[sandeep joshi]

For stay , i will recommend Hotel Mountain Top. I recently stayed there for 3 nights . Fantastic food , good location , opposite to Hidemba temple at Manali. Rates are also very good around Rs. 2500 including breakfast and dinner , service is good. so no way to complain .

For local sightseeing , i recommend , go there by volvo first and then hire cab locally at manali. It will cheap. Hidemba temple is right across this hotel which is major sightseeing point. For rohtang, you can hire cab from mall road which is near to hotel and for other places like mall road, van vihar, club house , manu temple all are within a range of 3-4 kms from this hotel so no need of cab as such. Cab will only need for 1 day tour of Rohtang pass which is around 50 km from manali , for other palces all are within a walkable distance from mall road.

[AbdulRahmanM]

Sandy,

Since i am coming from a long distance, i don't want to leave things to chance, i want to have a proper plan in place when i reach Delhi, that's why i am looking for some good deals on packages.

[Ritzvxi]

I am planning a weekend trip to Manali, from whatever little I have read on this page, people are preferring to fly to Delhi and then take a 10+ hours bus/cab journey to Manali. Won't it be more convenient to fly from Mumbai to Chandigarh and then take a bus/cab to Shimla/ Manali.

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by Ritzvxi

I am planning a weekend trip to Manali, from whatever little I have read on this page, people are preferring to fly to Delhi and then take a 10+ hours bus/cab journey to Manali. Won't it be more convenient to fly from Mumbai to Chandigarh and then take a bus/cab to Shimla/ Manali.

Sundeep,

Response to your PMs! I presume 2 days is all you are planning for - in which case less time on road gives you more time at Manali. I don't think there is any direct Pune-Chandigarh flight so Mumbai has to be your point of departure for a direct flight.

Just find out options for Pune-Mumbai-Chandigarh v/s Pune-Delhi-Chandigarh in terms of time and cost and go with what suits you.

Recent travellers can best comment on Chandigarh-Manali road conditions and the best way to cover this.

[Ritzvxi]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Sundeep,

Response to your PMs! I presume 2 days is all you are planning for - in which case less time on road gives you more time at Manali. I don't think there is any direct Pune-Chandigarh flight so Mumbai has to be your point of departure for a direct flight.

Just find out options for Pune-Mumbai-Chandigarh v/s Pune-Delhi-Chandigarh in terms of time and cost and go with what suits you.

Recent travellers can best comment on Chandigarh-Manali road conditions and the best way to cover this.

Thank you for the response, my Plan A is to travel Pune to Mumbai and then catch a flight to Chandigarh (stay a day or two in Chd. visit Wagha border and golden temple, enjoy the Punjabi cuisine in Punjab) and then head to Manali via a Volvo bus and spend around 3-4 days in Manali.

The return plan is to take a bus from Manali to Chd., fly back to Mumbai and finally Home in Pune.
Do you think all this is doable in a week's time? By any chance do you have travelogue of our trip.

Mod's please delete the post it in case you find the information posted is irrelevant.

I don't know what is my fixation with Punjab. Have heard so much about the land, people and the food, that it is simply irresistible.

mmxylorider (you handle reads very regal).

[ForeRunner]

Dear Friends,
I am a long time TBHPian, and got recently married. We two are planning to visit HP for honeymoon. I have already booked the air tickets from chennai to Delhi and we are planning to leave Delhi by 12th May to HP and returning back to Delhi on 17th May morning. We plan to visit Kulu, Manali and Rhotang Pass and if time permits then other places.
We solicit your suggestions on,
1. Accommodation: A decent hotel with good vegetarian food.
2. Local conveyance: Is there any rented motor bikes available? How safe is the travel by motorbikes. Please suggest a good local cab wala to visit the places in and around.
3. Places to visit and timings.
4. A reliable bus service from Delhi to Kulu and return back.

Please advice me if i have missed anything here.

