Rudraprayag Hotels

Monal Resort: Between Here and There

The Monal Resort is just okay. It reminded me of the resorts in the Catskills twenty years after their prime - the building is impressive and the lobby is great, but the rooms are becoming shabby, the grounds are becoming overgrown, and the restaurant is middling at best. When compared to other places in the area, though, it's high end. This is one of the last places on the route to Badrinath or other places in eastern Uttaranchal that could conceivably be called a resort. The families I saw there were upper middle-class pilgrims.

There are a couple of foliaged hideaways with tables and chairs overlooking the river, a pool (not filled while I was there), and a winding garden path for walking (the overgrown bit). There are terraces overlooking the river, too, and on a clear day you can see the hint of the mountains to come. I saw a couple of small common areas with elaborate chess boards. Staff could arrange just about anything, from laundry to getting the odd camping supplies. They were friendly about it, too.

Still, it was expensive for what was there, and there weren't many people around. Granted, I was there mid-week at the very end of the pilgrimage season.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Written March 7, 2008

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