Club Mahindra Manali Review. Review on Club Mahindra Manali

We stayed in Club Mahindra Manali for 7 days from 6th April to 13th April. Reached Kullu(Bhunter) airport by Air India / Indian Airlines on 6th morning. There are only two airline operators - Kingfisher(unpredictable as it can be cancelled anytime because of its financial woes) and Air India from Delhi to Kullu. Need to caution you at the outset that if the weather is bad, the airlines cancel the flights at the last minute and your entire travel plans might go for a toss. Best time to visit for people from South India according to me is April as snow is receded around this time at the resort, market place and the adjoining areas.(Snow enthusiasts will differ on this! starting December the snow will be minimum three feet at almost all places in Manali that you will not enjoy it .unlike playing in snow for few hours). Never try the peak seasons(May till August) / long week ends as local crowd from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi throng this place and it is crowded with long queues of vehicles everywhere(You will thank me for this!).(Be it Rohtang Pass / Gulaba Valley/ Solang). There is a narrow bridge connecting the resort and the market place where only one vehicle can pass at a time and this is another bottleneck for traffic.

Coming to resort, it has a very nice view and we stayed in 1 Bedroom apartment(The duplex unit had two toilets). Rooms are relatively old and average. House keeping maintains the place really well. The staff is friendly and courteous.

Food spread is not great as there are only 38 rooms and the number of guests are accordingly less. The guests who stayed during this time had a very bad experience. More than 20 people had diaroeha / Dysentery and vomit because of contaminated water from day 2. They added lots of chlorine in the potable water from the next day however it did not help much. Please consume ONLY mineral water(1 litre bottle costs only 20 Rs).

Do not try any of the eateries in Solang Valley, it is a sureshot way to have your stomach upset

Surprisingly some of the roadside dhaba's(we tried one in Kothi Village) were really good. Especially Roti's and other side dishes.

Incase you run into trouble there is only one hospital worth taking treatment - Lady Willingdon Hospital. The nearest medical shop is opposite Indian Oil petrol bunk. Otherwise you need to go the market place. The resort staff charge 150 Rs as service charge to fetch medicines from the medical shops.

While you buy any food items / biscuits / medicines from any of the nearby shops be careful to check the expiry date. They all have very old stocks.

The market place is 2.5 kms from the resort and they charge 300 Rs for drop and pick up(atrocious fare's!)

In Solang Valley where you can do para gliding, you need to bargain really well otherwise they take you for a ride. It is 500 - 700 Rs for Medium jump.which lasts less than 60 secs and the risk of colliding / getting hurt while landing is there. It is better to take the High altitude jump which costs 1000 - 1500 Rs. Plan for this in the morning/afternoon as later in the evening the wind becomes bad. Many a time it is cancelled if the wind flow is bad

Try the ropeway which costs 400 Rs per person and it is worth after you go up there to play in the snow.

You can do skiing and play in the snow at Gulaba Valley. Try to take the snow boots and jackets at the resort itself. Most of the vendors on the roadsides who rent this have very dirty and soiled. Take proper precautions to not allow snow getting inside the boots as it makes your feet freeze after the socks get soaked.

Be it taking the All terrain vehicle up to snow point / skiing know the going rate to bargain well. Carry a water bottle. Typically Rohtang pass gets opened only during the last week of April. However you are not going to miss anything. After the pass opens up, take the trip early in the morning at 3 AM / 4 AM to avoid onward traffic. Whatever it is .the traffic jam is huge during peak seasons and you end up spending long hours.not worth it.

Do not try Manikaran .the roads are really bad. Try Reorich art gallery, Naggar Castle and waterfalls. Vashist temple has a hot water spring .the place is extremely crowded and resembles a mela. Hot water has supposedly curative powers

Hadimba temple and the surroundings are good. Club house is another place to hang out. You can buy some hoisery stuff from Thapar Ludhiana manufacturer. There is a rope crossing which is 100 Rs. Try river rafting which is fun. Carry another set of clothes as you will get totally wet in the chill ice cold water. Manali market place is very filthy and not maintained well. While you commute to the resort by road to the airport try the alternate village route through Naggar as it is less crowded and the drive is very scenic. It saves you from all those big vehicles plying on the main road

Also for a pick up call the resort travel desk(Ram) directly for a pick up from the airport instead of arranging through club mahindra travel desk as there is a difference of 550 Rs between the two.

Fun Zone has 1 table tennis board, 2 carrom, 1 air hockey and video games. They also have programs in the evening.some of them are interesting

There is secure wi fi in the reception area for the guests. Finally the resort does not deserve to be a crown property as Club Mahindra claims.