Wrapped in a fascinating envelope of mist, the mountains looked heavenly. Our car traversed through the lush green corridor, conquering one turn after another. We were inching close to Kanatal, a lesser known spot in the magnificent Garhwal range in Uttarakhand. I had a lot of expectations from Kanatal. But, little did I know, I had expected much less!
Located at a distance of an approximate distance of 78 KMs from Dehradun, Kanatal is relatively lesser known. This makes Kanatal less crowded & devoid of many tourists. Kanatal surely qualifies as an offbeat destination in the Himalayas and for me, visiting this slice of paradise was certainly exciting. But, there was a cherry topped icing on this cake! I was going to spend 2 nights at ‘The Terraces‘, a boutique resort which redefined travel indulgence for me!
A Glimpse of Kanatal’s beauty
Yet another spectacular view of Kanatal
After a 3 hour drive from Dehradun, we reached ‘The Terraces‘ resort in Kanatal. The gorgeous resort looked ravishing with the backdrop of Garhwal mountain ranges, stretched endlessly till the horizon. The morning sun was gradually sliding away from the horizon, creating patterns of impressive shades on the mountains along with the clouds. The view from this boutique property, perched on a hillock, was simply breathtaking.
We were offered a local drink and after familiarization with Mr Ravi Malhotra, proprietor of The Terraces, we were given some time to freshen up. As we relaxed, a delicious spread of breakfast buffet was arranged for us at their elegant restaurant, “Fire & Stone”.
The scrumptious breakfast was followed by a tour of the property. The amenities at The Terraces was indeed impressive. The gym, spa, yoga room, camping area, bar, dance floor & game room culminated to conjure a complete package for a traveler seeking an epic vacation. In addition, there is a very impressive set up known as ‘Machaan’, where you can savor delicious ‘pakoras’, tea & maggi along with many other delicacies. We relished some ginger tea in a ‘kulhad’. The feeling of fingers wrapped around a piping hot cup of tea in freezing weather is just unmatchable by any other luxury!
During our stay, we also had an opportunity to attend Yoga sessions and go for a bird watching tour with an experienced Naturalist, Mr Ajay Ghale. I interacted with Mr Ghale and he had some really fascinating stories from his distinguished career in wildlife!
Here are some glimpses of the spectacular property of The Terraces, Kanatal.
The Terraces, Kanatal
The beautiful flowers, blossomed to elegance at The Terraces, Kanatal. Don’t miss the hammock in the background!
The lush green path which leads to amazingly cozy rooms (The Terraces, Kanatal)
Yet another glimpse of the property (The Terraces, Kanatal)
I wish I could sit here whole day!
Imagine sitting here, wrapped up in a soft blanket, holding a hot piping cup of tea
The enchanting beauty of The Terraces was sheer brilliance. But apart from reveling in this paradise, many other unique experiences awaited us. These experiences, defined as “Beyond The Terraces“, were so amazing that I still reminisce about them!
Beyond The Terraces Experiences
For me, luxury is not of paramount importance. A plush room with french windows, decorative interiors and Jacuzzi wouldn’t excite me much. But, offbeat & unique experiences makes me exuberant! The Beyond Terraces experiences were such offbeat experiences which are etched in my memory for lifetime!
I have listed the 4 Beyond Terraces experiences below…
1) Village Walk & Local food
On day 1, post breakfast, we were guided into the wilderness of Kanatal. The stalwart pine trees stood tall and the scattered sun rays rummaged through the trees. As the twigs crumbled beneath our feet, we admired the purest form of nature around us. Our exuberance kept multiplying as we inched deeper in the nature’s lap.
The trees through which we carved our path to reach the village
After a moderate trek, we reached a brilliantly beautiful setup which symbolized simple living perfectly. The Terraces had arranged a scrumptious lunch for us in this village. I am personally a big fan of local cuisines as each flavor is unique and new for my taste buds. This lunch for me was certainly a joyous moment to revel in!
Lunch prepared for us on rooftop of a village house
We had a grand meal and savored every single bite! We returned back to the resort as the sun gradually started it’s descent towards the horizon, illuminated with colorful evening hues.
2) Offbeat experience in Saur village
At an approximate distance of 20 KMs from Terraces, a peaceful and placid village sits undiscovered. On day 2, we visited Saur village which provides the perfect environment to experience the simple, yet enchanting village life. We reached the homestay in Saur village which is associated with Terraces resort. You can opt to spend a night or two here during your visit to Kanatal and experience the simple way of life.
We spent around 2 hours here, exploring the nearby landscapes and savoring the lip-smacking local cuisine prepared for us by the kind village folks.
The homestay in Saur village, along with arrangement for lunch
Another glimpse of the beautiful homestay
3) Jungle Safari & Campfire
The evening was transmuting into a pitch dark night. The trees were swaying furiously and the birds made their way back to nests. The silhouette of gigantic mountains were fading away in darkness. Our jeep’s engine roared as we carved our way through the dense forest, hitting the rough road. The only visibility was due to the jeep’s headlights, which helped our driver to discover the next turn.
After exploring the dense forest for some time, we reached an enchanting spot, right in middle of the forest. The prominent flambeaus directed us to a campfire where the Terraces staff was ready to provide us an experience of lifetime.
Suddenly, we heard melodious strumming of guitar and voila! We discovered a guitarist, tuning the instrument to fill the forest by music!
Circled around the guitarist, wrapped up!
As the guitarist started playing the chords, we were served starters by the staff. The bar was announced open which added to the exuberance of many.
Requests started coming from the group and our beloved musician was happy to oblige. The night eventually culminated into a euphony of guitar, melodious songs, rustling of trees & crackling of woods in fire.
Finally, the eventful experience ended brilliantly because of the deliciously cooked food and the warm hospitality of Terraces’ staff.
4) Lunch by Satyun river
On our last day, we headed towards another small village, located by the gentle & calm Satyun river. When we reached the spot, the beautiful landscape impressed us with the many shades of green! We followed the melody of the Satyun river and discovered a wonderful arrangement for us. The tables were set by the river in the most charming way possible. Next to the lunch arrangement was a waterfall, representing nature’s magnificence. As I admired the arrangements made for us, I realized that the efforts to discover this spot would have been magnanimous! The diligence of Terraces staff suddenly dawned upon me and I was left awestruck!
The beautiful landscape near the Satyun river
The waterfall next to our spot
The arrangement made for us to savor delicious lunch!
We dipped our feet in the refreshing river and spent some time hopping from one rock to another. Subsequently, We had an amazing lunch, yet again, by the river!
Satisfied by the food, hospitality and the indulging experience, we started our journey back. When our cars finally reached Dehradun, it felt like waking up from a dream. A dream, set in the perfect backdrop of mountains & filled with memorable experiences to cherish for life!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the amicable staff of “The Terraces” for their hospitality, service & the constant effort to help us enjoy our stay.
I also appreciate the efforts taken by Mr Ravi Malhotra, proprietor of “The Terraces”, to provide a curated & offbeat experience to the us. It was indeed great meeting him. Lastly, I would like to thank Mr Ritesh Bhateja for inviting me to visit “The Terraces”, Kanatal and experience the offbeat & unique offerings. I was personally elated by the offbeat experiences and would surely recommend you to consider visiting this boutique resort soon!
Useful Information
1) Kanatal is located at a distance of 78 KMs from Dehradun
2) To book your stay you can visit The Terraces website and go to the ‘book online’ section.
3) The minimum tariff starts at Rs 14,000 per room. You can checkout their website for any ongoing offers.
Have you been to any such offbeat destination recently? Share your experiences with me in the comments!