Hadimba Cottages Manali | Hotel Review

Well guyz here it goes, I tried my best to post it at earliest this season as there would be many couples seeking some insights into stay at Hadima Cottages / Log Huts offered by HPTDC. Point is HPTDC offers two packages for honeymooners at Manali. In one you have the option of staying at Hadimba Cottages / Log Huts and other one offer you stay at Hotel Kunzum.

The stay includes Welcome Drink + Bed Tea+ Breakfast + Lunch or Dinner + Sight Seeing to Rohtang Pass / Snow Point (in Luxury Coach) and free entry to Discotheque at Club House and yes of course, all Taxes as well :). Although Vegetarian meals are quoted but somehow exemption of egg is there ;). Only two things are possible either egg is considered as vegetarian in Manali or there is violation of policy :D, nevertheless it’s our benefit in the end.

After giving considerable thought with all other travel destinations my wife opted for Manali and I chose Hadima Cottages Manali / Log Huts package. Log Huts consist of two bed rooms (for 4 persons), drawing-cum-dining room and kitchen and Hadimba Cottage consist of one bed room (for 2 persons), drawing-cum-dining room and kitchen. So if you are two couples going together for you may opt Log Huts just to stay together as package price is per couple basis. Well we were the only couple so were offered Hadimba Cottage.

Hotel Review – Hadimba Cottages Manali…

Pictures

It is said that picture is better than a thousand words. I know there is lack of pictures available on the Web for Hadimba Cottages despite of so many requests. To a greater surprise most of the HPTDC Local offices didn’t even have much stuff and for room pictures you must only dream. So, first thing I did was collect the following pictures which will certainly help you in your decision.

Reception…

Outside View…

Kitchen…

Dining Area…

Bedroom…

Bookings

Can be done at HPTDC Office Chanderlok Building, C.P., New Delhi or any local HPTDC office of other states. Also you can drop a mail to any of the local office email addresses mentioned HPTDC Official Website. They will make a temporary reservation and ask you to send a Demand Draft as an advance for the booking. The details for Demand Draft will be provided in the email.

Price

I got the package at Rs 10,200 per couple for Hadimba Cottages/Log Huts. Additional overnight Volvo Bus tickets for Rs 990 each per person, making it Rs 3,960 for roundtrip for both of us. Well there was an off-season discount of 30% w.e.f 15th November but I couldn’t extend the dates due to lack of official leaves :-(. So, if you can then do check for off season discount.

Price is for 3 nights and 4 days. Don’t get fooled by the fourth day if you are new to traveling. It’s the day when you need to check-out by 12 PM. Without the package if you need to book Hadimba Cottage, it will cost you Rs 2500 per day basis + 10.2 Tax.

Location

From Mall Road take head towards Old Manali, then en-route take a left from Circuit House. Keep going towards Hadimba Temple. For temple you take right on the curve and for cottages you take left, kind of an off road. Well this is just an indication guyz 😉

Experience

Cottage was nice and cozy and the best thing was fully operation Kitchen with small Fridge, gas cylinder and burner. So you have the option of preparing Tea/Coffee/Maggie or anything you can prepare. We were only good at these three things 😀 but we experimented some eggs stuff and it turned pretty well. You can get raw food from mall road easily, so a nice opportunity for your cooking experiments. Room was spacious enough with attached bathroom having hot water supply and pillar style room heater as well. A small garden was there just in front of our cottage that must look great in blossom time.

The food/coffee/tea offered at Hadimba Cottage as a part of package was prepared by an adjacent hotel named Pratap Hotel, if I remember correctly :confused: . Quality of food/tea/coffee was below average and most of food/bed tea included as a part of package was almost useless for us. We had it only two times in the entire stay and yes of course breakfast we only had bread butter or omelets and prepared the tea/coffee at our own in the kitchen provided (Thank god) So if you are a foodie then most of the time you will be searching outside and of course for a decent restaurant you will have to walk at least 1.5 KMs 😀 . If you opt just the stay without the package as food was awful and do some mathematics you will definitely save some money out of it and plus the flexibility of moving out anytime if the place is not to your liking.

Hospitality we received from the staff was great. Location is what I am a bit concerned though. It is lonely enough to scare you at night and being an off-season added with dogs mating period 😉 and their disturbances we had one sleepless night there. Mind you it was scary as we were the only couple at stay that time in all cottages 🙂 Also for medical assistance you will have to approach the Mall road only which in those circumstances could be far off without your own taxi/conveyance in odd hours.

Comparison with Kunzum Hotel Package

1. Better food provided by Kunzum restaurant itself and yes of course BAR at the expense in the hotel itself 😀

2. Value for money being Rs 3000 odd cheaper and good quality food. At Hadimba whatever you pay for food is just a waste.

3. On the mall road itself so everything is closer to you.

4. You can’t cook. Kitchen is not yours in Kunzum 😀 well cooking is not what you are after in leisure trip. Rather enjoy the local cuisines and everything you haven’t tried yet (just my preference)

5. You will never be alone in that hotel :D, so no chances of in security. Many say that you lose the privacy and loneliness to some extent in that case but I think it is worth or simply hadn’t have mind it.

6. I am not sure of the quality of rooms they offer in the package for kunzum. Hadimba cottages had just great rooms of course.