The Broke Chica: Escape To The Hills With Mayfair Gangtok (Part 2)

Hello Chicas,

In my last post I talked about my visit to Darjeeling, if you haven't checked it out yet, you can read it here. Our stay in Darjeeling was a pleasant one as we didn't really occupy ourselves doing touristy things but spend our time lazing around in the resort and revisiting some of our favorite cafes where we enjoyed the sunset over some croissant and coffee. After spending a couple of days at the Mayfair Resort Darjeeling, we left the property with a heavy heart for Gangtok on the third day of our trip.

Last breakfast at the Mayfair Resort, Darjeeling

Reaching Gangtok

We took a private cab to Gangtok which cost us INR 2400. The distance from Darjeeling to Gangtok is approximately 98 kilometers and it takes around 4 hours to reach Gangtok. On our way to Sikkim from Darjeeling, River Teesta added beauty to the journey. We stopped by the River Teesta View point also popularly known as Lover's point. It's a famous tourist spot where travelers stop by to enjoy the lovely view of the river from the mountains. The emerald green water gushing downwards with mighty force kept me occupied halfway through the journey.

At the River Teesta viewpoint

Mud house with colorful windows

My experience at the Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino Gangtok

After a journey of 4 hours we finally reached our destination, Mayfair Spa Resort and Casino, Gangtok. The property is located approximately 10 kms away from the main Gangtok city and is spread across an area of 49 acres. A huge fountain in the form of a rotating globe was the first thing we saw on entering the resort. I was completely in awe of the magnificent villas and the colorful walls of the lobby which has rare and historical photos of Sikkim. We were welcomed to the hotel by the staff who served us tea after which we were allotted a room in the forest villa for Day 1 of our stay.

An elevator and a brief golf cart ride later we reached the fern villa. As the name suggests, the villa was surrounded with trees and it almost felt like we were living in a forest. Our room was extremely spacious with a gorgeous balcony where we had our morning tea. We had our breakfast and lunch at a cute animal themed cafe next to our villa called "The Jungle Café" which served mouth-watering local Sikkimese delicacies. For dinner we opted for Orchid, a grand dining area with magnificent bell shaped chandeliers. We had a larger than life dining experience at the Orchid. The restaurant was huge and had an array of buffets ranging from Chinese to Indian and Continental.

On day 2 of our stay at Mayfair Gangtok, we were allotted the Grand Villa, one of the best suites available at the resort. These Villas were located in an extremely private and exclusive part of the resort and consists of a grand bedroom, a plush stately living room and a large sun deck. The entire living area was tastefully decorated, I could spend my entire day just staring at the beautiful vintage interiors. The deck had a stunning private rock garden and an artificial waterfall that flowed into the temperature controlled dip pool. One of the major attractions at the resort is the swanky Mahjong Casino attached to it. The Casino was huge and I was mesmerized by the beyond beautiful paintings which adorned the walls. Casino Mahjong is the first full-fledged live onshore casino to be opened in India. It is open 24/7 and serves delectable food and beverages.

Wonderful ambiance, attentive service and world class amenities are some of the factors which made our stay at the Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino a blissful one. The staffs at the resort were extremely friendly, polite and helped us out in every possible way with a smile.

The hotel provided a special sort of tranquility far from the hustle bustle of the city of Gangtok. The most cherished moment I would remember from my stay at the resort would be the early morning coffee time in the balcony of our room with the spectacular view of Rumtek Monastery in the hills. Such a charming retreat indeed.

Just a wee bit excited after entering the property

Soaking in the grandeur of the place

Golf Cart ride to the Fern Villa

On our way to the Jungle Cafe

At the Jungle Cafe

Inside the Fern Villa

Favorite part of the day

Inside the Grand Villa

Couldn't get enough of the view from our Sun deck

Pretty corners

Can ditch the idiot box forever if I get a couch with a gorgeous view like this

Breakfast in bed kinda days are the best

Pool area surrounded by an artificial waterfall

All set for a dip in the pool

The Oriental Restaurant

Casino Mahjong

In awe of the beautiful paintings inside the casino

Touristy things we did in Gangtok

On Day 2 of our stay at Mayfair Spa Resort Gangtok, we decided to move out of the hotel and visit the main city. Since Sikkim is know for the beautiful age old monasteries, we started our day with a visit to the Rumtek Monastery. We took a cab at the taxi stand located right opposite to our hotel and ventured out for Rumtek Monastery. The road to the monastery was really bad and still under construction. After some 30 minutes of journey through the treacherous roads we finally reached the monastery. Located 24 km away from Gangtok, Rumtek Monastery is one of the sacred pilgrimage centers for Buddhists. The monastery was built during the 1960’s and is a replica of the Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet. Within the monastery grounds is the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for higher Buddhist studies. The monastery showcases many sacred paintings, art, objects, manuscripts and religious scriptures. There were some very colorful murals on the walls and ceilings of the buildings, depicting various scenes from the Buddhist literature. The monastery was situated at the top of a valley with sweeping views back down the valley to Gangtok. Along the path up to the monastery were small shops where we bought some prayer flags. After spending an hour or so inside the monastery we left for M.G.Road, Gangtok.

M.G.Marg is considered as the center of the Gangtok town and is a great place to chill out. The road is lined up with shops, restaurants, and bars on both sides. One of the things which I loved most about the place is the cleanliness – no litter, no noise and no pollution. After a stroll along the M.G.Marg we visited Khan Uncle's Biryani House where we had some delicious kebabs. The cafe had some popular dialogues from Bollywood movies framed on the walls. After that we stopped by Baskin Robins to have some ice-cream. No trip to the hills is complete for me without indulging in some ice-cream in the chilly weather. Another thing which really impressed me about this small city was the well planned roads and the law abiding citizens. To sum it up in a few words, with traditional age old monasteries on one hand and the city’s evolving cafe culture on the other, Gangtok has my heart.