Dream Come True of Staying at a Cute Little Cottage in the Hills! Courtesy HeyBnb

Everyone needs a break from the hectic city life, we did too! Which is why we headed to Manali during the Independence Day long weekend. Even though it was pouring heavily, but we decided to brave it! Mostly we couldn’t wait to stay at our Cute little cottages in the hills, which we found through HeyBnb. They have a 24/7 virtual front desk to handle any queries of guests at anytime unlike other online accommodation platforms. We had a wonderful stay & experience by booking through them.

There are two parts of Manali, one is the main part of the city (New Manali) & the other is the old Manali. If you have ever been to Manali, you will know how the difference. Old Manali has a hippie vibe where one can see foreign backpackers & youngsters roaming around on foot or on their Royal Enfields. The streets are lined with Backpacker hostels or small BnBs. Life goes slow here, you can see people idling their time in cafes with a book. There are numerous amazing Cafes here which provide some of the best food in Manali. Right from German Bakeries to Israeli Food; the options here are innumerable! Which is why our first cottage is Old Manali was just perfect.

Old Manali Property

Located at the far end of Old Manali, away from the hustle & bustle, the HeyBnb property looked like the perfect place to stay! A great view of the hills & walking distance of 2 minutes from the Old Manali town, this property stole our hearts. We reached this property a little after lunch time & were greeted by the friendly receptionist who made sure we had the best rooms. The entry of the property has a cute little gate with flowers & a small garden as well. The entire property is done up in wood work, which we loved. Our room was on the top floor with sweeping views of the hills from our private balcony & from the room as well. Since we reached late, we couldn’t explore the food options at the property, but they have a nice cozy restaurant place on the ground floor. However, we can vouch for their tea which was really good 😀 Who doesn’t like a hot cuppa tea in the hills?

The best part of this property was the location. We were able to explore Old Manali easily from here. It’s at a short walk from some of the best restaurants in Old Manali like The Drifters & Rendevous. One can also explore shopping options in the market. Everything from Vintage jewellery to hippie clothes & Dreamcatchers are available here.

Find out more here: https://www.heybnbworld.com/properties/39711/view?guests=1

Hills & much more: Property II

On Day 2, we were ready to move into the second property of HeyBnb. After coming back from a trek to the waterfalls, we made our way to this property: https://www.heybnbworld.com/properties/39910/view?guests=1

This Cottage is located a little far away from the city. While at first we were skeptical about it, all our inhibitions faded away when we saw the place. Located amidst the tall hills with a view of the snow-capped mountains as well, this cottage is everything you would want for that perfect vacation in the hills! The floor to ceiling windows with a lovely view from our room had us happy & how! We even had our own balcony where we shared some nice glasses of wine (local Manali grape wine, was really good!) The room was also quite huge, with a nice bed, tv & all the comfort you would need for relaxing & rejuvenating.

After the hustle & bustle of Manali, this place (Prini, Manali) is just what we needed. All you could hear was birds chirping & trees rustling in the wind. This part of town has so many Apple Orchids, we were amazed! Even though it’s a bit far from the market, there’s an excellent restaurant nearby(15 minute walk) called Fat Plates. This is hands-down the best place to eat in Manali. A beautiful garden with many flowers & a cat loitering around; this place has a very relaxed feel. We had the famous Trout Fish, Spaghetti & the most amazing Fruit Crumble here(more on that later!).

A detailed post on the best cafes in Manali here: http://ourvagabondstories.com/best-cafes-manali-best-himalayan-trout-fish/

So, if you want to relax, rejuvenate your mind & soul, we highly recommend this property. It has 3 floors and all the rooms are so spacious & the woodwork just adds to the charm of this place. The owner & staff of this property are super helpful & very friendly. Hence, if you need anything be sure that they will help you out the best they can. They even gave us a complimentary breakfast! If you love a homely feeling when you stay in another city, you will love this place.