The Rokeby Manor in Landour has a fairytale vibe surrounding it. Rising against the background of the Himalayan mountains this mansion from the 1840s was the perfect getaway for me and my friend this weekend. This dreamy stone castle with its tasteful decor and homely living rooms and fires had my heart from the very the moment I stepped in through its heavy oak doors. I needed my space from the monotony of life and coming here was one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you are wondering how, let me tell you about everything that I did there. This is your virtual tour to the Rokeby Manor. Here's a list of the top 10 things at the Rokeby Manor that we indulged in and we recommend you all to do the same.
1) Bask in the sun in a Jacuzzi by the mountains -
The Jacuzzi was a timeless space for me. Early in the morning donning on our bathing suits my friend Sanjna and I headed to the Jacuzzi to luxuriate in the inviting warm waters. I did not know what to expect since this was my first jacuzzi experience. As I climbed the steps leading to the Jacuzzi, I was surprised and excited - nestled within a dense foliage of green was the tub with crystal blue bubbling water overlooking the Himalayas. We watched the sun rise and its first rays hitting the waters of the Jacuzzi - a moment that I loved and it soothed my soul. With the birds chirping in the background, sunrays warming my back and jacuzzi waters relaxing my body - I drifted off to a pleasant stupor watching the mountains slowly stirring to life.
2) The room at the hotel (suite number 8) -
Our room was our home, a space we could crash into after a long day. The room was our escape - a place where we could have fun without being watched by others. The walls were painted a mellow orange, it has a writing desk which I saw as soon as I entered, and a comfortable bed with its snow white sheets which invited me to jump right in and snuggle my way to dreamland. There is a window right opposite to the bed and when you open it sunlight streams in bathing the room in a soft light of gold and from this window I could see the chain of mountains running in a never ending stretch.
The bathroom was spacious with all the amenities to refresh after we returned all dusty from our day long explorations. Other than this we indulged ourselves once in while by ordering room service for some of our favorite dishes like grilled paneer tikka and choco lava cake. The ambience of the room could be changed by turning down the lights and we used that as an excuse to turn our room into a disco where my friend and I danced to our heart’s content and played a round of uno with a movie playing in the background television.
3) Relax at the lobby -
After an exhausting day of exploring the town of Mussoorie, all I wanted to do was just get back to the inviting warmth of my room and sleep. However, it was not dinner time yet and I wanted to unwind by reading a book. In my search for a good place to read I found that one of the most comfortable and welcoming of those spots happened to be the lobby. The lobby of the hotel feels very homely with its artfully laid out sofas, the bookshelves and the fireplace. The theme of decoration of the space is like a homey living room decorated in the theme of christmas evenings. The pillows and the furniture all compliment the mood of the decor and the vibe that I assume the manor was going for.
This lobby is a great place for guests to unwind and socialise if they want to. I tucked myself into one of these plush sofas and sailed into my own land of fiction characters with the crackling firewood as the only sound in the background.
4) Catch the sunset in the Tea Garden -
The Tea Garden was located right beside our room at Rokeby. The garden is an open space with flowers and creepers lining the stony walks and walls. I instantly fell in love with the place and spent my entire afternoons there curled up on the sofa reading my book until the sunset. While sitting on that sofa I could bask in the warmth of the sun and watch other inhouse guest stroll in and out of the garden and once in a while I indulged in striking up a friendly conversation with them.
The garden if you walk into it looks straight out of a movie with its magnificent view of the Himalayas. There is a beautiful bird bath in the centre of the garden with small crystal pebbles lining its periphery. The tea Garden for me was an escape spot at night as well - here I could with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in my hand enjoy the twinkling stars without the interference of the city lights.
5) Shop at the corner shop -
The Corner Shop is a merchandise store inside the premises of the manor and it is located just beside the tea garden. This store is located in the corner of a lane, it is white in color with a brown door and a white and blue striped roof. It is a cute little shop straight out of those fairytales where one goes to shop cookies and toffees. The shop has an interesting array of merchandise which included cute shirts with Landour printed on it, other local clothing with some intricate prints like snowflakes and flowers on it, mementos, local pickles and spices. I found it also sold red rice and I was pleasantly surprised as it is one of my favorite items and I bought it immediately. This shop has a fixed time of operation but can be accessed at the other times by making a request at the reception.
