly ---------------- 1) Harvesting / Recycling : Water self-sufficiency. Eco-resorts recommend low-flow showers and bucket baths. Shimla especially is plagued by chronic water shortage. But at Meena Bagh we harvest and recycle water. With double recycling in place, water is seldom an issue. 2) Insulation: Keeping warm with minimum power consumption. The outer walls and room ceilings are insulated. This provides insulation both against the weather and sound. In addition, the walls are wood-panelled adding to the insulation. Therefore the radiator heaters in the rooms need to be used only sparingly. 3) Solar Energy: Presently we use solar energy to power our geysers. There is naturally more free flowing hot water in the solar geysers. 4) Furniture from Waste Wood: The furniture, from the beds to the lamp-shades, has all been designed in-house using 'waste' wood. This is the discarded wood we picked up from the wood-mills. We used this wood to design almost everything you see in the house. (Like any hill-town, Shimla's resources are stretched. As a traveller to this beautiful but crowded town, built originally for 25 thousand people, one is often a burden on its depleting resources. But not if you stay in Meena Bagh, with its commitment to sustainable living. We are barely a year old but, Meena Bagh Shimla has garnered appreciation for its hospitality, design and sustainable practises from the guests, the media, and the award committees. In Feb (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) we were awarded by the Outlook Responsible Tourism Awards in the Best Boutique Property category. We also hold a Gold certificate for sustainable tourism by Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism. ****************************************************************************** Design & Architecture: --------------------------- Both the resorts (Shimla and Ratnari *) are a confusion of tradition and modernity. Some of the architectural elements are taken from Himachal and fused with countryside European chalets. The overall effect however is that of a cosy rural Himachali home. The wood-panelled and mud plastered walls defer to Himachali architecture and minimise energy use along the way. The floors of all the four rooms are wooden. The bathrooms have a heating option. (Kindly take the assistance in switching on any of the electrical systems from the caretaker) ****************************************************************************** Guests will have the living room and the kitchen to themselves. A tiny garden is also exclusively for them. However guests will not have access to the courtyard on the roof. I am mostly travelling and not always at the property but when I am, I will be happy to meet guests. I will however be available on the phone at all times. Like most hill towns, Shimla is crowded. Please do not come with expectations of seeing snow-capped Himalayas from the windows. You are more likely to see other buildings. Also be prepared for traffic jams. Yes they happen in Shimla ! Its therefore a better idea to use use public transport or cabs. The national highway is 15 meters away. The location of the house is therefore ideal for those looking to make a quick stopover in Shimla, before heading onwards to Spiti, Narkanda, Kufri, Sangla, Kinnaur (or our other property Meena Bagh Ratnari *.) We don't have private parking but you can park your cars in the paid private parking lot only 50 meters away. *(Meena Bagh Ratnari is a bungalow set amidst an apple orchard about 80kms from Shimla. Those headed for Meena Bagh Ratnari will get discount at Meena Bagh Shimla. Those staying in Meena Bagh Ratnari for more than 7 days can avail one night's complimentary stay at Meena Bagh Shimla, subject to availability). The link : https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/15791197?preview Morning Walks /Cycling: ------------------- When you emerge on the highway from the house, take a left . This road will take you about 800 meters until you arrive at the St. Bede's Chowk. Take a right and you enter Shimla's forest road locally called the 'lover's lane'. Its secluded and the rhododendron, pine, cedar and deodar forest can give one a sense of walking in nature that is yet untrammelled. Make sure to be back by 7am before the traffic begins to emerge on the highway. Shimla has a rhesus monkey problem. Kindly do not feed or engage them in any way. They can also enter the house if the windows or doors are left ajar. Kindly keep the window and doors shut at all times. Guests/ visitors are not allowed please.