Enchanting Kashmir - #DreamTrails

Shikara ride on Dal lake

There are very few places which make you 'miss them ' the moment you 'leave them ' . 

Kashmir is one of them .  Ever since I was a kid always thought of visiting this 'paradise on earth ' .  For the political unrest , alternate options always crept in . 

These were equally good  though .I traveled across almost the whole of India . But this time for my annual summer break I was keen to visit Kashmir  and more importantly ; Gulmarg , Yusmarg , Pahalgam , Sonmarg and Srinagar as the key ones. 

Flights 

Since every other day you get to see and read about flash sales and with a little planning and playing smart you can get yourself a good deal and earn some 'miles' as well . I used a mix-n-match of Jet and Indigo and it costed me under INR 4000 one side from Delhi to Srinagar.

Stay 

I have a bias at staying at places which are beautiful and more importantly have excellent service levels. Sringar was The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar which was the earlier palace of the Maharaja of Kashmir . You can get a good deal if you are a regular at the Lalit and book minimum 5 months in advance .   

For Gulmarg and Pahalgam you don't have much options.  The preferred places are Hotel Grand Mumtaz ( Gulmarg ) and Hotel MountView ( Pahalgam ) .   

If you are a vegetarian , food may not taste the way you are used to so have rice and local produce . If you are a non-vegetarian you are in for a delight and a treat. 

Must Do :

Srinagar-  Visit the ancient 'Shankarachraya Temple '  , A ride on the 'shikara'at the Dal Lake and the Hazratbal Mosque and the famous Mughal gardens .

Pahalgam  - I am in love with this place.   Aru Valley , Betaab Valley ( the debut place of Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh ) , Chandanwari and Sheshnaag Lake.  The real hero though is the 'Lidder river'  where you can spend hours just seeing it flow.  

Gulmarg -  The only thing to do in Gulmarg Gondola ride. You need to book the tickets for both Round 1 and Round 2 in advance online . The ride is worth it  . 

PS :  I have kept the review short and crisp since there are many small things on the way that you can pick and explore. In case you are planning a trip , feel free to reach out to me.

I am blogging about my dreams and passions for the Club Mahindra#DreamTrails activity at BlogAdda. You can get a Club Mahindra Membership to own your holidays!