Hello folks, and happy Hallmark day to all of you. I have to admit, I am a sucker for high end resorts, but ever since Hilton left me high and dry in Shillim a year and a half ago, I was not giving them much leeway to disappoint me again.

A few months ago, JW Marriott opened a resort in Mussoorie, a hill station I am sure everyone who is in India and loves to travel has been to at some time or the other in their lives. Except, this one is the first 5 Star property in this part of the world.

I arrived here yesterday for a short stay. After all, I have places to go and not enough time, so the stays are not very long.

But in the less than 24 hours I have been here, I am already impressed with what I have seen and felt. To add to it, there is a massive wedding group here and I can’t feel their presence except for the breakfast this morning.

Let me give you a little insight into what I mean. The property is a small and cozy resort with a 115 rooms, and some breath taking views.

First, I walked into a Studio Suite, while my reservation was for a regular room. I would file this under a big delux room category, but the hotel prefers to call it a Studio Suite.

But then they had a tub with a view.

Last evening, I had tea at a open terrace called The Perch. It had a sweeping view of the valley!

I discovered the indoor heated pool last night, and I’m hoping to pop in for a swim soon!

Breakfast was in the JW Cafe this morning, with the view of the hills.

They are so cool that they service Ice Cream for breakfast!

The best part of my stay is the staff. I believe it is very hard to get a crew which can connect with the guests and make them feel at ease. Since last night, I’ve met so many staffers and spent every thing from a few minutes to sometimes 20 minutes or so to talking to them, and they are all very enthusiastic about the resort and keeping their guests happy.

Not just that, there is a big focus on local. Not just local food, but local employment. So I am told 60-70 per cent of the folks who work here are local. And the hotel is engaged in some interesting stuff. For instance, at breakfast, they had some locals who came in to help with part of the breakfast, making local food, such as this Parantha I had this morning and is special to the region.

I have over 24 hours here and I will get back to some indulgence here, but I seriously recommend this as a place to check-in to if you are planning a trip to this lovely hill station.

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