[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by sudev

Naraingarh is further up the Pinjore-Baddi road and has a heritage palace hotel. This road connects to Swarghat on the Mandi/Manal highway.

I'm getting really confused now Sudev. Is that Naraingarh or Nalagarh palace hotel?

[sudev]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

I'm getting really confused now Sudev. Is that Naraingarh or Nalagarh palace hotel?

ooooppppssss You are right as usual Rudra. Nalagarh. Sorry Akshay I read your post in context of Rajgarh and ranted about. Ramgarh is indeed on road to Naraingarh.

[Rudra Sen]

For somebody's traveling all the way from Hyderabad, I wouldn't suggest Nalagarh Palace hotel. My reasons follow:

It's located almost at foothill. To me that's not a place for true Himachal beauty.

It's expensive and may be good for tourists from outside India. Desperate attempt for giving it an 'INDIAN RAJ' feel and very ordinary service. I've stayed there twice (I had no choice).

Anybody's ready to spend that kind of money for hotels..have better options up the hills.

At the end of the day Himachal is a place to enjoy it's vast natural beauty. Money should be spend in traveling and decent accommodations.

[watashi75]

Thanks sudev, Rudra and akshay for all your suggestions! Driving from Hyderabad is effectively ruled out for now. We will probably do that trip in another year or two once my wife gains sufficent highway driving experience.

Like mobike008 mentioned earlier, we would be doing this for relaxation. And also since this is our first trip to HP, it makes more sense to be enjoying the sights off the road as well. (Besides, it is just one year of our marriage and it doesn't look nice if I pay more attention to "driving" at this stage!!)

I was planning to decide something quickly, but all your suggestions have made my head dizzy. I think we will just explore a small area this time. The rest of HP I will leave it to another time when the roads are good and I have my own car.

Now let me identify all those places which you have mentioned on the map and find out more details!

[tsk1979]

Chose a destination and take Volvo from Delhi. HPTDC has office in BLR and chennai, and you can do advance booking of hotel as well as your Volvo. Give them a call about online bookings etc.,
hptdc.nic.in
You have 4 regions you can visit
1. Nothernmost - Dalhousie Khajjar
2. South of that(Separated by Dhauladhars) - Dharamshala/Mcleodganj Palampur, but my suggestion would be to not go there, as you have a lot of time to explore stuff
3. Manali circuit. You can cover Manali-Rohtang(wherever the road ends due to snow) and also Tirthan Valley(5 hours by bus)
4. Shimla circuit. This is the easiest and most well connected, and has the most places to see.
Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Sarahan etc.,

[watashi75]

Thanks Tanveer! By the way, is that you in Indiamike?

[phamilyman]

Agree fully with tsk.

Else PM me your number and I can guide over phone.

Nalagarh is just NOT worth the money.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by watashi75

Thanks Tanveer! By the way, is that you in Indiamike?

Yup.
BTW how many days of vacation do you have?
If you have 15 days, you can drive down, this will give you 11 days, which enables you to cover Manali + Shimla circuit in its entirety even in lazy mode.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Chose a destination and take Volvo from Delhi. HPTDC has office in BLR and chennai, and you can do advance booking of hotel as well as your Volvo. Give them a call about online bookings etc.,
hptdc.nic.in
You have 4 regions you can visit
1. Nothernmost - Dalhousie Khajjar
2. South of that(Separated by Dhauladhars) - Dharamshala/Mcleodganj Palampur, but my suggestion would be to not go there, as you have a lot of time to explore stuff
3. Manali circuit. You can cover Manali-Rohtang(wherever the road ends due to snow) and also Tirthan Valley(5 hours by bus)
4. Shimla circuit. This is the easiest and most well connected, and has the most places to see.
Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Sarahan etc.,

TSK, even i am planning a trip in Dec'08 and i have been on the 3rd ciruit. Do you recommend the 4th circuit during this time?

And, do we have decent hotels to stay in Kufri, Narkanda,Sarahan or is it just a day trip from Shimla?

[watashi75]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

BTW how many days of vacation do you have?

Yes, that is a thought. If you count the weekends it is 16 days in total. And I will be spending a couple of days in Noida. So that still gives us some time to explore. hmm.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by mobike008

TSK, even i am planning a trip in Dec'08 and i have been on the 3rd ciruit. Do you recommend the 4th circuit during this time?

And, do we have decent hotels to stay in Kufri, Narkanda,Sarahan or is it just a day trip from Shimla?

As far as hotel stays are concerned, the Shimla circuit is among the best. Try to book HPTDC whenever possible.
Narkanda is a 2.5 hour drive from Shimla, even with snow on road. However its a much better place to stay than shimla.
Sarahan has a temple, and some nice treks, and it snows there too, and its 5-6 hours drive from Shimla.
First plan how many days Ex Delhi you have, after that decide your travel.
For a first time traveller, shimla is a really fun place to be. Most first timers enjoy shimla inspite of the rush and madness and traffic jams.
Kufri is where shimla people go and frolic in snow, and there is a lot of horse dung to add aroma to snow too.
Narkanda is for the more adventurous, and for those who enjoy solitude.
If you have own vehicle, there are amazing nooks and crannies and small mountain roads, and hidden orchards and a nice church.
You can even drive down to sutlej and sit by the river side.
If you like trekking park your car till snow stops you, and walk upto Hatu Peak.

[mobike008]

rd

Originally Posted by tsk1979

As far as hotel stays are concerned, the Shimla circuit is among the best. Try to book HPTDC whenever possible.
Narkanda is a 2.5 hour drive from Shimla, even with snow on road. However its a much better place to stay than shimla.
Sarahan has a temple, and some nice treks, and it snows there too, and its 5-6 hours drive from Shimla.
First plan how many days Ex Delhi you have, after that decide your travel.
For a first time traveller, shimla is a really fun place to be. Most first timers enjoy shimla inspite of the rush and madness and traffic jams.
Kufri is where shimla people go and frolic in snow, and there is a lot of horse dung to add aroma to snow too.
Narkanda is for the more adventurous, and for those who enjoy solitude.
If you have own vehicle, there are amazing nooks and crannies and small mountain roads, and hidden orchards and a nice church.
You can even drive down to sutlej and sit by the river side.
If you like trekking park your car till snow stops you, and walk upto Hatu Peak.

Boy, that sounds like a lot of fun. This will be my 3rd visit to HP. I been to only Kullu,Manali and Rohtang both previous times.

I am on vacation from Dec24th-Jan 4th (Total 12 Days). Out of that, 3-4 days in Delhi and rest in HP. I will be driving down from Delhi to HP.

I reckon i will make Shimla as the base headquarters and go up to the different places that you mentioned. I will seek your help via. PM when the time comes close.

[tsk1979]

I won't reply to your PMs. Since I will also be somewhere in himachal. As for where, I don't know, we usually go where the roads take us, but for now Manali side seems to be a good bet.
However, cell phones work in most of himachal, so you can PM me your number once you reach Delhi. I am here for christmas this year, so we can discuss the gory details.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I won't reply to your PMs. Since I will also be somewhere in himachal. As for where, I don't know, we usually go where the roads take us, but for now Manali side seems to be a good bet.
However, cell phones work in most of himachal, so you can PM me your number once you reach Delhi. I am here for christmas this year, so we can discuss the gory details.

When i meant the time comes close, i didnt actually mean on Dec24th.

I will contact you atleast a week or more before. But, nevertheless, i will certainly send you my number just in case. Thanks in advance

[Rudra Sen]

Oh my god!! Don't tell me that there's going to be TBHP meet at Manali..