After having heard so much about the JW Marriott Walnut Grove Resort & Spa at Mussoorie, I finally got a chance to be hosted at the property last month. We drove from Delhi to Mussoorie ( we had estimated that it would take us about 9 hours but we got there in 6 and a half despite fog ). It was a decent drive, nothing exceptional, lots of green field, trees, and a bit of a hilly drive toward the end of the trip. ) Enjoy the photographs below. I’ve shared them chronologically along with a little about my experience at the lovely hotel.
We checked into our comfortable room after being welcomed at the lobby. The hotel serves a hot beverage at the lobby when they welcome you, I highly recommend you don’t skip it. The same brew is served at the spa as well and don’t skip that either. It’s delicious but a little on the sweeter side.
We had our first meal at the Wisteria Deck, which serves Italian. Be careful while asking for the Tiramisu because they serve a portion that’s good for ten people! Unless you’re into sharing the whole thing with you entire family or even eat it alone. Heck why not. It’s a holiday. It was delicious. The thin crust pizza was another one I’d recommend.
The Walnut trees shed their foliage in winters but you should see them in full bloom during the spring and summer season. The view from all vantage points is breathtaking. I was daydreaming that had I been a writer, I’d come live here for a few months as I worked on my book. But that will probably have to be during the lean season so that there’s very few to bother me and that will also have to mean that I would have to be a rich writer.
I was served sangria that is prepared at the Wisteria Deck and matured over 25 days. It was some of the best red wine sangrias I’ve ever tasted. ( The only one that I can recall being better, from memory, is the one I had at Le Cirque at The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri. ) I think I might’ve drank the Marriott’s entire stock the first two days. I’d been of alcohol for a couple of weeks and I hadn’t planned on binge drinking but damn that sangria was FINE.
Chef Vikram put on quite the show at Teppan where we were served lovely Asian fare. A bit of that performance is in the video at the start of this blog story.
Breakfast at JW Cafe was lovely. Lots to choose from.
I did a shoot at the greenhouse too. You can see that one here. All photographs for this story that you see here have been shot on the ASUS ZenFone Zoom! #ASUSxNaina
The lunch date at the greenhouse was the highlight for me during the stay at the hotel. It was surreal. The service was fabulous and the setting was unbelievable. Surrounded by flowers and plants and just our very own cosy corner, it was right out of a book of fables. That the food was delectable also added to the five star treatment. They really went out of their way to give us this experience. From the presentation of the food to the actual taste, the whole experience was unforgettable. I’m going to remember this one for a LONG time. Ask them to arrange this for you when you’re there – if you get time to get away from all the other wonderful experiences they can plan for you.
The view from our room was just stupendous. Waking up to this every morning and wondering what this would look like when there’s snow! Fabulous.
The Cedar Spa by L’Occitane is a lovely treat – just the ambience is beautiful and calming. If you’re thinking of getting a deep tissue massage, make sure you ask for Rose or Tenzin. They are both superb. Some lovely oils and lotions were used during my massage but there was no provision to buy the L’Occitane products as far as my enquiries went.
Above, all packed and leaving. Vaidehi and Prateek made sure had packed brunch for our drive back and we took a different route than the one we’d taken while on our way to the hotel. Below some photos from the drive back. Although most of the Boomerange snippets I shot on the return drive are included in the video up top.
Was a great stay. If you’re planning a couple’s getaway, check with the hotel if there’s a wedding planned around those dates and plan your travel away from that. The hotel hosts weddings because of its beautiful location and those parties can get noisy. If you are planning to book a stay with your family however, feel free to go anytime! There’s lots to do including an indoor heated swimming pool with the usual steam and sauna facilities, a bowling alley, gaming consoles, pool and billiards and many small treks that the hotel can plan for you.
If you’re going with friends, you can also make a game out of figuring out which elevators take you where. The hotel is built a little differently and not all elevators take you to all the floors. We took a couple of days to figure it out and it was fun while it lasted. Good fun.
Special thanks to Vaidehi and Prateek for taking good care of us. See you soon!
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1 comment
Love the pictures.
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