Archive for February, 2009

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Nainital Mall Road

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Every time I think of Nainital, I get very excited about the Mall Road area. That’s one place in Nainital which is bustling with tourists and local activities all the time. From shops, to eateries to local vendors, the ever colourful Mall Road is the life line of Nainital.

Located parallel to the Naini Lake, the Mall Road is a stretch of about 1 km and also serves as the entry and exit point of Nainital. If you enter Nainital from the Main Point (Close to the Bus stand when you come via Kathgodam), on your left is Naini Lake and the right side is full of hotels and shops. This 1 km sstretch going up to the Nainital Boat House Club is called the Mall Road.

We started our walk through the famous Mall and soon came across a “Bun Tik” joint where people were having these Indian Burgers. It didn’t take us much time to order these delicious Bun Tiks which are prepared by frying the Alloo Tikki (Potato Patty) and wrapping them in a fresh baked bun with Indian chutneys. This is the best part about Nainital Mall Road and highly recommended.

Our next stop was not one but a couple of shops which were selling imported items like Bags, Belts, Wallets, Key chains, etc. Nainital Mall is all about shopping and needless to say we picked up quite a bit for ourselves, had Juicy Corns during our walk and completely enjoyed our Sunny afternoon. Nainital is famous for Candles and you will find good candles if you are a Candle lover. Our last stop was Boating and we decided to do Yachting from the Boat House Club. This was a great experience and we took a full round of the Naini Lake which took us about 45 minutes. Since I have done boating in the past, Yachting was a far more superior experience.

NOTE:

It is very important to note that the entry and exit points is Nainital Mall Road are open/close at different times during the year.

May, June and October: Light Vehicles cannot enter/exit from 08:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 02:30 PM to 10:00 PM. If you want to enter/exit during the barred timings, please take the route via Rajbhavan.

November to April: Light vehicles are barred from 06:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Apart from this Mall Road is the only area where you will find all the ATMs. Banks which already have ATMS are HDFC, Bank of Baroda and State Bank of India. It is highly recommended that you carry cash if you in going during May and June. Nainital is very crowded during that time and the ATMs run out of Cash :)

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Hotel Classic the Mall Nainital

Friday, February 13th, 2009

Hotel Classic the Mall in Nainital is owned by New Age Hotels and Resorts who also run hotels in Haridwar and Chamba. Classic the Mall, as the name suggests is located in the Mall Road area of Nainital facing the Naini Lake. The hotel is equipped with 32 rooms including Deluxe Rooms and Suites.

Rooms:The only strong point about rooms in Classic the Mall is the lake view. You have clear view of the Naini Lake and please dont ask for more. The rooms are definitely neat and clean with attached bath.  

Room Rating for Deluxe Hotel: 2.75/5

Facilities: Your room is equipped with facilities like heaters, hot and cold water and direct telephone. The hotel also boasts of a Conference Hall and a small restaurant which serves Indian food.

Facilities Rating for Deluxe Hotel: 2.75/5

Food and Service: While you are at Classic the Mall, please do not expect great service or extraordinary food. We found the food to be just about okay and the service was little slow.

Food and Service Rating for Deluxe Hotel: 2.5/5

Location in Nainital: Location is the major plus point of Classic the Mall. I dont think too many tourists who want to settle at the Mall Road, would mind Classic Hotel.

Satisfaction Percentage for Hotel Classic the Mall Nainital: 53%

Holiday IQ Rating for Classic the Mall: 5.33/7 (As on Feb 13, 2009)

Tripadvisor Rating for Classic the Mall: Not Ranked (As on Feb 13, 2009)

Contact Details:

Classic The Mall, Nainital

Mall Road, Nainital

Telephone: 05942 - 237704

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Delhi to Nainital Road Map: How to Reach Nainital

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

This is a very interesting topic. I personally like to know all the routes, road maps, etc. when I travel. Since I travel to Nainital at least 10 times in a year, and that I know most of the routes (if not all), thought I could be a good resource in drawing a route map of Delhi to Nainital.

