I am out with my other female friends for a travel spree in Himachal Pradesh, and one of our stops is Shoja. We plan to get one of those wooden cottages but are not sure if it is in Shoja they are available or it's some other place, so that needs to be confirmed. We have a budget of Rs3000 per night for a cottage, but please list if the price is Rs1000 more as well, as it may be considered. If there are no cottages then obviously the only option is a hotel and our budget for a hotel room is Rs1500. The accommodation should have easy access to public transport, or even be close to some local shops and possibly have a good view from the rooms. Hygiene is a must especially the bathrooms. We would be interested in trekking, so I don't know whether that matters regarding the hotel, as some hotels, organize the treks.
I was able to look it up on Airbnb and saw they offer many small cottages in Shoja and the nearby area which might fit your needs. There are a lot of good places, and I think that is a site you should check to make your arrangements. Plus, it is pretty easy to make deals with the owners, so you could get your stay for less.
Hello, @Garima! Welcome to the forum! Here's a list of some of the accommodations you're asking for in Shoja: Cottages in Shoja Under Rs. 3,000 Nature's Lap Resort - Their Cottage Huts are at Rs. 2,750 per night. It comes with basic amenities like a bed, a television and an attached bathroom. The resort also have a restaurant in the premises. They also have a lawn and a conference hall. Their address is: Ghyagi (Near Sojha), Tehsil Banjar, Distt. Kullu, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh 175101. Their contact number is: +91 93161 16573. Raju's Cottages - This is more of a home stay or guest house but they do have cottage accommodations. Their rates vary between Rs. 1,400 to Rs. 1,700 per person per night. With that tariff, all of the meals for the day are already included. The cottages come with basic amenities like a bed and a bathroom with hot/cold shower. There are also cottages with fire for heating in the winter. There's also a garden that you can visit near the guest house. Their address is: Village & Post Gushaini, Tehsil Banjar, Kullu. Pine Wood Home Stay - Rates here start at Rs. 500 per person per night. Again, this is a home stay but the house itself is made of wood, much like a cottage. Rooms are very basic but are comfortable enough. Their address is: Village & PO, Jibhi Tehsil, Banjar District Kullu. Their contact number is: 0-9418691868. These are all the cottages I was able to find within your budget. Then, for a hotel, this was the only one I was able to find: Hotel in Shoja Under Rs. 1,500 The Mahesh Regency - Their Standard Room is at Rs. 1,200 per night. The room has all basic amenities like a bed, a bathroom with hot/cold running water, television and internet. They also have a restaurant and a bar in the hotel premises. Their address is: Village Nirsu, Post Office Duttnagar Tehsil, Rampur, Bushahr District Shimla. Their contact number is: +91 1782 202255. I hope this helps! All other hotels are over your budget or far away from Shoja. I could list them if you'd like. Just let me know.
Thank you for the replies. I would like to know what the food quality is like for the cottage accommodations. Would you recommend going out to eat in restaurants? How safe is it to stay in the cottages, if it just females on their own?
You're welcome! So for the first one, Nature's Lap Resort, they have a restaurant in the resort premises. The meals served here are healthy and tasty. You cannot expect much when it comes to the taste, think of it as simple meals. They will definitely do for your stay. Aside from that, they have complimentary breakfast and dinner meals once you stay in their resort. They also have a bar which serves liquors and some snacks like barbecues. The second one is Raju's Cottages, they have a dining hall where they serve the food. With the tariff you pay, all meals of the day are already included, which is superb. They serve home cooked meals which are delicious. For starters, breakfast has a good variety of meals. Lunch and dinner have a variety of seafood dishes. For snacks, you can choose between their pickles and jams that are homemade. They also have a garden with fresh fruits like cherries. They also get most of their ingredients from their garden so you're assured of their quality. They serve these fresh fruits to guests too. Their fresh fruit juices are worth mentioning as they're very tasty. The last one is the Pine Wood Home Stay, they also serve home cooked meals. You can ask them for your requests for your meals. Meals are cooked with fresh ingredients too. But I guess what makes them stand out is their quality of service. Every request by a guest is met with a smile by the staff. All of these accommodations serve great quality food. If you don't want to go out and just want to stay in the area, you won't have to. But if your taste buds want to taste something new, you can always try out the nearby eateries to these accommodations. But for me, there's nothing fresher than the ingredients used by these accommodations. It comes from their own gardens anyway. But I'd still give you some other options. Here are some restaurants near Nature's Lap Resort: Valentino's Cooking With Herbs - This is just 1.4 kms from the resort. This restaurant has Italian and Mexican cuisines. They're mostly well known for their soups, salads, pizzas and pastas. Their juices and fresh lemon sodas have gained praises from guests too. Domino's Pizza - This is just about 4 kms away from the resort. This is a well-known food chain offering pizzas and pastas to customers. They also have some chicken dishes. Here are some restaurants near Raju's Cottages: New Gazal Bar and Restaurant - This is about 2 kms from Raju's Cottages. They serve local dishes and some liquors. Negi Dhaba - This is just 2 kms away from Raju's Cottages. They mainly serve snacks, like sandwiches, coffee and some sweets. Here is a restaurant near Pine Wood Home Stay: Sapna Sweets - This is just a few minutes away from the Pine Wood Home Stay. Although they do serve sweets, they also serve traditional and local vegetarian dishes. Try their Sidoo and Jalebi. They're generally safe. Most of these are operated by families as well so you are quite assured of your safety. Plus, these are well-known accommodation options in the area. During peak season, they might even be fully booked. They also attract backpackers all over the world so they have experience with accommodating solo travellers. I hope this helps!
