Great place with nothing to do !. Review on Kasauli

After months of toiling hard in the office, I really wanted a break and kasauli was what one of my friends recommended. I thank him now for I had a nice refreshing break!

Travel*

To begin with kasauli is very well connected with Delhi, Chandigarh and almost all places in North India more because it is close to Shimla (on the way rather). We took the morning Shatabdi from Delhi, got down at kalka and then hired a taxi to Kasauli. The train ride was smooth as ever but the taxi fare seemed bit steep at Rs 800/- for just 32 KM, and they have a strong union so no point haggling. We made the same journey by bus on the way back for 1/10th of the amount and surprisingly it was not too uncomfortable.

Accommodation

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New construction is not allowed in Kasauli and there are only two dilapidated Hotels in main Kasauli town (Hotel Alasia and one more), I would recommend that you skip both. If you really want to stay at close to the Mall, the only decent option should be Hotel Ross Common ran by Himachal Tourism. It was good location but booking has to be made in advance (https://hptdc.nic.in/).

We stayed at Kasauli Resort, a 3 star property 2 Km before kasauli, it was a great resort with efficient service and all facilities that you may want but the price was slightly steep at Rs. 3000/- for a double room. However, looking back, I do feel that it was money well spent. There are few more resorts coming up in the vicinity, it is advisable to book in advance as demand outstrips supply in peak season.

Sight Seeing

The best part of kasauli is having nothing around to kill time, there is just one small market with a dozen shops with nothing worth buying. No souvenir shops or even restaurants in main kasauli (upper & lower mall). All you can do is hike down to Manki point (its is spelled as Monkey Point as places) which is 3 Km walk from the Mall through pine tree lined road. At the end of it is a hillock with temple of lord hanuman on top. The climb to the top is bit steep and only recommended if you have already spent a day or two in the hills. An important advice would be not to carry mobile phone, camera etc when you visit this temple because it falls under Air Force zone and these items are not allowed, also worth mentioning is that this temple is open only from 9:00 Am till 4:00 PM so plan accordingly.

*Other Recommendations

Where to stay: Hotel Ross Commons, kasauli Resort, Baikunth Resort

Where to eat: Giani Hotel on the way to Kasauli at Dharampur, Restaurant at your resort

Moving around: take the local bus, ticket is Rs 2-5 and it is fun

Shopping: Tibetian stall near the mall, you can get nice T-shirts, Buy a bottle of Bhuria natural Jam or local fruit wines

Weather: can get a bit cold during evenings even in summers so carry a jacket along

I hope this information will be useful, have a nice trip!