Spa Hotels in Mukteshwar

I am typically wary of flowery coverage of Hotels that are featured in Travel magazines, as they are more driven and fueled by the special treatments that the authors got, leading them to celebrate the hotel more than it deserves to be. This was one such case! Both Outlook traveller and Travel + Leisure had celebrated this way more than it deserves. But still it had its highlights. I would have given 3 stars, but raising it upto 4 stars only because of the lovely setting, the sweet and hardworking staff, and the quality of Food etc. Frankly speaking, I am not a big fan of the label ‘Hidden gem’. But this boutique beauty - that is stunningly situated on a clifftop against a striking backdrop of hills and terrace fields - certainly deserves that title! You can get treated to panoramic views of the Kumaon Hills leading to the magnificent Himalayas right from your Balcony! Unfortunately, during our stay the weather fairy wasn't on our side. The imposing peaks of Nanda Devi, Nanda Kot, Panchachuli, Trishul were teasingly playing Peekaboo with us all day long - just like Mt Fuji did with us in Japan, or Mt.Rainier used to do in Seattle! Nonetheless, the views were still stunning enough and this was one of the closest encounters with the hills we had been blessed with in the recent past! LOCATION: Stunning location on a Clifftop and just 80 minutes drive from Bhimtal. DINE + DRINK: They dont have a BAR as advertised, and the restaurant could certainly be better decorated or setup. HOwever the food was to die for! THe Chef whipped up some wicked meals for us. The Kumaoni Thali in the night got us high on food. And the breakfast was divine - Piping hot Masala Maggi and Puffed up Pooris under the winter sun accompanied by flavorful Masala Chai!! ROOM: We stayed in 306, so this review is based on that; VIEW: Spectacular views of the Kumaon Hills and Himalayas ; SIZE: Very spacious room; AIR-CON: No A/C as the nature did a great job of setting the perfect room temperature; BED: Comfortable bed that played the expected part to put me to sleep; BATHROOM: Stand in shower; TOILETRIES: OK Justa cosmetics. Bring your own FACILITIES: No Gym on site. And the Pool was closed due to Covid. So DONT BELIEVE THE GLAMOROUS pics you see on these travel magazines and expect a fun time in the Pool. They do have a Spa on site though, though the quality and experience of the staff looked questionable SERVICE: Friendly staff that took care of all my needs with a smile and made us feel pampered and well taken care of. Special Shout out to DILIP KUMAR, DINESH, and GAJENDAR at the restaurant. And RAMESH who attended to our special requests. They can surely do better with the FRONT OFFICE staff who certainly needed a lot of training and coaching! HOW WIRED YOU WILL BE: Free Wifi, but VERY POOR CONNECTIVITY and severe issues and be warned that if you plan to do some work stuff or call, it will be a NIGHTMARE! Big Plasma TV screen dishing out dozens of channels s