Thanks in advance.
Bharathi

[erohit]

1. You can try HPTDC (tourism) cottages. Nice ones are a bit far from central location but are good. You can hire taxi to take you to and from these cottages
2. Taxi
3. Tourism website is best source
4. There are numerous volvo bus services available from Delhi to Manali. The most reliable are from himachal tourism (HPTDC) and himachal roadways (HRTC). You can book them online
http://www.hptdc.nic.in/bus.htm
http://www.hrtc.gov.in/hrtctickets/

[nijelj]

Originally Posted by ForeRunner

Dear Friends,
I am a long time TBHPian, and got recently married.
1. Accommodation: A decent hotel with good vegetarian food.
2. Local conveyance: Is there any rented motor bikes available? How safe is the travel by motorbikes. Please suggest a good local cab wala to visit the places in and around.
3. Places to visit and timings.
4. A reliable bus service from Delhi to Kulu and return back.

Please advice me if i have missed anything here.

Thanks in advance.
Bharathi

Hey Bharathi, congrats on your newfound status as husband!
You could check out the hprtc website for the volvo's that do the manali to chandigarh/delhi route.Hotel stay: Before you enter the main shopping area of manali there is a hotel called ' Rock Manali', it is a cosy, safe 3 star.
Bike rent: After the shopping area, towards rohtang pass, you will find a bridge.Cross that, and as you walk to your left, maybe a km, there are two-three mechanics which have bullets and pulsars for rent.They will ask for your id and some cash as security deposit.Be sure to get their number for any problems that you may face on your ride.Check for any damages on the bike and point it out to them beforehand.
Places to see: Hadimba temple, hotel water springs, solang valley paragliding and rohtang pass.
Hope this helps, happy honeymoon!

[hellmet]

Some questions of my own, please excuse:

How long does it take to reach Manali from Delhi, and where can the bus pick you up from, airport?

How long would it take to cover Kulu and Manali and would it be a nice idea to include Simla too?

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by hellmet

Some questions of my own, please excuse:

How long does it take to reach Manali from Delhi, and where can the bus pick you up from, airport?

Anywhere between 14 to 17 hours. Don't believe the buses that say they can do it in less. Either they will be speeding or more often than not , delayed.
Boarding points from NCR:
Civil Lines
ITO
Iffco Chowk
Karnal Bypass
Kashmiri Gate
Majnu Ka Tila
Majnu Ka Tilla
Majnu ka tila
New Delhi Railway Station
Paharganj
R K Ashram Metro Station
R.K Ashram Metro Station
Rama Krishna Metro Station

How long would it take to cover Kulu and Manali and would it be a nice idea to include Simla too?

If you are planning to do this, suggest you to go to Delhi-Shimla by bus. Then onwards, you can hire a cab from Shimla.
Simla takes about 2-3 days to see properly. Kulu - assume a day's travel , 2 days (3 N) of rest & sight-seeing, same for Manali.
On return to Shimla, release the cab, and take the bus back to Delhi

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ForeRunner

Dear Friends,

1. Accommodation: A decent hotel with good vegetarian food.

Go for HPTDC
http://www.hptdc.nic.in/cir0203.htm
Book Hamta or Hadimba cottages. Book online or at the HP bhavan in Chennai

2. Local conveyance: Is there any rented motor bikes available? How safe is the travel by motorbikes. Please suggest a good local cab wala to visit the places in and around.

You can hire any cab. Rates are fixed by Manali taxi association. you can rent a bike too from the local shops. Its safe, and many couples go to Rohtang Pass and even beyond

3. Places to visit and timings.
4. A reliable bus service from Delhi to Kulu and return back.

Catch bus on 12th and catch bus back on 17th morning. Use the volvo, book online again.

Suggested itenary.
Its a honeymoon, so I am keeping it light for you

12th - Reach Manali
13th - Manali local - Visit market take a walk in the park
14th - catch a cab to Keylong (7 hours) - Stay in HPTDC hotel. Very nice rooms and great veg food
15th - Around keylong. Its lovely with the river and amazing landscapes
16th - Back to Manali
17th Back to Delhi

you need one day to visit Manali local attractions. Its basically the river and forest and some hot springs.

