Travel & Leisure US: Hotel Review: The Sen

Every morning during my three days at The Sen, I woke up at 6 am, had a Nespresso in my room, and went bird-watching. The Lower Himalayas where The Sen is located is home to a staggering 729 species of birds, 500 butterflies and 900 moths, some of which (like the bright green magpie) show up spectacularly within the property. After 3 hours of walking along misty untouched trails with two naturalists, I came back to breakfast at the communal dining table, which, for me, an extrovert, was great. You are not forced to chitchat with strangers though, and in fact, many couples come here for privacy and to celebrate anniversaries. All meals can be had in your room at whatever time you wish. This flexibility is part of the package here. Should you mingle, you can chat with guests over lunch or dinner. I met couples who had driven up 5 hours from pollution-choked Delhi for silence and a great AQI (Air Quality Index).

The Sen sprawls across 25 acres of mountainside so most guests end up walking, reading or resting. More and more in India, hospitality has become not just what the property offers, but also what it doesn’t. At The Sen, there are no televisions, no towns nearby, no crowds, noise or jostling for the buffet line. There is, in other words, no pressure to do anything at all. What they do offer are nearly 20 “experiences,” including hikes through pine forests, picnic or yoga in the forest, safaris into the nearby Jim Corbett National Park, ‘movie night’ with a laid out dinner by the pool along with a projector and screen, and my favourite: breakfast in the riverbed. I drove in after safari and was handed some gumboots. Wading through a pristine shallow Himalayan stream is the stuff of Indian dreams and that’s what I did. A few hundred feet away, right inside the stream was a beautifully laid out breakfast table. Sitting with my gumbooted feet inside the stream and munching on toasted bread, eggs, and French press coffee while surrounded by the quite of the mountains all around was unlike anything I’ve experienced.

The property itself is a cross between the spareness of Aman with some deliberate Indian quirks. Nakul Sen, the owner has worked in fashion and interiors for Delhi’s swish set for about 3 decades. Every part of the property therefore has artful design touches: like a collection of arched mirrors in the bathroom above the broad washbasin; the stream that has been channelled through the property; or the hundreds of flickering candles (not electric ones) that are lit during dusk throughout the property.

Oh, and I saw an elephant while I was there too.

Here is my review of The Sen.

There are just four suites, and I stayed in two of them. The smallest two-storey S-suite, feels like a sophisticated treehouse or Indian machan. You climb up a flight of stairs to a 100-square-foot glass-walled room with a queen bed, minibar, and balcony with enough space for a table and two chairs. I sat there and read while looking at the mountains. The bathroom is a few steps down, equally compact but luxurious. Stay here for the seclusion and sweeping views of the mountains. At 1,300 square feet, the Sen-suite is large enough to get your step count up, with a four-poster bed, living area with a coffee table and armchairs, dressing room, and generous bathroom. The two middle suites measure 690 square feet. All have Marshall speakers, fragrant toiletries, 600-thread-count sheets, high-grown tea, Nespresso machines and fireplaces.

Pahadi means “mountain people” in Hindi, and Pahadi cuisine celebrates fresh produce, indigenous grains, and high-altitude herbs. I got a taste of that at The Sen. When I praised some perfectly cooked haricots verts, the server walked to a nearby arbor and picked a few more for me. Farm-to-table, with very few intervening steps. At breakfast, I ate delicately spiced parathas made with local grains, egg omlettes, homemade sourdough bread, fresh watermelon juice and masala chai. Lunch was usually an Indian thali with greens, dal, basmati rice and vegetables. They also serve French soups, Thai salads, handmade ravioli and Mediterranean mezze. All meals are at the communal table with no fixed meal times. Guests drift in and you end up chatting with strangers, which is a delight or deterrent depending on your sociability. I could also eat at my room, or have a grilled barbecue by the pool, or outdoor picnic in the pines.

A spa is being planned, but for now, the mountain air, seclusion and verdant mountains all around is what’s on offer.

Since the property is built over 25 acres on a hillside, it is not yet set up for differently abled folks.