To be very honest, I’m not the biggest fan of visiting the hills mainly cause I hate the drive up and down. The winding route just makes me very anxious. I also don’t enjoy the crowds that throng to the hills during any long holiday in India. So when my mum proposed a short trip to the hills for my dad’s 65th birthday, I wasn’t the most thrilled. We picked a hill station that I had visited a few years back with my friends and which was a little offbeat. We picked Landour.
Landour is a small hill station located a few kilometres ahead of the popular Indian hill station, Mussoorie. It used to be a British cantonment and was named by them after Llanddowror – a village in Wales. Today the entire hamlet has only 24 houses/villas. It is quiet, picturesque and a really nice place to spend a few days in peace. It is also home to popular Indian author, Ruskin Bond.
We chose to live in an old British time villa that was with a Christian mission that has been converted into a hotel – La Villa Bethany. They have only limited rooms but each with a gorgeous view. The inn is also trying to be more sustainable – partly solar powered, rainwater harvesting (fully self-sufficient), organic soaps, and shampoo bars in all the rooms. Our room was really cutesy. The view from the patio outside our room made the stay so special.
We reached on a rainy day and walked around the small hamlet getting totally drenched in the downpour. We spent the next few days walking around Landour and walking to Mussoorie. We visited cutesy cafes and ate A LOT but made up for it by walking 8-9kms every day (hill walks). Overall, we had a very cute, short, and fun vacation. We rang in my dad’s 65th birthday in the hills.
I have been feeling extremely burnt out these last few weeks and it was a welcome break to just get away from everything. There was limited phone connectivity and that was a disguised blessing since I could just get away from work and life back in Delhi. I am looking forward to going back with my best friend next month. We went together to Landour in 2015 and we want to recreate the trip.
Why does travel always leave you feeling refreshed? Do you love travelling? Do you also like to sometimes just travel to escape the humdrum of life? Where was your last trip to?
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A beautiful place with some knock out views. Lots of cute, sleepy dogs aswell!
I love to travel, but don’t feel like I need to go far to refresh myself. I’ve just spent a few days camping in the countryside and hours drive from home and have come back feeling ready to start over with a clear mind. Sometimes we just need to hit that reset button!
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I haven’t had a get-away for a long time, and your post has me yearning to do one! I love the photos! It looks like a wonderful spot to visit and get refreshed. This came at a good time for you! I was getting concerned for your continued well-being, so good for you! The universe knew you needed it, and worked through your mom to get you there! ;-))
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Such a lovely place! Landour has found a place in my bucket list, all thanks to this post. Your recommendations are most useful. Thank you for sharing them. 🙂
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What a beautiful place with some lovely scenery! I love travelling and would do it all the time if I could but unfortunately it’s been a few months since I last really travelled. Hopefully I can take a small trip soon!
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So glad you got to get away for a bit! I love traveling but I am also not a picky traveler.. for some, traveling means leaving the country and going to a fancy resort or flying to an exotic destination. .. but for me, traveling just means leaving my home for another place to discover.. it could be an hours drive from my home town or it can be on a train or a plane… I really just enjoy seeing different things and experiencing different sceneries and cultures! My last trip was a little road trip I did with my sisters to a small town about 2 hours from where I live… it was thrilling 🙂
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Gorgeous views and photos!
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This looks like such a gorgeous trip M! I read from a French beauty influencer that in France they take ALL of August off to relax. Can u imagine that?!? Amazing and I’m hoping you came back feeling refreshed?
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All of August? Wow. I’m jealous now. 🤣
It was a nice rejuvenating trip. ☺️
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Looks like a pretty great trip to me. I’m sure it meant a lot to your parents that you hung out with them on your dad’s birthday. What an unusual-looking room at La Villa Bethany. I think that adds to its charm.
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It was a great trip. 😊
Hahah, so the room has a really great backstory. This villa is from the 19th century and the room we stayed in used to be the servant’s quarters which was broken down from inside to create one big room. I loved how all the rooms in the inn had a fun backstory. They have converted the cattle room, log storage room etc. into such cutesy rooms since the main villa only houses two rooms apart from a huge library and dining area.
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Happy birthday to your father. India has some very beautiful places, although I’ve never been there, photographs speak for themselves. Thank you for sharing bits from your trip. Glad you enjoyed together with your family. And yes, traveling is always something special. It’s definitely a way to detach from the daily routine.
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Thank you ☺️
It was a welcome break!
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Beautiful and you take great pictures ❣️
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Thank you ❤️
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You are most welcome ❤️
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Whoa! The photos are giving ruskin bond vibes!Hope you enjoyed the trip!
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My last trip was to glacier and Yellowstone national park. While I enjoy traveling from time to time… Nothing beats coming home for me. I live in the mountains on 11.2 acres, so I’m extremely lucky in the fact that being home feels like being on vacation (unless things are going wrong with the animals on our farm haha). I’m SO glad that you were able to feel refreshed. Everyone deserves that and happy belated birthday to your dad. Love the pictures you posted. They are super quaint 💗
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I many like your beautiful blog. A pleasure to come stroll on your pages. A nice discovery. I will come back to visit you. Do not hesitate to visit my universe. See you soon.
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Getting up there is tough after all the curvy roads but the view there is absolutely worth it! Nice one ✨
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I love how quaint and fun Landour is for a quiet few days away from everything. 🙂
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Wonderful views!
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