There are basically 02 routes that you can take while going to Nainital from Delhi. Both the routes run on the same track up to Moradabad and then deviate after Moradabad. One of the routes is via Kaladungi and the other goes through Rampur. Let me explain you both the routes going to Nainital:

Delhi to Nainital through Rampur: Delhi - Ghaziabad - Hapur - Garmukteshwar - Gajraula - Moradabad - Rampur - Haldwani - Kathgodam - Nainital

Delhi to Nainital through Kaladungi: Delhi - Ghaziabad - Hapur - Garmukteshwar - Gajraula - Moradabad - Tanda - Bazpur - Kaladungi - Nainital

Via Rampur: Rampur route is fine up-to Moradabad but the major hassle comes while you are crossing Rampur. You have to cross the busy bazaars of Bilaspur and Rampur to get to Haldwani, which is even more crowded. From light to heavy vehicles to bullock carts, you ll have to go through a lot of traffic and dirty roads. Definitely not recommended.

Via Kaladungi: The beauty of this route lies in the fact that this road is meant for only light vehicles. This further sums up the fact that there would not be too many heavy vehicles passing by and that you are pretty much safe on the road :) The road condition is absolutely fantastic and the total distance is only 290 kms. You can easily reach Nainital in not more than 6 - 7 hours. Definitely recommended!

Moradabad - Nainital Road Map (Via Kaladungi):

After crossing the Moradabad bypass, take a left U turn (the right turn will go to Rampur) for Corbett National Park. Keep following the road and it will take a right turn on its own (passing through a small bazaar) and then after going for about 8 kms more, you will see a right turn pointing Bazpur. Take this right turn and keep going straight for Bazpur (landmark: Bazpur Gurudwara just after the rail track) and then straight on for Kaladungi (passing through a jungle). On reaching Kaladungi (after crossing a small bridge and going 200 meters ahead) you will see a board pointing left for Nainital. After taking this right turn you will start climbing up (after 5 kms) and now you are only 30 kms short of Nainital. Yes boss…You are done in just 290 kms from Delhi!

Caution:Please do not take this route (or try and research) during July and August. The bridge in Tanda collapses every year during monsoons. You could also drop us a mail and we will certainly try and find out for you guys :)
Please let us know what you think about this route and if you have any other information for us.

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Around Nainital - Naukuchiatal Lake

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Naukuchiatal, the name which can be broken into three parts Nau-kuchia-tal to derive its meaning is an absolute wonder in the lake district of Nainital. If you translate Naukuchiatal in English, that’s what you get - Nau (Nine) Kuchia (Corner) Tal (Lake). Naukuchiatal is indeed a lake of nine corners offering magnificent views and different shades of the lake from every corner.

Naukuchiatal is set amidst oak forests in lesser Kumaon region of Uttarakhand State in India. Part of the rural tourism initiative of Uttaranchal Tourism, this faded blue lake is surrounded by green forest mountains from all sides. A scenery which is forgotten and out of sight for all the lakes in district, Naukuchiatal along with its forests is one of the only few virgin destinations in North India. While the people of Naukuchiatal believe in the Nirvana folklore, I strongly feel that its very difficult to see all the nine corners through 1 angle. However, I have also heard a true story that our beloved Goving Ballabh Pant succeeded in attaining that.

I am one of the lucky ones who have been going to Nainital for years now. Me and my father used to go to Naukuchiatal to experience solitude when there were no pacca roads in Naukuchiatal. We used to hire a bike from Nainital town and ride the twisting hilly roads and carefully cross the kutcha road to visit this paradise. Upon reaching the place, we used to trek the jungles and then have our lunch by the lake or sometimes in a boat while rowing and touching every single corner of the lake. Those were the days…Ma friend :)
Naukuchiatal is a place of character and sheer beauty. Sitting pretty at about 4000 ft above the sea level, Naukuchiatal is a place that you could visit at any time of the year. The weather is very pleasant throughout the year and one can go and visit Naukuchiatal anytime. I have been there in every season and and whenever I go, I never get tired of witnessing the ever green beauty of Naukuchiatal.

The kind of activities one can do in Naukuchiatal are far more superior to any other hill station in India and around Delhi. A comfortable drive of not more than 6 hours travelling time from Delhi, brings you to Naukuchiatal where birding, fishing, boating and paragliding are still alive. There are hundreds of exotic birds in the forests of Naukuchiatal and highly recommended to birders. Here you can do fishing in the lake and catch India’s most famous game fish, the Mahaseer. You can also climb up the hill of Pandegaon, face the lake and jump from the cliff and glide through the mountains of Naukuchiatal.

