Beauty Abounds At Sitara Himalaya, A Brand New Boutique Hotel

Surrounded by breathtaking mountains, Sitara Himalaya is the perfect place to escape, reflect, and reset.

Hotel Review: Sitara Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh

‘For me it was never a hotel,’ says founder Anita Lal, which goes a long way to explain the atmospheric homestead vibe at the most exciting new opening in years, Sitara Himalaya. This new ten-bedroom retreat, on the way to the ancient Buddhist valleys of Lahaul and Spiti, is located at 8,200 feet, 14 miles below the Rohtang Pass. Surrounded by epic mountain and glacier views, breathtaking in their splendour, you can feel the magic and mystery as soon as you arrive. There is a potency, a transcendent spiritual majesty to the surroundings, which is palpable. No surprise, then, that within a short walking distance lies the very spot where it is believed that thousands of years ago the great Indian sage Rishi Ved Vyas meditated for 12 years before inscribing the eternal cosmic wisdom into the four Vedas. This higher knowledge, a philosophy rooted in the idea that everything in the universe is connected and of the same source, is the bedrock of every detail at Sitara. 

The whole property is decorated with a touch of the divine by Mrs Lal, the force behind India’s lifestyle brand Good Earth (with stores in Delhi, Mumbai and beyond) with Tibetan rugs, sacred ornaments, a brass work by Vikram Goyal, hand-painted murals, vases of flowers, the earthy smell of juniper berry incense. Beauty abounds. Everything encourages you to relax, reflect and elevate. The glass-roofed Skylight room is an invitation to lie back and watch the Milky Way. ‘On quiet nights, I can hear the hum of the earth,’ says Mrs Lal.

Connecting to the absolute is a thread that also runs through the library of spiritual tomes and straight into the Svasthi wellbeing area. This exquisite mini retreat space is its own sanctuary complete with a plunge pool, sauna and steam. Daily yoga with Naveen will wring out both physical knots and emotions, while exceptional body treatments combine sound healing with ancient Marma massage techniques.

Days are spent walking with butterflies, reading or in contemplation. Candlelit evenings pass by with storytelling, singing, dancing or dumplings on the veranda, a hot apple toddy in hand. Food is traditional and comforting, the vibe of a laidback house party. Don’t expect room service, mini-bars or TVs. ‘You have to be so careful of polluting your system’, says Mrs Lal. ‘Every cell knows.’ One gets the feeling you could settle into a new (or is it old?) way of life here. Read a little more, sleep a little more, dream a little more, do nothing a little more. Whatever, you’ll leave feeling rejuvenated and reconnected. This is the secret but super luxe India you have been looking for.

BOOK IT: From £4,555pp for seven nights full board based on two people. Incl internal flights, transfers, and some activities. greavesindia.co.uk