It was in the evening that we reached Manali after driving the entire day as part of the epic road trip organized by Scout My Trip and OYO. We were tired and really needed a good night’s sleep as the next day we had to drive to Delhi. As I walked into the reception of OYO Riverside Manali property, I smiled seeing the swanky chandelier lit lobby.
Check in was smooth and I was allotted a spacious riverfront room complete with a walk in closet, bathroom, cosy beds, a comfortable seating area next to the window and writing desk. My favourite part of the room was the private balcony which gave me fabulous views of the gushing River Beas as I sipped tea and caught up on current affairs thanks to the excellent Wifi. Since there was intermittent connectivity in Ladakh, I had a lot of catching up to do.
Currently, the resort offers 36 rooms. By the end of the year, 10 more rooms would be added. The room categories are based on the view from each room and the three categories are valley view, riverfront, and Rohtang suites.
From the 18 valley view rooms, one can enjoy the Pir Panjal Range while the 14 riverfront rooms give a mesmerizing view of the gushing River Beas and the Dhauladhar Range. The 4 Rohtang suites directly face Rohtang Pass and also give views of Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar Ranges. Launched in the month of May this year, it took two years of planning and building OYO Riverside Manali. I fell in love with its location as not only is it a Riverside resort, it even has its own 250 meters of private river front. A centrally heated swimming pool, gym, spa and discotheque are in the pipeline.
“Our classy resort is a good blend of nature and luxury and one can enjoy staying here anytime of the year as the resort is climate controlled. Guests can control the temperature of their individual rooms as per their preference without having to worry about the ambient temperature,” explained Sidhant Rais of OYO Riverside Manali. A former banker, Sidhant followed his passion and entered hospitality. He also added how much he loves meeting people and making their stay a memorable one. I feel that if you are a winter lover, Manali is exactly where you should be headed as temperatures drop down to -10 degrees. Since it snows, you can enjoy snow activities while being pampered at OYO Riverside.
Don’t miss the organic apple, apricot and walnut orchard with the majestic River Beas in the backdrop providing the perfect setting for evening meals or a bonfire where you can bond with family and friends. The green apple laden trees were so tempting that I plucked an apple right off a tree and munched on it. Later, I requested for a couple of fresh apricots from the orchard and they too were full of flavor. Apart from the location, I liked the warmth and top notch service provided by the staff at the resort.
Our multi cuisine restaurant offers Indian, Mughlai, Chinese and Thai cuisines. Guests staying at other hotels in Manali also drop in for meals such as the setting and quality of our food,” mentioned Anjoo Rais of OYO Riverside who loves meeting new people, traveling and conceptualizing new ideas. If you crave Himachali cuisine then you can relish siddu which is served with pure ghee, sepu vadi which is a vegetarian curry dish commonly cooked in Himachali homes more so in the remote areas and rara mutton which is a delicacy slow cooked for a couple of hours to get the flavor and juices of the meat flowing. The wood fired pizzas and chicken stuffed with rice, khus khus and dry fruits are the other specialties.
The OYO Riverside also has one of the largest pillarless, climate controlled conference halls in Manali. The next day, I took the guided tour organized by the resort to Jogni Falls. The hike was not strenuous and can be done by all age groups. It can be completed within an hour. The experience was fabulous and refreshed me for the long drive to Delhi.
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Khursheed Dinshaw