In a way I am happy that not too many people come to Naukuchiatal. We have already witnessed and seen the price Nainital has paid to become the tourist hub of Kumaon. But we also want more and more people to witness the beauty of this paradise lake. Its definitely a must do while you are in Nainital and anywhere around Nainital. The place is only 25 kms from Nainital, 04 kms from Bhimtal and 15 kms from Sattal. There are enough reasosns to visit Naukuchiatal - attaining Nirvana being the most gifted one :)
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Nainital Tibetan Market - Shoppers Delight!

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Oh what a delight!!! But we must warn you that Nainital Tibetan Market is highly addictive and may cause a dent in your pockets :) Nevertheless, shop wholeheartedly here cause you wont get a better place or deals to shop elsewhere. Nainital Tibetan Market is located on one side of the Naini lake and next to the famous Naini Temple. As you enter the Market, you are greeted by ever smiling Tibetans who own different shops here along with some ambitious Indians. Its a very narrow path and you have shops on both sides…So there is a great variety to choose from and if you are good in bargaining, trust me, you will not be disappointed.

As we entered the Nainital Tibetan Market, we were thrown to a lot of shouts, calling “Sir, Sir, Sir” and as we tried picking on who the person was, there were more shouts forcing us to ignore the one we heard…:) So now we knew for sure that bargaining was on and big time! It was actually quite dark there but the shops were fully lit up to showcase the products. In fact I came across a shop which was owned by an Indian and there was this whole range of (duplicate) Designer Colognes and Perfumes. Honestly, we found people wearing the best and ORGINAL colognes but still buying from this shop. I asked one of the Sardarjis (Sikhs) and his idea was to take these colognes for day to day wear :) There were plenty of shops where one could buy shoes, jackets and sweaters. We were told that these products were sourced from China. We actually picked up a jacket and a pair of shoes. There was a very good range of funky shoes and poly-fill jackets so we had a chance to bargain and guess what…It clicked also! A decent pair of shoes were not at all a bad buy for Rs. 400/-

Nainital Tibetan Market is actually a treat for women…So its very dangerous to go there (for men) with women. We saw a lot of women buying face packs, perfumes, nail polishes and some more things which cannot be told here ;-) We also liked the variety of Bags, Wallets, Key Chains, etc. Its actually a good place for commercial tourists as it falls right next to the Temple, the Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) and the famous Naini Lake. So its not a bad idea to come here and also help the Tibetans at the same time.

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Nainital Snowview and Ropeway

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Nainital Snow view is definitely one of the 5 Must Dos in Nainital. Situated a height of about 2250 meters above sea level, Nainital Snow view is a excellent point for a breathtaking view of the Naini Lake and exploring the Snow Capped Himalayas with the help of binoculars. The local authorities in Nainital have done quite a bit to showcase this beautiful point and restoring the place at the same time. To access Snow view, you will have to take Cable Car from the Mall Road which in itself is a great ride. The alternate trekking route gets a little difficult specially when you have kids along.

Snow view was discovered by the British and and they used to come to this place with the idea of a picnic. On a clear day, the views of Nanda Devi are simply breathtaking. Probably this must have been the biggest reason to come to this place. Later on, a bungalow was made here so that officers could come to this place and relax for a few days. The same bungalow is now a 04 bedroom guest house known as Snow view Heritage. The rooms are airy and spacious and complete with bathrooms and dressing area. Almost everything in this bungalow is done up with wood and takes you back to Days of the Raj. We would recommend you to go and stay there simply with the idea of exploring Snow view to the fullest. Do not expect any class or luxury as it is managed by Nainital Tourism :)

Snow view is actually a great place for kids. The Adventure Park offers a lot of activities for the kids like Go Carting, Air Gun Shooting, etc. There are lots of fast food stalls at Snow view and you will not be short of the desi street food. Binoculars are rented out at Snow view to get a closer picture of the Himalayas at a nominal rate of Rs. 5.00. The road of Snow view continues to Kilbury and Dorothy Seat through small villages. Its a beautiful idea to explore this route if you are fit to walk/trek some distance and we are sure you would not be disappointed…Explore!!!

nainital-snowview-ropeway

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Shervani Hilltop Nainital - A Premium Hotel

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Shervani Hilltop Hotel in Nainital is arguably one of the best properties in the region. Shervani Hilltop is run by Shervani Hotels who have a beautiful boutique business hotel in Delhi’s Sunder Nagar area. Shervani Hilltop was started in 1981 as a small garden retreat in the Mallital area of Nainital and it soon started drawing people’s attention  for its landscaping and beautiful gardens.