Since Rohtang will have lots of snow, take the cab, forget biking for now.
That said local shops rent enfields and pulsars

If you think this is hectic

Do this
12th - Manali
13th Manali local
14th Solang Valley and Rohtang Day trip by Cab
15th Manali - Naggar - Stay in Naggar Castle - Awesome HPTDC property - Its a castle after all

16th - Come back to Manali and catch overnight volvo to Delhi

[RaSing]

Hello Bharathi

I just came back from manali on the 23rd of April. It was my anniversary and we went with a friend couple.

I would suggest the following.

1 Stay:
We stayed in Hotel Snow Peak Retreat booked through Make My Trip and was a lovely hotel to stay. At present its ranking on Trip Advisor is 1 .
Pros: Nice , clean rooms, value for money(Rs 6500 for 3 nights) , very helpful staff , nice indian breakfast,calm and away from market area,newly constructed and can arrange for room decoration/cake on request.
Cons: It is near Hadimba Temple and you will need a auto/taxi to commute to main market area(arnd 2-3kms).

2 Local conveyance:
Though we went on our personal car from Delhi , i saw plenty of Autos, Taxis. Your hotel can also arrange for Taxis on prior information for local sightseeing . There are many taxi shops in the market area too. For best rates of taxi , approach a taxi driver directly at the taxi stand right in the beginning of manali market.
For bikes: i would suggest Hardev Motors on the road to Vashisht temple(ask anyone, 1 km from Manali market after crossing the bridge). These days they have a union and will ask for standard rates which are 1200 for 350 CC bullet and 1500 for 500cc one excluding petrol for a day. We took two bikes for Rs 1200 each for a 500 cc after bargaining . The manager there was very friendly and professional and also the bikes were new. They have more than 10 bikes available in good condition. If in case you are hiring from some other shop u can bargain upto Rs 800 for 350 CC in old condition.

3 Sightseeing:
Rohtang was closed as on 23 April. Other places to see are
1 Gulaba+Solang Valley - 1 day tour - leave early as 9 - paragliding - Cable Car and Big Balloon ride(dont know what they are called exactly) are available. We got a good rate of Rs 1200(after bargaining) for Paragliding from the top and paid Rs 500(standard rate) for Cable Car ride to reach the ride
2 Manikaran Sahib(90kms one way)
Places to see here : Gurudwara Manikaran Sahib, Shiv Mandir, Naina Devi Mandir, Ram Mandir, Hot water and a few rabbit wool shops on the way and the best place to eat in between is "Sanjha -Chulha"(a big resort and restaurant kind, must visit). We hired an innova for Rs 1700 directly from the taxi stand and paid Rs 200 more as a tip to the driver. If you need i can give his mobile no(need to take it from friend) to you as he was a thorough gentleman and ex armian aged around 55 knowing english well.
3 Rohtang Pass - 1 day tour - Check with your hotel if its open now
(similar to Solang Valley with more snow )
4 On your way you to Rohtang or seperately can go to Famous Hadimba Temple. Very close to Manali Market.

4 Places to eat
1 Il Forno - Italian Kitchen - near hadimba temple
Can have good pizza and spaghetti and other italian food here
2 Number of German Bakeries - to have good bakery items like cakes, muffins etc.
There is one very famous one but we could not locate it. So may be someone else can help on it.
3 Can go to Balaji Sweets(inside lane, ask near taxi stand) for evening snacks like Samosa, Tea, Jalebi
4 Sanjha Chulha while going to Manikaran Sahib


4 No idea on bus service as we went on our car. but the time taken to from Delhi to Manali was 13 hours while it went upto 17 hours on the way back.

regards
RS

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by ForeRunner

Dear Friends,
I am a long time TBHPian, and got recently married. We two are planning to visit HP for honeymoon.

Congrats! Wish you both a great married life.

While travelling preferences can be subjective, IMHO Manali in May might not be the most suitable destination for honeymooners. All the hotels and tourist spots (Solang, Rohtang, Hadimba temple, Vashisth springs) will be extremely crowded during that period.

