My experience - The Shire has a caption, "Come as our guests, leave as our friends". And we truly made friends. I thank Karma & family for making our stay a wonderful experience. So I will give 5/5 to The Shire for my stay.
Now some more details that might be helpful.
Hospitality - Awesome in a single word.
Food - Homely, Hygienic. Never had to worry what my kid would eat. Note this a homestay so travellers not wise to expect a restaurant like elaborate menu. One can get good veg and non veg food, please inform in the kitchen beforehand.
Rooms - clean, well maintained, room size okay. Bathroom clean.
Overall property - lush green surroundings, garden has variety of flower plants and shrubs, a bamboo groove and more, on clear day can see only peak of Kanchenjunga. Has a good terrace.
Location - 15 mins to MG market, 10Mins to main road. Very steep climb to main road, that's the only shortcoming of Shire possibly but no a problem for energetic individuals. Elderly people must rely on booked taxis to pick up at the door steps.
Positive side is that, it's a good cardio exercise if you walk up to MG market.
My verdict - full marks to Shire given the cost of accommodation. Go for it if you need peaceful homely stay.
We had a very pleasant stay at The Shire, where we were looked after by Karma and his lovely mother. Before we arrived and during our stay, Karma was very helpful, booking us cars and offering sightseeing tips and advice. On our first evening we had a home cooked meal, organically sourced from the garden and local area, and it was delicious. The room and bathroom were large and clean.
Worth noting that to get to MG Marg, the main strip in Gangtok, involves a very steep 10 minute walk. It’s perfectly do-able but hard work if you're lazy!
The only downside to our stay - which had nothing to do with The Shire itself - was the cloudy weather which meant we were unable to see the mountain views. Apparently the mists can set in for weeks at a time, so good luck if you're going!
This a very peaceful place , in lap of nature. I was amazed to see this nice, cozy place which is only 10-15 min walk from MG Marg. I stayed there one night and in the morning I was awaken by chirping of the birds. I couldn't believe this place actually resides in middle of the town. It has a big terrace with great view (if mother nature blesses you with sunny weather). The host Karma and his mother are very warm people. I enjoyed every bit of it. Only downside was my room. I was a cozy little tiny room however the room was very damp. Otherwise my stay was great here.
Visited the place with my friends and a kid in the month of April 19'. Following were the pros and cons of our stay..
Pros-- Very hospitable staff.Mr Karma arranged vehicles for us and also helped planning the trip.Home made food especially the breakfast spread was very delicious.Mrs.Namgyal was ever helpful.They provided boiled egg every morning for the child.The room had a beautiful view and the washroom had all modern amenities.The decor of the place needs a special mention.A nice garden adorns the place and an outdoor seating area gives an unobstructed view of mountains, clouds and the valley beyond.
Cons:Faced water crisis during our stay. However this might be an exception because while booking never did I come across this crisis in the previous reviews.The road leading to the place was quite elevated hense not advisable for the elderly, sick and also for small children(you might have to carry them which would make the walk even more difficult)
In short the place and our stay was a pleasant one.
The Shire is a good place to stay in Gangtok as it has below good points -
10 min walk from mg road n market
Neat and clean rooms
Access to dining n living room to play with your small kids
Excellent food, not oily, kids friendly, loads of variety, freshly cooked.
Personalized attention to your all queries
Very supportive n cooperative host n all his family members.
Good spacious garden area
Home decor is excellent, loads of unique plants n Flora in garden.
We really enjoyed our stay there for 3 nights.