About Windamere Hotel

It is "One of the three Jewels of the Raj", said a celebrated travel writer of The Windamere Hotel. Established in the 19th century as a cozy boarding house for bachelor English and Scottish tea planters, it was converted into a hotel just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Well known to sophisticated travellers the world over, the Windamere is famous for its unique ambience and charm, and has been the subject of many leading stories in the international media.

During the first National Awards Ceremony for outstanding hotels in India, the Prime Minister presented Windamere Hotel with a coveted award for its excellence as a Heritage Hotel of India.

Windamere is one of the original "Heritage Houses of the Himalayas". It is situated on Observatory Hill, a Darjeeling landmark, believed to be the focus and repository of life-enhancing cosmic energies.

Hotel Specifications

Facilities

The hotel has two wings: The Windamere and Little Windamere

The Windamere wing appeals to guests who like tradition, who would be comfortable in a bygone age, and who want a reminder of how people got on with their lives in old Darjeeling. There are no TVs and telephones in the main house called Ada Villa; and only telephones, by request, in the Annexe. Guests, who choose this wing, prefer to avoid the distractions of modern life for the duration of their stay.

The Little Windamere wing appeals to people who need to remain in touch with modern life, even while they indulge their love of the past and old things. The residential houses in this wing, Annandale House, and Observatory House, are provided with TVs and telephones. The bathrooms have fittings which were once the property of the Loreto Convent Girls School. These were donated to Windamere Hotel when the Convent closed down its boarding school after 130 memorable years. The Convent is the oldest European school in Darjeeling District, having been founded in 1846. It counts among its many famous former pupils, Vivien Leigh, the actress of "Gone With The Wind" fame.

The hotel sponsors The DHR Club, which is located on its grounds. The club aims to foster fellowship among people who like rail travel, by providing a congenial meeting place for them in Darjeeling. The club's facilities are open to people of good standing, with valid membership cards of recognized railway societies from anywhere in the world. Members in good standing of mountaineering institutes, explorers clubs and geographical and botanical societies, may also be admitted to the DHR Club.

The club has a library of travel related reference books, and provides facilities for viewing video films and slides. It is housed in The Snuggery, a 19th century stone cottage, and one of the oldest buildings in Darjeeling. A residential facility of eight double rooms with or without meals is available to club members, at moderate rates.

Conference and banquet facilities

Situated on the Mall, Darjeeling's beautiful scenic walk, and overlooking the Chowrasta, the town's famous promenade, the Windamere Conference Centre is an attractive location for meetings of up to 40 people. The Centre offers board room and conference facilities, in elegant surroundings. The setting is intimate, camaraderie comes easily, and people speak as friends. The Centre is well equipped with modem projection equipment, and computers for E-mail and Internet access.

Recreation and health facilities

Christmas Week at Windamere

Windamere has its own company of artistes, who perform "The Songs & Dances of the Hills", in an outdoor setting; and "Gazals", in the intimate setting of the hotel's Bearpark Parlour.

"Christmas Week at Windamere", which runs from December 18th to January 1st" each year, has been celebrated at the hotel, in the same way, without interruption, since 1939. It has become a tradition for well-known entertainers from London's famous West End theatre district, to entertain at Windamere during Christmas week. The outstanding millennium Christmas of 1999 drew guests from 15 countries, including Brazil, Britain, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, Thailand and Japan...

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