Guest User
January 31, 2023
I was searching for someplace which I didn't visit before, is in the lap of nature and crores away from the city hustle and bustle. My search landed me in Kaluk, West Sikkim. We selected Mandarin Village Resort for the entire trip of 4 days. The reason for its selection was its location and surroundings. The resort is nestled in the mountain side and extends over acres where one can stroll about, sit and relax. Mr. Bharat, the manager of the Resort is a very polite and helpful gentleman. He helped us in the search for a chauffeur for the trip at a very reasonable rate. On the day of our arrival Mr. Bharat was courteous enough to ask if we would have lunch. Whenever we faced any issue he would promptly respond and take a look or send someone to check the issue. All the staff were really courteous. The restaurant is a great place for having your food with an awesome view of the surrounding valleys and mountains. Sanghak Choeling Monastery at Pelling is visible from Kaluk and on a clear day when Kanchenjunga range is visible, together they present a picturesque landscape. We stayed for 3 days in the family suite. The cottage is good enough for two families. It has got a balcony which gives a great view of the Kanchenjunga mountains. There were few issues with the family suite which I would suggest the Mandarin Resort team to look into - certains bulbs were not working, amount of light was less in the secondary bedroom, few charging points were not working. The last day we stayed in Premium Deluxe rooms which are on a little lower level than the restaurant. Although the last day was cloudy, it was understandable that instead of these rooms the Deluxe rooms and the family suite would present much better views of the mountains as they are at an upper level. It seems that the Premium Deluxe rooms have been newly developed and thus have everything working properly. The middle of the rooms should have one more light. The breakfast each day was different, tasty and fulfilling. We had khichdi one day at lunch, which was good. The dinner food taste varied. We liked the plain dal, dal tadka, aloo jeera and mixed veg. But the non veg items were not really cooked in a proper manner and didn't suit our taste buds. Two more suggestions - Cleaning and servicing of the rooms should be done at least every alternate day even without being informed which will ensure the resort being at par with other renowned ones. Introduce another chef who can cook non-veg items suiting everyone's taste buds especially Bengalis since they form the major percentage of tourists. The day of our departure the staff and Mr. Bharat made sure that our breakfast was packed at 6:30 AM in the morning before we left. All in all it was a really pleasant stay and I will recommend this resort to everyone as one will love it. Worthy mention: Our chauffeur Mr. Robin (+91 80161 33151) was really a skilled driver whose referral we got via Mr. Sudeep Subba (+91 83489 69503).