This time I can’t wait to share our experience at a wonderful retreat in Kurseong nestled between the hills. For subham’s birthday this year we decided to go for a short 3N 4D trip to Kurseong and Darjeeling. We stumbled upon some beautiful reviews about this place called “Nirvana Retreat”. This entire blog will be about my experience at this beautiful place.

We started our journey from Kolkata to NJP and reached Kurseong around 12 in the afternoon. As we entered the beautiful retreat, the roads of Kurseong were covered in mist and clouds. It was a very foggy day as well. We were very warmly welcomed by Mr. Shane the Manager and the owner Mr. Ghosh. They are very fine two gentlemen who made our stay amazing. Mr. Ghosh specially is a gem of a person who is very amiable to his guests and Mr. Shane has a commendable set of staff who efficiently take care of the property not to mention he himself was amazing through out our stay.

We checked in and freshned up quickly to take a tour of the property. The place is huge and it has a breathtaking picturesque view of the mighty Kanchenjunga and the bewildering pine forest. Honestly at Nirvana, time stands still and all you feel is peace, tranquility and the serene chirping of birds and beauty of mountains. The property has different kinds of rooms, some directly open into the lawn, whereas some face the pine forest. Mostly from each room you get a very good view.

We quickly moved to lunch and we had Pork Momos, Hakka Noodles, Chilly Fish and Chilly Pork. The food simply blew our mind. The momos were so soft and tasted great. The main course was equally good, with a special mention to the pork and the delicate Chilly Fish. We ended our meal with brownie with ice cream.

The sun sets early here and quickly before that we moved to their tea parlour which is a superb place to chill over some mind blowing compositions of tea by a localite. He not only makes the most unique compositions of tea but also ensures that they look super presentable. We tried the blueberry tea, cinnamon honey tea, brandy tea, red wine tea and others. But they are all non alcoholic containing some very healthy items. This man making all these tea’s is a brilliant singer as well and slowly as we basked in the glory of twilight amidst the beautiful view of pine trees, he started singing and slowly the singer in me hummed along. Oh, what a lovely evening it was. Words, fall short to describe such a beautiful place.

Post this, we had an amazing chit chat session with the owner and another couple who stayed at the retreat. We gorged on kebabs and some Jacobs Creek and had some very meaningful conversations. It absolutely felt like home. The view from Nirvana is beautiful at all times of day, and night. Even darkness, speaks there.

After this very fruitful evening it was time for dinner. We had Chicken Au Gratin with grilled veggies and Lemon Rice with Kadhai Chicken. The food once again tasted great. Kudos to their chef who can make Chinese, Continental and North Indian cuisines with equal excellence. Post dinner, we decided to stroll through the place and the beauty Nirvana is at night is surreal. We’ve felt so much calm and peace at one place away from the hustle and bustle of life, after a long time. The day ended on a very happy note.

Next morning we woke up to see the beautiful sun glistering all over the place . There is a constant hide n seek amongst sun and clouds here at Kurseong. We headed for breakfast and had a scrumptious one with toast, butter, mushroom cheese omlette, chicken sausages, grilled tomato and coffee. The breakfast overlooking the hills was soulful and we gladly cherished our last meal at this retreat. Apart from the food, it was the hospitality of the staff that made a difference. They are very well trained and took care even of the minute things. We absolutely felt like being at home.

Post breakfast, we just absorbed the beautiful vibes at this place as we had to leave for Darjeeling. Nirvana isn’t only a retreat for us. It was a place that rejuvenated our soul, a place that made us forget all our worries, a place where people felt so warm and close to us. Dear Nirvana, you’re love! ❤