In One with Nature at Rangbul-La

Picture waking up in the morning to the sounds of a variety of birds in a mist-enveloped, enchanting, wooden cottage, nestled in the tranquil woods, with the gurgling of a mountain stream in the distant background… dream like? This is a reality at Rangbul-La, a boutique stay in Rangbul, Darjeeling, located just three flights of staircases below the main road(NH 55), and a safe distance away from the hustle and bustle of the main town. It is a place for couples, families with kids and solo travellers.

When I was home this summer, my friend Sherry and I decided to spend a night at Rangbul-La. We were planning for quite sometime for a quiet some time but it hadn’t materialised. Finally on a rainy morning we set out for our one-night stay. It wasn’t difficult finding the place as the GPS and the local transport from Darjeeling town dropped us off more or less there.

Prakriti, our friend(who also happens to be the owner), was eagerly waiting for us at the entrance but we were not interested in greeting her at all… the place looked so gorgeous and inviting that we couldn’t help admiring it first.

That’s her 😊

The property has one main cottage with a sitting area, a dining hall and a kitchen downstairs and three attic bedrooms and a lounge/recreation room on top. In addition there is a single-room bamboo cottage and a back-packers hostel that accommodates 10 guests. We slept in the bamboo cottage and luckily we were the only guests that night so we literally had the entire property to ourselves. The day before and till many days after, the place was fully booked.

Rangbul-La is an eco-friendly retreat. Natural products like local timber, bamboo, mud, rock etc have been used in its construction along with upcycled materials such as broken marble, marble dust, broken tiles, tar, tins, thermocol, boxes, eco bricks etc. Even the wholesome meals served there are prepared using locally sourced products. 

Pic courtesy: Prakriti

If I were to describe Rangbul-La in one word, it would be ‘down-to-earth luxury’ as although it is mindfully constructed, the aesthetics exude a humble yet sophisticated charm with the choicest furnishings and decor items in the interiors and beautiful ornamental plants and flowers in the exterior. I really loved the geraniums adorning the front wall of the main cottage and the collection of healthy succulents inside. Every item is sensibly curated and finds a fitting place there. Nothing is over the top or garish. It’s the kind of place that makes your heart brim with happiness.

After taking a tour of the property and ample pictures, we settled in the sitting area in the subtly chilly evening, sipping on hot toddy and engaging in banter as well as serious conversation with episodes of laughter and pouring of emotions… I mean whatever women usually do when they meet up and are tipsy…😉

The meals were tasty, simple and homely. The couple who look after the property were friendly and honoured our requests without hesitation. We called it a night around 10:30 which is pretty late for the hills and tucked ourselves inside the warm pre-heated bed.

We woke up relaxed and rejuvenated the next morning. After all, we were happy that our wish for some ‘quiet time’ came true, that too in the coziness of this beautiful home in the lap of nature.

Cheers to that… 🥂

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P.S: This is NOT a sponsored post.

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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ 
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla 
in collaboration with Zariya Healings.