Shervani Hilltop became a part of Premium Hotels in Nainital after its renovation in 2007. The hotel saw many changes and the speciality of Shervani Hilltop, the beautiful gardens and landscaping, were given a lot more attention than before. The rooms were completely changed and upgraded to facilitate a luxurious stay in Nainital. The exteriors were also touched to give a classy feel to Shervani Hilltop through bright lighting, etc.

Rooms: The rooms in Shervani do not have a lakeview but they definitely do not lack taste. With wooden flooring in all rooms and impressive designing, the rooms in Shervani are a replica of their business hotel in Delhi. We would recommend their Hill View rooms which are located on the first floor of the hotel and offer a great view of the wild hills of Nainital. If you do not get the Hill View Rooms, the other rooms are not bad either. However, we feel the package rates are overpriced for this small hotel in Nainital.

Room Rating: 3.75/5

Facilities: We were actually quite disappointed with the facilities part of Shervani Hilltop. While most of the other hotels in Nainital are offering other facilities than just a bar and restaurant, we did not come across any recreational facilities in Shervani. The hotel is located 2 kms from the Mall Road and it makes a lot of sense to offer guests with facilities they can utilize than just sit, eat or drink.

Facilities Rating: 3.25/5

Food and Service: We did not face any problems with Food and Service. But again, we would recommend you to have Indian food than going for Chinese or Continental.

Food and Service Rating: 3.5/5

Location in Nainital: Please note that Shervani is not located in one of the best areas of Nainital. In fact it is next to Arif Castles Hotel and the same issues come up in its approach.

Satisfaction Percentage for Shervani Hilltop Hotel Nainital: 70%

Holiday IQ Rating for Shervani Hilltop: 4.56/7 (As on February 09, 2009)

Tripadvisor Rating for Shervani Hilltop: Ranked No. 04 (As on February 09, 2009)

Contact Details:

Shervani Lodge, Mallital, Nainital-263001

Telephone: 05942-233800

shervani-hilltop-hotel-nainital

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Important Contacts in Nainital

Friday, February 6th, 2009

While you are travelling anywhere in the world, it is very important to have contact information of authorties you would like to contact in case of emergency or for information. While most of the people do not care about this, we would highly recommend you all to take a print out of this particular post so that you get get in touch with the concerned person in case of any emergency.

Nainital is a distrcit and wherever you move around in this region, the below mentioned list will always help you in getting connected with the most important people/offices.

The STD Code of Nainital is 05942. This remains same for Bhowali, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal.

District Tourism Officer: 05942 - 235337
District Magistrate Nainital: 05942 - 235684
SDM Nainital: 05942 - 235688
District Information Officer: 05942 - 235605
IG Kumaon (Nainital): 05942 - 235456
SSP Nainital: 05942 - 235730
Police Station Mallital (Nainital): 05942 - 235424
Police Station Bhimtal: 05942 - 247044
Sherwood College Nainital: 05942 - 235042, 236524, 235036
State Bank of India: 05942 - 235645, 235087
Punjab National Bank: 05942 - 235604
Shoban Singh Jeena Base Hospital: 05942 - 250141, 251088
GB Pant Hospital Nainital: 05942 - 235388

ATMs in Nainital
Bank of Baroda: Mall Road Nainital
HDFC Bank: Mall Road Nainital
State Bank of India: Mall Road Nainital

We hope that this information is useful for all the people travelling to Nainital. Please let us know if you have any other important contact information which you would like to share with others.

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Arif Castles Hotel Nainital

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Arif Castles is a Deluxe Hotel located in the upper Mallital area of Nainital. Arif Castles is part of the Arif Group of Hotels who also runa 3 star hotel in Lucknow. The hotel is equipped with 60 rooms and is one of the oldest hotels in Nainital.

