A deafening crack overhead, a flash of lightning, and the lights went out. Someone squealed, while the resort staff ran to the generator. Thunderclouds enveloped Chail, the hidden pearl, deep and high up in the Himalayan foothills.
Welcome to cloud country. It was a hot summer dawn in Delhi when we fired our engines and headed for National Highway-1, which connects the capital to Amritsar. The heat had simmered by morning, but not enough to switch air-conditioning off. After nearly an hour on the Grant Trunk Road, we hit the highway.
NH-1 is one of the oldest and better-maintained highways in the country, though not as swanky as the Bangalore-Hosur highway or long stretches on the Golden Quadrilateral. Large fluorescent signposts dot the highway. Like an arrow shot across the north Indian plateau, NH-1 is a straight line with few twists and turns. Climbs are limited to the large flyovers above smaller towns. Panipat, Karnal and Kurukshetra come up on the highway, and after nearly six hours on the road, we turn right at Ambala and join NH-22, going to Shimla. We pull over at Pinjore in Haryana, visit the eponymous gardens, and push ahead.
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala was clearly a swashbuckler. The king played cricket, led a motorcade of Rolls Royces and flew an aircraft. He had an eye for architecture and fine women, the former evidenced in the several palaces he built and the latter in his numerous progeny. Legend goes that the king had a thing for the daughter of the British army?s boss in India. Romance proved costly, and the king was banned from entering his summer capital Shimla. Undeterred, the Maharaja went on to build a new palace in Chail, higher in altitude and better in weather. Times changed, the British left and the palace fell into the lap of state-owned Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, which has converted it to a heritage resort.
If you?re in Chail, you can stay at any of the dozens of resorts there, or at the Palace. In either case, do not forget to make bookings in advance?HPTDC?s offices will help you, or you can book online. The Palace is premium property?it commands prime location, wide spaces and the most exclusive feel.
Air cools as you start the hill climb after Pinjore, leaving the dry heat of the plains behind. At Dharampur, the sharp left turn leads to Kasauli, another hill station, which is also a military cantonment. We head straight on NH-22, and turn right at Kandaghat, taking the narrow road to Chail. Keep an eye out for the turning; you can easily miss the road sign. From here, the 60 km road to Chail snakes along the forested mountainside, its bends so sharp you don?t see the occasional vehicle on the other side until it is bang in front. To one side, clouds float over rolling pine valleys, while luxuriant overhead foliage blocks a lot of the sunlight. Most of the hill drive is in the lower gears, and the hairpin curves give the steering column the workout of its life. Except for graceful langurs and the rare bird, there is not a soul in sight for miles on end, making you wonder if you took a wrong turn along the way. Clouds occasionally swoop down before floating away, leaving mild rain and haze in their wake.
Just when you think of reaching for the maps, the signpost appears: Turn here for Chail Palace.
We stayed at the Vazeer Room at the Palace, and came away moderately impressed. The Palace boasts of great architecture, ornate furniture, bronze sculptures and paintings, carpeted rooms and chandeliered hallways, a nice restaurant and a bar, not to speak of its sprawling lawns, dark forests and the pine valleys around. Food was better than we expected. However, management and maintenance of the premises are not up to the mark. Gaming machines in the corridor and Plaster of Paris patchwork appear jarring in a heritage property. On day one itself, lightning killed the room service network, and the phones were not fixed when we left the third day. Still, Chail charms you with the abundance of natural beauty, enough to pardon such minor sins.
To visit the Palace and its grounds, though, you don?t need to stay there. Visitors are allowed during fixed hours, and guests at other resorts nearby throng the Palace and its lawns. The Palace itself has a variety of rooms and suites, apart from cottages and log huts.
Chail is not a place for ?activities?, but one to unwind. Its remoteness ensures that the only folks here are the ones who have come to enjoy its tranquility. A short trek takes you to the world?s highest cricket ground, but don?t pack your stumps yet?it is now a playground for the Chail military school, and you aren?t allowed entry. Sadhupul is another picturesque village a short trek away. There is also a wildlife sanctuary nearby, and some of you might like to a pay a visit.
However, the charm of Chail is neither its landmarks nor the picnic spots around but the 70-acre Palace estates. Relax on its vast lawns while sipping coffee from the open-air Royal Cafe. Explore the trekking trails and discover wild flowers, acorns and mushrooms sprouting from beside a dead tree trunk. Inhale the aroma of humid earth after a brief rain. Enjoy views of the deodar forests disappearing into the depths of the valley. Observe the lights of Kasauli and Shimla from the heights of Chail on a clear night. Watch the 100-year-old Palace disappear in heavy fog as huge white clouds rise from the valleys, float over the conifer forests and envelope its estates.