Once our Darjeeling trip was planned, the next step was to book train/flight tickets and a hotel to stay in Darjeeling.
We knew about Sterling resort in Darjeeling and as my husband’s friend is a member of their resort, we got a 2-night stay at good rates. Actually, we needed 3 nights stay which include Christmas Day, but it was not available. Hence, the 2-night booking was done.
This was our second time experience with the Sterling group, the first was the Sterling Goa property.
In this post, am sharing Sterling resort Darjeeling review.
Sterling Resort Ghoom Darjeeling
Sterling Darjeeling is located in Ghoom, the highest point in Darjeeling and 8 km far from the Darjeeling town.
It is 1 km from the Ghoom railway station, the highest railway station in India.
How to reach the resort?
You can get the shared cab or rented vehicles at NJP (New Jalpaiguri)and Siliguri station which will take you to Ghum. It takes approx 3 hours to reach the resort.
Once you reach Ghoom, you need to go through a narrow road and a steep upscale hilltop that takes you to the resort. The Old Ghoom monastery is located next to the resort.
If you are coming by share jeeps to Ghoom, they will drop you at the nearest destination and from there you need to reach the resort.
Aforementioned, the way to the resort is difficult, so need to pay extra charges to the cab driver to reach the resort as you cannot walk with your luggage on that uphill.
Alternatively, you can request the resort staff for the pickup by paying additional charges.
In a nutshell, either you bring your own vehicle or hire a rented vehicle or pay extra charges to the share cab driver to reach Sterling resort. If you are 4 people and above, then the best way to reach the resort from NJP or airport is by renting the vehicle rather than the share sumos.
We had taken the shared cab to reach Ghum and paid extra to the driver to reach the resort.
Charges from the Ghum point to Sterling resort: 200 Rs
I know it’s expensive. The share cab cost from Njp to Ghum is 250 Rs and from Ghum point to resort is 200 Rs which just takes 10 mins, but due to the steep uphill and no availability of taxis, you need to shed off that amount.
Sterling Holidays Darjeeling
Once we arrived at the resort after a long journey in the evening, all my tiredness swept away looking at this opulent property.
As it was a festive season, they had done Christmas décor which made the resort looks alluring.
Just at a glance at the property make you say, this is what Luxury means. The hill cottage vibes with modern architecture make this resort a regal property.
They sanitized our baggage and checked our vaccination certificates.
Sterling Resorts Darjeeling Studio room – Kamet
The Sterling resort has given designated names to their rooms and we had got Kamet room. The room looks spacious with all the modern amenities. It has a contemporary décor and comfortable furnishing.
Christmas decor
The room comes with a queen bed, sofa, and a small kitchenette area. It has wooden flooring which helps to keep the room warm.
The bathroom was clean and had a hot water facility.
Room Amenities
- Room heater- Thankfully it was already present in the room with no extra charges.
- 2 Water bottles
- Tea coffee maker
- Mini fridge
- LED TV
- Hairdryer
Room service
They missed providing some basic bathroom essentials like toothpaste, toothbrush, lotion which were given when we requested.
We even had to request room slippers.
On our second day of stay, when they cleaned our room, they didn’t clean the bathroom. So we informed them and then the housekeeping staff came and cleaned.
The TV channels were not working as they had not paid for the subscription. We called and informed them; the staff came and renewed the subscription.
They kept missing out on things like cleaning, providing basic amenities which were not expected from a 3-star hotel.
Apart from that, the staff was courteous.
Sterling Darjeeling’s multi-cuisine restaurant, DELICACI
The restaurant offers both buffet and an a la carte. Meals were not included in our room package and therefore we tried both- buffet in morning breakfast and ala carte for dinner.
The charges were reasonable and not so high.
The morning buffet breakfast was lavish and had an Indian and English menu. I enjoyed the delectable foods and beverages.
For dinner, we had ordered soup and a chicken dish. The soup was good but the chicken was not fresh.
My husband is a hardcore non-vegetarian and he can instantly recognize if the meat is fresh or not. The chicken had got stale, so he couldn’t continue eating it and gave feedback to the restaurant staff. It failed in the palatability factors.
Kanchenjunga viewpoint and the scenic hill view
As the resort is located at the highest point, you can see the enchanting hill town whenever you step out of your room and want to feel closer to nature.
The Sterling Darjeeling has a spectacular view of Mt. Kanchenjunga from where we can see the glory of this snow-clad mountain and get engrossed.
We would wake up at a sunrise time to see the morning peak of sunshine on the mountain.
We didn’t need to visit Tiger hills to see the view and could see it from the resort. Also, until the sunshine, we could sit inside the lobby and protect ourselves from the cold air.
While having our breakfast, we could see the mountain range from the restaurant and the feeling is amazing.
The scenic hill view makes the soul and body happy. My eyes were pleased just by the glance of it.
Sightseeing offers
You will find some of the famous tourist places in Ghum which are near to the resort.
You can enquire at the resort about the sightseeing offers in Darjeeling. We didn’t bother to ask as we were prejudiced that it must be costly, but it was not.
I would recommend you to hire a cab from the resort as it will be convenient and hassle-free.
While shifting to a new hotel in Darjeeling Mall road on our last day, we took the cab service from the resort and it was good.
Gift Shop
Before coming, I had come to know about this gift shop located inside the resort. Though the shop is located in the resort but is not costly.
We had purchased two shawls at a good price and they have a rambling collection of woolen clothes. Thus, visit yourself and check.
Final Verdict
Our stay at Sterling Darjeeling was good but it would have been amazing if they hadn’t missed out on room service and amenities, and meat quality.
The resort offers a picturesque view of the regal Kanchenjunga and the quaint hill town.
Therefore, we didn’t feel the need to visit Tiger hills in the early morning to see the view, as we could see it comfortably from the resort. It is said that the view from the resort is better than the Tiger hills.
Although the resort is 8km away from Darjeeling town, some of the tourist places are located in Ghum, so we could easily visit it.
If you are looking for tranquility and away from the bustling hill vibes, then Sterling resort is the best place to stay amidst the valley. You can hire a cab and visit the tourist places at your convenience.
If you want to be close to the heart and soul of Darjeeling town i.e Mall road then this is not the place to stay. Of course, you can visit Mall road and come back to the resort and relax, but staying near Mall road has its advantages like walking down anytime.
Overall Rating
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Food
Room
Read my other Darjeeling posts:
- My Darjeeling Trip: Shopping and Places to eat in Darjeeling
- Best Places to visit in Darjeeling in December
- Darjeeling Trip Itinerary for 3 nights and 4 days during Winter: An Unforgettable Memory (Chapter 1)
Read Hotel reviews:
