What a beautiful place Manali must have been, once. Nowadays the streams and waterfalls are choked with detritus that the 'me first' generation threw from their cars, the roadsides are built up with the worst kind of ugly concrete buildings and the infrastructure, obviously built for the betterment of the contractors and local politicians, is crumbling.

The River Country Resort must have looked good on plan. A modern design with traditional touches perched above the river on the outskirts of town. Sadly the reality is disappointing.

My winter week was marred by a stream of irredeemable faults that the mostly patient and willing staff were powerless to overcome.
First problem - there is no heating. There are radiators in the rooms, apparently installed by a carpenter with only a hammer in his toolbox, but of course they don't work. So I was given a small electric heater. Left on 24/7 it was just enough to stop my breath from freezing. Double glazing or thick curtains would help. The corridors and common areas were so cold I had to wear a down jacket to breakfast.

Hot water was sporadic - as were the internet and electricity - so simply maintaining personal hygiene became a battle. The people responsible for keeping the hotel itself clean obviously gave up long ago.

Towels and sheets are a dirty grey, windows are smeared and greasy, the corridors stink of meals congealed eons ago. Paintwork is chipped, the elevator was perhaps rescued when a government hospital was demolished.

There was a student party staying. They'd been given a room, an amplifier and free reign, so the whole place shook to the beat of horrendous distorted music every evening making any kind of relaxation impossible.

And just when I thought things just couldn't get any worse I got food poisoning from the buffet breakfast.

Honestly, I'd skip Manali altogether, but of you're compelled to go by circumstances behind your control, don't stay at the River Inn Resort.