Ganga Kinare – A Riverside boutique resort in Rishikesh

April 10, 2023
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Serene Locations and magnificent view of the Ganges in Rishikesh have always lured me. So when I got an opportunity to visit the yoga capital of the world, I was elated.  We boarded the morning shatabdi and reached Haridwar by 11.30 AM where we were greeted by the driver from the hotel. The overcrowded Haridwar station did not deter our enthusiasm in reaching the holy city. We whizzed past the dense jungle of Rajaji National park and reached our destination in an hour.

Ganga Kinare, an apt name for a hotel in existence since 3 decades sits pretty amidst the holy city giving a panoramic view of the flowing Ganga river. Located on the banks of the awe inspiring, tranquil River Ganges, Ganga Kinare offers exquisite Yoga ​​packages to experience spiritual rejuvenation with yoga and meditation. 

Although the property is boutique, they have ensured to give amenities to guests like a small temple, a garden, Jacuzzi, a private ghat and a spa.

We were welcomed by the staff with a thaali and diya, a garland and wet towels. After devouring the welcome drink we were ushered to our room on the second floor. The hotel has The 38 river facing rooms that are a sheer bliss for those looking for peace, tranquility and splendor.

They are categorized into deluxe, premium, family and lotus suite. We were booked at the deluxe room, which was rather small in size.There is a queen size bed, sofa overlooking the Ganges and amenities like wardrobe, kettle and tea coffee sachets. After freshening up, we head for lunch at Jal & Jalebi.

Jal & Jalebi –

The multi cuisine restaurant is located on the ground floor. What I loved about this restaurant was the open space, roomy seating, plush and comfortable chairs and a panoramic view of the Ganges.

A few minutes later, a thaali was served with Garhwali cuisine – all dishes prepared in clarified butter. The buttermilk tasted amazing and so did the starters. We relished the dishes and devoured the meal. The restaurant also has buffet options; we enjoyed hearty breakfast buffet the next day that had cereals, English breakfast including cutlets, hash browns, pancake, porridge, hummus, pita bread along with seasonal fruit juices, tea and coffee. The breakfast outdoors is something we really enjoyed.

Dinner at Varr – Temple food of India

This experience was by far the best experience while staying with Ganga Kinare. Few meters from Ganga Kinare lies their Indian specialty restaurant that is based on the concept of temple foods of India. While the décor wins hands down with the temple setting and décor, the rituals and hospitality at the restaurant gives this specialty restaurant 10 stars.

They begin with a small prayer just similar to offering prayers to the deity. With flowers in hands and holy water, the manager of the restaurant who is also a practicing pandit, initiates the divine process of chanting Vedic mantras while sprinkling holy water on us.  The servers pour some warm buttermilk to aid digestion and place holy basil in the center of the thaali before serving dishes.

There is a plethora of dishes served us from different temples, each tasting divine and light to the palette.  The dishes are flavorsome and pleasing to the palette. Each dish is served as prasadam at the temples, so there is no garlic or onion present in them; yet the taste and aroma re excellent.

The meal ends with a paan that is also served at the temple. There are plenty of reasons to visit this restaurant, but the most important is an auspicious aura that surrounds it. The place resembles a temple like atmosphere and you would feel so close to God while dining here.

The Ayur Ganga spa

After resting for an hour, we moved towards the spa to indulge in their therapeutic massages. While I opted for the abhyanga or the full body massage, my mother chose the shirodhara – great to detox the mind and relax the senses. The spa rooms have a decent size, well equipped with a wooden bed, slippers, gown; safe to keep valuables and steam room to de-stress and relax after the massage.

The massage was perfect, pressure points at the right place. After a relaxing massage, I dozed off. A few minutes later, I was gently woken up by the therapist who escorted me to the steam room.

The Ganga arti

Beyond the yoga packages and a multiple yoga sessions, the hotel offers guests to indulge in the daily morning and evening Ganga Aartis and also to take a dip in the holy waters any time of the day, with special arrangements made.

The in-house Mandir/temple in the plush garden of the hotel also caters to any special requests for performing pujas and religious ceremonies, beyond the daily rituals.

Details :

Call for reservations : +91 11 41035656 | +91 135 2435243 |+91 8447404441

Visit: http://www.gangakinare.com/

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