TO THE MANOR BORN

OFFERING AN INTIMATE STAY AND SUPERLATIVE SERVICE, KINWANI HOUSE IN RISHIKESH IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST STUNNING BOUTIQUE HOTEL OPENING OF THE YEAR

- Amit Dixit

Special places have a special sense of arrival. Seeing Kinwani House emerge from a swirl of mist and setting foot on its soft lawns after the long ride from Delhi was a balm for the soul. Even though I was visiting for the very first time, there was a sense of homecoming.

Set in a cosy fold of the Shivaliks above Rishikesh in Narendra Nagar, with breath-taking views of the valley below and the mighty river than runs through it, Kinwani House is a veritable sanctuary, an escape from the hubbub of the holy town. Built in 1954, the art deco mansion belonged to Balendu Shah, son of Maharaja Narendra Shah of Tehri Garhwal, after whom Narendra Nagar is named.