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We’ve noticed that most people tend to stick to one place when they plan their holidays, almost cramping to do a lot of things in a single place, one that they are to visit, not wanting to venture out. This is especially true if there are kids and parents in the travelling troupe. Yes, we are guilty of this since most of our holidays are with our parents and our kids. But, soon we realised that we were missing out on a lot of surrounding places that are travel-worthy as we never made multiple-location itineraries. However, it all is going to change for our upcoming holiday to Shimla.


For the uninitiated, Shimla - the Queen of Hills, is fondly known for its gorgeous landscape, colonial architecture and historical sites. The weather throughout the year is enjoyable enough to draw in numerous tourists, and more so during the winters when the city is covered in gorgeous layers of snow. A stay in the city isn’t complete without a stroll down the Mall road, a trek to the Ridge, and ride on the Toy Train. 

However, in Shimla don't get stuck in the rut within the city, and venture out to visit some of the best weekend getaways from Shimla to add more dimension to your trip. We have been researching over the last few days and come up with numerous destination around Shimla within a distance of 10 to 25 kilometres that can be easily accessed by a local taxi. We have zeroed in on these must-visit places and added them to our itinerary.
Mashobra
At 13 kilometres from Shimla, Mashobra is a huge expanse of lush pine, oak and apple orchards covering beautiful hills which is accentuated with a picturesque stream gushing through the valley. It is a relatively untouched place, with very few tourists but flocked with travellers who love fresh natural surroundings in the lap of serenity. When in Mashobra do not leave without a visit to the Mahasu Peak and the Reserve Forest Sanctuary.
Kufri
At a mere 18 kilometres from Shimla, is Kufri - the most scintillating ‘lake’ place that is like a soothing breeze in the summers and an iced blanket in the winters. Kufri boasts of majestic panoramic views apart from the world-famous trekking and hiking trails. Though one would see many adventure-seekers interested in skiing especially in the winters, Kufri is a much sought-after family place for its Himalayan Nature Park and Fun World.
Fagu
The best surprise, just 21 kilometres from Shimla is Fagu, a quaint little town laden with refreshing green fields that offer a perfect sanctuary for peace and quiet. The picturesque countryside is dotted with a cluster of villages, fruit gardens and terraced fields, making it the perfect escape for a romantic day. Fagu, literally translated as ‘fog’ offers amazing experiences within the Reserve Forest Sanctuary, the Water Catchment Sanctuary and the Old Gurkha Fort.

Do you know of any other places that would interest us around Shimla, without having too much distance to be covered to reach it? If so do recommend in the comments below and should we happen to add that destination to our trip, be sure we shall bring back a local souvenir for you. 

Until next time,
~ Heena
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Travel is an important part of my lifestyle, sometimes I have to pack for yet another trip before I am able to unpack from the previous one. Luckily most of my travel is within the country; else I would practically be an NRI even while living in India. However if you do travel domestically you will realise the disparity between the facilities available across all hotels and the expectation of guests.

My #OYOxplorer Adventure with OYO Rooms In Mumbai

Some of the most common problems I’ve faced over the years of shuttling between cities include but are not limited to internet connectivity, airport transfers, distance from the city center, room size and cleanliness and if all is well the price isn’t. Every time I look out for my accommodation I have to make several inquiries about the standard of the room, availability of internet and the distance of the hotel from certain points in the city. And trust me not all the information I receive is true. I’ve had numerous instances when I end up arguing at the reception and or have to request change in room for one or the other issue. 

What frequent flyers like me need is a platform that understand my need and cater to the basics without having to question repeatedly. And that’s where OYO Rooms come into fill the last piece of the hospitality puzzle. 
Website: www.oyorooms.com, Twitter: @oyorooms, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oyorooms

My #OYOxplorer Adventure with OYO Rooms In Mumbai
OYO Rooms, founded in 2013 with a single 11-room hotel in Gurgoan has now expanded to a 4000+ rooms in over 350 hotels across India. The USP of the brand is that they create a standardised room experience across all its hotels for an affordable price starting at INR 999. What the brand offers is the important basic requirements to travellers that other accommodations don’t necessarily give. As a traveller I am very particular about the cleanliness, internet connectivity and breakfast even if I have to pay additional for those facilities. So it does come as a relief that these features are offered by the Oyo Rooms without much ado and more importantly FREE! 

One of my primary concerns with budget accommodations is their distance from the city center, or the fact that they are far away from the important hubs that it takes away your time and energy to get anyplace important. But the good folks at Oyo Rooms have countered that problem well with multiple locations within each city they operate in, under one roof of facilities. Even in a city like Mumbai they have rooms available in some of the most prominent locations around the airport, near commercial hubs, within walking distance of tourist attractions and some perfectly connecting locations.

My #OYOxplorer Adventure with OYO Rooms In Mumbai

However at times when I scrolled through the booking apps I was so spellbound that I thought I was hallucinating and dismiss it as unreal. This very thing happened last weekend when I was set to travel to Delhi for a work assignment and booked via a travel agent instead of the app. But as luck favors those who experiment, I was invited to be part of #OYOxplorer in Mumbai. It was an exciting invitation to spend a day discovering the hidden surprises and experience unique adventures of my beloved city and compete with fellow bloggers on a number of tasks. With an overnight stay at one of the OYO Rooms thrown in, it was just the thing that would either make the cut or break the hope in the next systematic thing in hotel booking.

When I arrived, I met the OYO Team and was welcomed at Hotel Atlantic in the heart of Mumbai on Juhu Tara Road and prominently checked into my room. I was delighted to be in a spacious room that was as clean as the international standard and with television and cable as promised. So in first look two important boxes were ticked in my must-expect list. In some time as fellow bloggers trickled in, we had the activity briefing and set out to complete the challenges set for us. With a list of 15 things to do I believed it would take forever; but surprisingly Archana and myself got going immediately as a team and were almost done in an hour and a half with just one task left. 

The scorching Mumbai heat got the better of us and we headed back to the hotel, quickly freshening up and indulging in girly gossip. As the sun was about to set we rushed across the street to make more memories with Sunset Selfies. Tweeting our hearts out over a few hours was as much fun as the crazy tasks assigned. We laughed, cheered and at times sneered at the tweets coming through from bloggers who were participating from across various other cities. With 31 bloggers going berserk the hashtag kept us busy for some time before we ventured out of the room for dinner. Once back in the room we requested for Wi-Fi passwords a couple of times and were sent a data card that could be used for internet connectivity.  

As requested I was woken up in the morning and once ready I headed for breakfast. The masala chai was perfect to arouse the taste buds however nothing on the breakfast spread was appetizing enough and so I just had some toast and checked out to head home. On my way home there was a clear chart that weighed heavily as I assessed the OYO Rooms. 

Website Strengths:
§ Standardised rooms as specified and expected
§ Affordable budget accommodations in various parts of the city
§ Technologically driven booking system accessed on the go
§ Women's exclusive rooms in select locations, more to be added

Website Weaknesses:
§ None that I can really think of

Finally I bid adieu to my #OYOxplorer adventure with a promise to visit again. 

Happy Visiting,
~ Heena
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Hey, my name is Heena and I'm a Mumbai based blogger, influencer and content creator.

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