Landour is fast becoming a place where Mussoorie-sick travellers get their mojo back. The cantonment town is best enjoyed from an old English cottage called La Villa Bethany, which is a perfect blend of good looks, downtime, and home-style hospitality.
This award-winning BnB is a labour of love that belongs to the super hospitable and chatty couple, Sunita and Amarjeet, both of whom have decades of experience in hospitality.
There are six cosy rooms and a log cabin that capture the hill vibe really well. Little touches like the solar water heater and locally-sourced patchwork quilts made us feel incredible about reducing our mammoth carbon footprint (even if just for a day) along with making us feel very very cared for.
The hosts also work overtime in generously accommodating kid/Jain/gluten-free/any other special requests while also putting together exciting meals that somehow ride between Garhwali, Maharashtrian, Gujarati, English and other cuisines.
Not only are their toiletries and bed linen bought from well-meaning NGOs, but they harvest rain water, use locally grown produce and promote dying indigenous crafts.
Now, if you are wondering what to expect beyond La Villa Bethany, then, there’s little by the way of “doing something” if you cut out eating pancakes at Char Dukaan, climbing up to Lal Tibba (a scenic vantage point) and then going to Sister’s Bazaar to get homemade peanut butter (oh, and you can even pet a few dogs on the way).
There’s a 100-year-old Language School that’s a stone’s throw away from La Villa Bethany. And, if you’re itching for some more action, you can venture into an unspoiled jungle, Jabarkhet Nature, some four kms away. Here, you can spot ferns, wild mushrooms, berry bushes and medicinal jaribootis (don’t start treating that wound yet).
For woolies and customised shoes, count on Landour Bazaar. To call it a day, you can enjoy dinner in your small (but lovely) balcony while gazing at the stars.
