We were having a terrific holiday, having spent time in Chateau Garli, Dharamshala and Palampur. Decided to spend a day in Bir at Colonel’s Resort on a friend’s recommendation.
Booked on phone. 7500 a day per Superior room. Two rooms
On arrival find there is nothing superior or deluxe about rooms. These are terribly kept like army barracks. Beds are makeshift which creak and are ready to fall apart. Bare furniture. Dirty bathrooms with insects
Toiletries picked up from footpath. No hand towels. Terrible with zero care for basic hygiene
We were told food order has been placed as per colonel’s choice. Ripped apart when we got the bill for these home meals. A Paneer dish at Rs 650 - what do they feel- they are running an Oberoi property?
Next day it’s raining heavily. But we start getting phone calls at 9 am- when are you checking out? After three calls were practically forced to leave in heavy rain.
No sign of host.
The only good feel we had was the son- he was polite and helpfully guided us.
At 7500 per night it’s a terrible experience.
One feels fleeced and it seems the management has devil may care attitude.
A blip on perfect holiday we are continuing in Manali and now Zanskar.
We spent an absolutely delightful 10 days at this beautiful resort at the end of June this year. A family run-property it provides a charming holiday experience whether you want just an escape from the heat of the plains, or if you're looking for some adventure in terms of para-gliding, trekking etc, or even if you want a comfortable base from which to explore the surrounding area. We did all three so speak from experience!
One runs short of superlatives to describe the natural ambience of the surroundings, the courteous ever helpful staff, the tastefully done rooms (which even have a flat screen TV...if you like your tele-viewing a lot!), The food served was fresh and delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the Himachali-dishes so thoughtfully served on a couple of occasions.The open deck-area in front of the dining room provides a wonderful space to interact with othe fellow residents and share travel experiences.
The USP of the place undoubtedly is the owner Colonel JP himself...the warmth and involvement displayed by him and even his other family members takes the hospitality of the place many notches higher. The number of repeat guests who keep coming back here itself speaks volumes about the endearing quality of the place.
A word about the rooms (we stayed in both the deluxe and super-deluxe ones)…in our personal experience the deluxe rooms with their charming names like Dhauladhar, Zen, Rhododendron etc are just perfect if you want to simply relax and unwind sitting with a book in the verandah into which each room opens. Watch the varied species of birds feasting on the fruit trees in front or enjoy the beautiful hydrangea bushes lining the verandah...it was delightful! Also they are on the ground floor.
The super deluxe rooms on the first floor are also very tastefully done and have air-conditioning, plus boast a full view of the valley from the huge bay windows lining one full wall.
It's a beautiful resort, well maintained. Rooms were comfortable, the view was superb and the food was awesome. Some negative points- no play room for kids, no room service. Staff was rude at times.
Definitely recommend for staying with family
I stayed at Colonel's Resort for 10 days. Was pleasantly surprised to see the owners (Vikram and Sherry) to take such good care themselves. They were very pleasant to talk to and went out of their way to make us feel comfortable.
Vikram suggested some nice places and shared lot of wisdom about paragliding as he is an expert himself.
The property was nice and clean. The rooms were spacious and we had a great time. The food was tasty and easy on the stomach.
Would love to stay again in out next visit.
The only things that I can be improved -
1. There is no room service.
2. Front desk guy can use some training. He was rude often times, which is a shame because rest of the staff was very courteous and helpful.
3. We were asked to move to a different room in the middle of our stay despite have confirmed booking. Thankfully some one from management chipped in and helped us.
We had the opportunity of spending five days at Colonel's Resort. Our stay was extremely comfortable and relaxing.
The resort made all the arrangements for us, right from airport pickup at Dharamshala and the drop. They even organised the Paragliding for us, including pick and drop from the resort.
The room was spacious, clean, comfortable and tastefully done. The staff was cordial and helpful. The room opened out to green exteriors, with ample fruit bearing trees.
The food was sumptuous, hygienic and tasty.
The icing on the cake was the personal touch by Col and Mrs JP Singh, who interacted with all the guests regularly, to make them comfortable.
Overall a nostalgic sojourn. I would definitely like to stay again and would highly recommend to everyone visiting Bir.