Keylong is an excellent suggestion however if you want to stay in or around Manali, you might want to consider The Castle at Naggar. It offers great views and is only ~20 KMs from Manali. You can make it your base and enjoy day trips to Manali, Kullu, Manikaran, etc. If you do try The Castle, go for Fozal Peak Suite. It offers excellent view.

I was there in March this year, you may check the pics and other details here.

All the best

[ForeRunner]

Dear Friends,

Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions.

In between one of my friend's cousin who is working in makemytrip has given the following quote for the manali trip from Delhi. Even though I asked for the conveyance and accommodation at Manali they gave the quote for the entire trip i.e., including local sight seeing in Delhi which will be taken care by my uncle.

Inclusions
· Transfers and local sightseeing as per the itinerary in an Ac Indica in Delhi

· Accommodation in silver Class room with daily breakfast in Delhi

· All hotel taxes inclusive

· Welcome drink on arrival

· Accommodation for a Couple in a Presidential room in Manali

· American/Indian Breakfast and Dinner.

· Tea/Coffee Kettle in the Room (replenished once during the day)

· Cakes & Chocolates in room on arrival.

· 10% discount on additional food, beverages and laundry.

· One hour free usage of Internet & Pool Table

· Complimentary use of Discotheque

· Inclusive of All Presently Applicable Taxes (VAT, luxury Tax & Service tax )

· Half Day Local Manali Sightseeing by Individual Car

· Rohtang Pass ( Till Snow Point ) with Solang Valley Sightseeing by Individual car (subject to weather condition)

· Naggar Castle & Art Gallery Sightseeing by Individual car

· Drop To Manali Bus Stand + 02 Manali - Delhi A/c Volvo Tickets

· Overnight Bus tickets for air conditioned Volvo (Delhi- Manali - Delhi)


Day1:Arrival at Delhi
Upon Arrival get a transfer to the hotel, freshen up and proceed to Akshardham, while returning visit Birla Mandir and india Gate, return to the hotel for a comfortable overnight stay.

Day2elhi
After breakfast, proceed to lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, you can witness Parliament House from outside, later visit Jantar Mantar, spend time shopping at Cannaught place ,Janpath. Return to the hotel for a comfortable overnight stay.

Day3elhi
After breakfast, proceed to Red Fort, then can visit Chandni Chowk,overnight stay at the hotel.

Day4elhi-Depart-Volvo
Local sight seeing and get a drop to the bus stop for the Manali trip.

Day5:Manali
Upon arrival, you will be Picked up from Manali bus stand & than Check in at hotel at 12 Noon. In the Afternoon you can go for half day local city tour. Evening will be at leisure. Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
· Day 6: Manali
Breakfast at hotel. Today full day excursion visit to Rohtang Pass ( Snow Point in case Rohtang is closed due to snow fall) and Solang Valley. Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
· Day 7: Manali
· After Breakfast at hotel today will be Excursion to Naggar Castle & Art Gallery. Return to hotel in the evening. You can explore the town / go to Mall Road late in the evening on your own. Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
· Day 8 :( Volvo ) -Delhi
· After Breakfast at hotel you need to vacate the room by 11 AM. Afternoon will be at leisure .You can explore the Shopping malls of Manali on your own. In the evening at 04 PM board the Volvo AC bus for Delhi for overnight journey. Drop from Hotel to Manali Bus Stand by Taxi will be provided by us .
· Day 09 : Reach Delhi
· Will Reach Delhi at around 07 - 08 AM
Total Cost Rs.39821.00 for 2 Adults

9th-12th May Delhi Hotel Mallik continental/similar
12th -16th May Manali Snow Valley Resort/similar

Please suggest whether this package is a good deal or not.

Many thanks,
Bharathi

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by ForeRunner

....
9th-12th May Delhi Hotel Mallik continental/similar
12th -16th May Manali Snow Valley Resort/similar

Please suggest whether this package is a good deal or not.
...

I'd be wary of the word 'similar'! Therein lies the catch, all too often!
Please get a guarantee on the exact hotel and then go ahead and book the tour.