6) Taste exquisite cuisine at Emily’s -
Emily’s is the inhouse restaurant at Rokeby and is filled with guests at almost all times. I had most of meals at Emily’s - this includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is very well designed to cater to the taste buds of all dining in their space. This place does not only cater to the in house guests but also guests from outside who just want to share a good meal with their friends and family. It is a very homely dining space with a mix of sofas, tables and chairs and a balcony seating place. The are bookshelves lining the walls of the entire restaurant which encourage the guests to pick one for themselves and sail into their land of stories without constantly being bogged down by their social media distractions.
The balcony for me turned out to be the best amongst all spaces where I could rejoice in the soft breeze from the mountain and eat my breakfast during the mornings and take in the warmth of the afternoon sun during my lunch. We over the course of our visit tasted a variety of cuisines at this restaurant which ranged from italian, indian, continental to burmese. My friend and I had an opportunity to eat a lot of dishes and our favorites include the burmese Khao Suey, The Spinach Ravioli, The Thai Tom Yum meal, Bhindi Jhaal amongst all other dishes. In addition to this we had their signature dessert - The Rokeby sticky toffee pudding which was a date cake swimming in caramel sauce and it was yummy to the power infinity.
It will be safe to say that this restaurant felt like home and I loved each and every meal I had there.
7) Rejuvenate at the Little Salon and Spa Shed -
The Spa is located 5 minutes by walk from the property. As we walked in, we were greeted by the refreshing scent of eucalyptus and the warm fuzz of trees. I opted to try the Aromatherapy at the Spa. It was one and a half hour long and it was super relaxing. I never get the time to try out the spa when I live in the city because I have a lot of work stress but trying the spa at the Rokeby Manor was a great experience. They also offer a lot of exciting couples spas which couples can try out together. They had special spa rooms designed for couples with stem machines installed in them. Getting a spa by a window which opens up to the Himalayas and beautifully scented trees was a great experience.
8) Take a walk around the Clock Tower cafe -
The Clock Tower Cafe is a cozy little space inside the town and is in distinct contrast to the shops and buildings around it. The entrance to the cafe is very hep - the door is like telephone booth door with a sign on it that says “ the last car that was parked here was never seen again”. I was intrigued and it felt like I was entering a space of fun and adventure. The interior of the cafe is very casual and friendly. Its interiors are lit with yellow lights and have a very fun vibe to the space with its quirky captions and quotes on the red brick walls of the cafe. The walls of the cafe had pictures of Bob Marley, Marilyn Monroe and other pop artists on them which made the atmosphere relatable.
After a day of exploration we were famished so the first priority was ordering our food. It was easier said than done as they were so many options to choose from but we finally settled for a the roasted vegetarian sizzler with rice and schezwan momos. The dishes were very well prepared, the sizzler specifically was delicious, it was seasoned with garlic and was served inside a roasted cabbage which was shaped like a flower which I found very unique. This reminded me of the beautiful flowers that lined the stone walls of the manor and even in the chaos of the cafe I found myself at peace.
9) Visit the legendary Landour Bakehouse -
This dreamy space overlooking the mountains is located ten minutes away from the manor by a walk. It can also be accessed by the car provided by the hotel. In most of the cases my friend Sanjna and I walked to the bakehouse and it felt surreal to just reach the bakery and dig into the freshly made scones and the artfully made almond rose cakes, eclairs, chocolate chip cookies, muffins amongst all the other things that we ate. This place took us back to the 1840s where people connected over conversations and face to face interactions and not wifi. The exteriors and the interior of the place is very tastefully done and the food delectable - they run out their goodies by afternoon so I would suggest you plan your visit to this dreamy bakery smartly. The bakery has a magnificent window which opens up to the view of the Himalayas. If you are lucky enough, you will find that table empty but it is almost always full.
10) Bike around the property -
Walking around the curves of the mountain was great but the exploration of the property was incomplete for my friend and I until we procured bikes from the manor and went ahead with our exploration. It was exhausting to push the bike up the inclines but the rush of adventure we got every time we went downhill after riding all the way up was well worth it. The speed of the pine trees rushing by within the periphery of our vision and the fresh mountain air making our hair fly in all direction was messy but exhilarating.
I hope that you are pumped up now to go and visit the Rokeby Manor in Landour.
How to reach?
The closest airport is Dehradun and you can take a car to Landour. Rokeby Manor also has a private pick up and a drop service, you can enquire about the same.
Cost
A room at the Rokeby Manor costs INR 11,000 per night. The Rhondendron suite which is the best room at the manor costs around INR 16,000 per night.
Rokeby Manor also has various private residences which you can book for around 8-10 people. These start at INR 25,000 per night and increase based on the type of the villa you want to book.
All these sublime villas are located in the midst of mountains and have the perfect awe of serenity.