An Eccentric Old Woman. Review on Windamere Hotel, Darjeeling

The guidebooks all said that the Windamere is the best place to stay in Darjeeling. ''Tibetan maids with starched aprons serve afternoon tea; a fire will be built in your room every night, more British than the British...'' Well, the guidebooks have the particulars right, and I can see that the Windamere was once a fine old hotel, but I have a sense that the guidebook writers haven't visited the hotel in about 20 years.

I had made my reservations for Darjeeling for the third week in May, expecting a little bit of paradise on earth. The guidebooks said this was a perfect time to visit, as the monsoons don't arrive until the second week of June. The guidebooks once again let me down. After I had already made my arrangements, one of my coworkers said, ''Oh, you don't want to go to Darjeeling; go to Gangtok instead. Darjeeling is like Mumbai on a mountain.'' She wasn't entirely right, but not entirely wrong, either.

The trip to Darjeeling is somewhat grueling, no matter which method you prefer. I took the shortest route, since I didn't have time for the 36-hour train trip to Kolkata, followed by an additional 14 hours (including 9 on the famous Himalayan Toy Train): Flight from Mumbai, brief layover in Kolkata, then on to Bagdogra (which, from the quanitity of security officers and soldiers I take to be some kind of air force base that has decided to accept passenger flights). I had arranged to take a hired car through the hotel (Rs. 1300) for the 2 1/2 hour trip up to Darjeeling, but when I arrived, there was no car to be found (the first sign that all was not right with the Windamere). At least from the hotel--there were swarms of taxi drivers, some with rickety old Maruti wagons, others with gleaming Qualises and Land Rovers.

I wasn't sure what to do, but a kind gentleman assisted me in calling the hotel (it took 30 mins. to get someone on the line), which informed me that their vehicle had broken down and I should arrange other transportation. The kind gentleman turned out to be a huckster who was trying to extort as much money from me as possible for a trip in a very decrepit old van. I declined, went to the taxi stand and arranged for the trip (standard fare is Rs. 890 plus tip). So note: when you arrive, just go to the taxi stand at the western end of the terminal and get a prepaid taxi voucher.

The trip up to Darjeeling is hair-raisingly beautiful. About 10 kms out of Siliguri, the road begins to swiftly ascend in a series of switchbacks that seem designed more for mountain goats than vehicles, but my driver was very assured and I never--well seldom--had a sense that we were going to tumble into the abyss. When you get to Kurseong, about 2/3 of the way to Darjeeling, you are joined by the toy train, which runs along the road for most of the trip. You also get your first glimpse of the mighty sweep of the Himalayas dominated by Mt. Kanchenjanga, the third highest peak on earth--that is, if the monsoon hasn't already started and everything is fogged in, which was my experience. The clouds thickened and a heavy downpour ensued, following us all the way to Darjeeling.

After zig-zagging through innumerable streets, we finally made it to the top of the hill, and the Windamere. My first impression was of a somewhat dowdy, rambling country house of a possibly crazy old British woman (she looks like Joan Plowright in my mind's eye)--beautiful little gardens, roses, gazebos, secret places--a bit worn around the edges. This impression only grew during my 4 days at Windamere.

My room was a ''heritage suite,'' one of the most expensive in the hotel at around Rs. 7000/night. I had never stayed at a heritage hotel before, and figured it would be filled with relics of a bygone era, everything gleaming and luxurious. Well, now I'm pretty sure that the heritage designation simply means that the owners are under no obligation to ever make any improvements. The room was spacious, but the furniture--Danish modern with really ugly blue chintz fabric--was uncomfortable; the only available beds are single beds suitable more for children than adults. Everything looked like it had come from a thrift store that was shortly to go out of business.

The hotel was also a bit, how shall I say it--creepy. The desk clerk had assured me that the place was full, but I seldom saw other humans hanging around. There were several large parlors, always empty. The emptiness of the rooms, coupled with the fogged-in weather made me feel somehow that I was in ''The Shining.'' The walls are filled with photographs, mostly circa 1935, when the Windamere was in its heyday, and I feared that I would see one that included myself (or Jack Nicholson) from that period/ I was relieved to hear the dinner gong, and proceeded across to the dining hall.

The food at the Windamere is actually pretty good. There is a fixed menu that includes 3 or 4 courses, always one English course (and I mean VERY English) and one that is either Indian or Tibetan. It would be very easy to put on 10 pounds during your stay, since the food tends to be a bit heavy and rich, but it compares favorably with other hotels I've visited in India. However, as I the only other guests seemed to be a large Japanese tour group, the atmosphere was a little depressing.

When I returned to my room, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace--a nice touch, however as a result the room was now about 40 degrees, so I opened all the windows and tried to sleep on the tiny bed.

There is plenty to do in Darjeeling when the weather is fine. When it isn't, it is difficult to find many places out of the rain to visit. I went to the zoo, a couple of Buddhist monasteries, a tea plantation, the Tibetan Self-Help Center (one of the best places to visit in Darjeeling), and wandered around looking at handicrafts. When these were exhausted, reading seemed to be the only option.

I think the Windamere might be a terrific place to spend a honeymoon--there are no TVs (at least in the old wings--there is a new wing made for families that includes more modern amenities), and nothing much to do except take long walks along the Mall and enjoy the views (go in Autumn or Winter when there are likely to be views). And if you want to visit a place that gives a vague glimpse into the era of the Rajas (very vague), you might want to stay for a couple of days. For everyone else, I recommend the Elgin Hotel, just down the hill--a mix of the old and new that seems to really work. As for the Windamere, the glory has departed, and it is high time that the guidebooks catch up to that sad fact.