Rooms:Since Arif Castles is located in upper Mallital and there is NO LAKE VIEW from any of the rooms in Arif Castles. The hotel is actually located in heart of a residential colony in Mallital and so is closed from all four sides. The rooms are not bad but they do not offer any view…You open the windows and there is nothing which will attract your eyes. Its like living in the cold of Nainital without even experiencing the fact that you are part of hills.

Room Rating for Deluxe Hotel in Nainital: 2.5

Facilities: Arif Castles have a restaurant, a conference hall, a discotheque and a gymnasium. The restaurant specialises in Indian food and we would not recommend ordering Chinese or Continental food from their kitchen. The conference hall was fine and designed pretty well for a corporate conference. The discotheque was closed during our visit and we were told that it operational during April - July. The gymnasium was not fully operational and we noticed that some of the machines were not in a working state.

Facilities Rating for Deluxe Hotel in Nainital: 2.75

Food and Service: We liked the Indian food at Arif Castles. The curries were rich and it seemed that lot oil was used. Definitely not good if you do it everyday but I guess it is ok while you are on a holiday. The service was not great but we were disappointed.

Food & Service Rating for Deluxe Hotel in Nainital: 3.0

Location in Nainital: Arif Castles location is the weakest point about the hotel. The last 100 mtrs approach to the hotel is horrible and the road is very narrow and steep which unnecessarily makes it difficult to pull your car up to the hotel.

Satisfaction Percentage for Arif Castles Hotel Nainital: 55%

Holiday IQ Rating for Manu Maharani: Not Rated (As on Feb 04, 2009)

Tripadvisor Rating for Manu Maharani: Not Ranked(As on Feb 04, 2009)

Contact Details:

Hotel Arif Castles, Mallital, Nainital

Phone: (05942) 235801

arif-castles-hotels-nainital

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Nainital Road Map And Around Nainital

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

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Lake District of Nainital Map - Source Nainital NIC Website

A lot of people have approached us in the past wanting a brief explanation of Nainital and surrounding areas. In fact Nainital is full of toursit places and could easily be the epicentre of Kumaon Tourism. The Lake Distrcit of Nainital boasts of 09 different lakes (some of which are no more), shares its boundary with one of the most visited National Parks in the country and obviously is part of the Himalayas.

Our aim here is to show you different places and their importance with the help of this map.

Kathgodam: Kathgodam is the nearest railway station from Nainital. Situated at a distance of roughly 40 kms from Nainital, Kathgodam along with Haldwani serves as the commercial hub for Nainital.

Kaladunghi: Kaladunghi is famous for Jim Corbett as he chose Kaladunghi to be his home. Kaladunghi is famous for Corbett Falls and Corbett’s House which is now a museum. Kaladunghi is located about 38 kms from Nainital and also serves as an alternate route for people coming from Delhi. That’s a recommended route and we will discuss this route later.

Ramnagar (Corbett): Ramnagar is the commercial hub and nearest rail head from Corbett National Park. Situated at a distance of 65 kms from Nainital, Corbett is famous for Royal Bengal Tigers and Asiatic Elephants. We will discuss Corbett in detail under Around Nainital category.

Bhimtal: Bhimtal is located 22 kms from Nainital. Bhimtal is the biggest lake in the district and famous of Bhimeshwar Mahadev Temple. Bhimtal is now coming up as a tourist centre close to Nainital.

Naukuchiatal: Naukuchiatal is the deepest lake in the district situated at a distance of . This picturesque lake is part of Uttaranchal Government’s Rural Tourism policy and number of beautiful resorts have come up in the area. The place also offers Paragliding as part of Adventure Sports promoted by Nainital Adventure Sports department.

Sattal: Sattal is a small lake located at a distance of 28 kms from Nainital. The place is known for birding.

Bhowali: Bhowali is located at a distance of 12 kms from Nainital. The place is a small commercial hub and the centre point for going to different areas in Kumaon region.

Mukteshwar:Mukteshwar is located at a distance of 65 kms from Nainital. Mukteshwar is also one of the most upcoming destinations in Kumaon circuit and famous of Himalayas view and Orchards.

We will also cover all these places in “around nainital: section.

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