Best Budget Hotel in Darjeeling | NRS Norling Retreat | Darjeeling Trip
On 9th March, 2024, I finally recahed Darjeeling at around 2:30 pm and landed on to our hotel "NRS Norling Retreat". The hotel was standing just on the edge of the hilly road that was going upwards. As we entered the hotel, the hotel staffs welcomed us with flowers and we were very much pleased with the behaviours of the hotel staffs.
The interior of the hotel was very well decorumed with photos, galleries mounted on the walls, flowers on the shelves and very neat and clean. The temperature was indeed below 10 degree celcius. First we were asked to show our identity cards along with the booking ID and then we were given the keys of our room in the 1st floor. We were accompanied by one of the hotel staffs who helped to carry our luggages directly to our room. But believe me, as we entered the hotel room, I was delighted to see the outside scenic beauty from the window of the hotel room. The room was also fantastic with wooden floors and long and warm carpets were covered on the floor. The bed, almira, mirrors, television, were all there in the room. The bathroom was indeed excellent. However the door of the bathroom looked like transparent but actually not. Since the hotel was standing right on the edge of the hilly road, we could see the entire range of mountains covered with dense forest from our window. We were said that, if the weather remains pleasent, we could see the entire range of the Kanchenjunga peaks from the window. There was a heater in the room and since the teperature was a bit shivering, we took another heater to settle the coldness. Just as I stepped out of the room, I took a breathtaking vew from the lawn in the 1st floor. It was a tremendous view from the hotel lawn. One thing I forgot to say that, there was a bathtub in the bathroom with all the necessary items like shampoo, soaps, skin care oil, skin care cream, gyser, towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. I had never seen such a cleaned hotel before. There was laundry where you can ask the hotel staffs to wash, clean, and reform your clothes with some extra charges.
The ultimate gesture came, when I entered the hotel resturant. The resturant floor was a big one with the kitchen attached to it, and there was option of eating foods like bufe system. It was the first hotel that I saw that served food with the bufe system. The chairs and the floors were all of wooden and a light sound was played, that, sparkled our mood. The resturant was having big windows made of glass-fibre with crystal clear view of the outside scenic beauty. Just image of sitting on the edge of the window, having a cup of tea in the early morning, and enjoying the thunderous view of the Kanchnjunga range. Our hotel charge was Rs. 3000/- INR for one night that includes the breakfast charge, and, the breakfast was indeed luxarious. Once you come in the resturant within 7:30 to 8 am morning, you will find varities of fruit salads, samosa, chowmein, luchi, parotha, boiled egg, sandwitch toasted with green salads, and, you can eat as much as you can. But one thing I must say that, it's good to omit chicken in your diet, as, according to me, chicken did't have so much taste.
An incident happened one night that, my father was sleeping on the bed and the temperature was too much cold inside the hotel. There were already two heaters going on inside our room, but, it was not enough to get rid of the cool weather. As a result, we asked for another heater, and the hotel staffs agreed to provide us another one. Really I had not seen any such hotels having a charge of Rs. 3000/- per night, with such high facilities, wonderful sight seeing view, free breakfast with unlimited varities of foods, and neat, and clean rooms. Regarding the water facility, you can either opt for mineral water which will charge you extra rupees, or you can avail the free water as given in the hotel.
Finally the day when we were supposed to leave the hotel, we got the view of the mighty Kanchenjunga right from the hotel lawn. The weather was clear and I could see clearly the white mighty peaks evolving in front of my eyes. I was thinking of the fact that, people living here were so much lucky that, they could see Kanchenjunga any time, as well as, enjoy the smooth life style over there. I was thinking of the mountaineers who conquor such mountains, that, how they could reach at such a height, which seemed merely impossible according to me. It was as if the white peaks of the Kanchenjunga were rising from the heaven.
It would take hardly 7-10 minuets to reach Mall Road by walking from NRS Norling Retreat Hotel.
