Villa Everest Darjeeling Review

Villa Everest is close to the Darjeeling Circuit House, and what you can call a part of the fashionable elite scene of colonial Darjeeling. Once a summer home to the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, I was recommended this hotel by a dear friend and photographer, and I have been in love ever since. The hotel is located in Gandhi Road, slightly away from the main mall, but is really easy to access via car. Three-floored, Villa Everest can be booked via Booking.com or Makemytrip.com, but it is advised to call them at 03542257202 for booking at rates provided by them. During the current season, they are running a really tempting offer that includes breakfast together with your room for a much lower rate than that reflected on MakeMyTrip or any other third party app.

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Rooms of Villa Everest

Villa Everest is a two-storied building and we stayed in the second floor, facing the mountains. Old-school furniture adorn the main lobby and the furnishing and interior walls are all wooden, which gives it much-needed insulation during winters.

We stayed in Room no. 7, which offered a lovely view of Mount Kanchenjunga in the morning from our bed. Note, this view is subject to availability and doesn’t come with the room. As of November, 2020, we were charged INR 2240/- for a double bed with breakfast option. Our room was divided into two parts – upon entrance you would be able to see a small space with a low table and sitting space around it, which we used for eating breakfast in the morning.

A copy of the food menu, as well as sightseeing and restaurant recommendations, can be seen laminated and set under the tabletop for the purpose of perusal.

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The second part contains the bed, a writing table, and the attached bathroom. The bed is comfortable and spacious enough for two. Extra beddings are kept in the big wardrobe on the side, and the attached bath isn’t huge, but has a geyser for hot water. A basic set of toiletries, including shampoo, soap and shower cap, is provided. A room heater is provided for the cold winter months, and packs of tea and coffee, along with creamer and sugar, is kept on the table with an electric kettle.

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The view from the second floor is rather gorgeous, especially if the weather is clear, and the roads around are great for an early morning stroll.

Food and Amenities

If you are staying at Villa Everest, it is most likely you would be served breakfast as part of the package. You can choose between Indian or Continental breakfast. We did pick continental breakfast both days and were delightfully surprised to find a platter of eggs, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, French fries, ham, sausages, toast, cornflakes and milk.

The toast comes with butter and jam, and you are offered a choice of tea and/or coffee, as well as juice. Breakfast timing is between 8-9.30 am, while dinner orders are taken by 6 pm latest and served up by 8 pm. If you aren’t an early dinner person, you have options nearby on Ladenla road, the Chowrasta, or at the restaurant of Hotel Pink Mountain, which is nearby. We headed over there one evening when we were hungry and it was 8.30 pm already and had a simple dinner of Hot and Sour Chicken Soup, fried rice and chilli chicken.

Our stay was a two-day one, and we did book with Villa Everest directly, which gave us an advantage and a good discount. I travelled back via flight, and it is a good idea to keep two hours in hand at the airport if you are travelling via air, and also maintain all safety precautions. Thanks to the COVID situation, my airline only let me carry 1 check-in luggage under 15 kilos and 1 extra bag apart from my handbag, that, together, was less than 7 kilos in weight. So, if you are travelling with many bags, plan accordingly.

We did go to quite a few places from Villa Everest, and our Darjeeling trip was short yet eventful. Check out my Darjeeling Eating and Shopping guide here, and I hope this brief review will be able to give you some perspective. For travelling during pandemic times, refer to my previous blog post linked HERE.