Monsoon chai on the cliff at Voco Jim Corbett

Imagine dropping tigers off your itinerary when in Jim Corbett and opting for a 35 km drive up to Bhaunkhal, a scenic spot in the ghat section in Almora district. Believe me, you will not regret it!

It is a rare pleasure when your day begins and ends in the beauty of Nature, and you realise there is more than the tiger trail in Ramnagar district of Uttarakhand.

But first an honesty alert: In my five trips in the last two decades to Ramnagar forests, a gateway to the Corbett National Park, during the summers months when tiger sightings peak, the majestic cats have always eluded me. I have returned only with stories of tigers spotted by others and the sighting of pug marks and carcasses.

In this part of the State it is said that you got to be lucky to catch a glimpse of the big cat in Jim Corbett.

So this time around, when the invitation came from India’s first Voco Hotel in Jim Corbett, my objective was to do everything but chase tigers inside the sanctuary. Even the rain gods approved the plan as the skies opened up and the national park was closed!

Party on a cliff

But come rain or shine, the Voco Jim Corbett, the newly launched upscale brand from the IHG Hotels & Resorts, has a party laid out on a cliff. It is a dramatic, not-to-be missed spot, assures general manager Suprabhath Roy Chowdhury, as we hit the road even though the mountains looked ominous under the ebony clouds. The slow drive through the forest and fog was both eerie and magical, like an unending romance of the sky and the earth celebrating with showers, and the trees dancing to the whisper of the cold breeze.

The table-top cliff gives a mesmerising view of the valley, water body and the surrounding mountains. Under picnic umbrellas, the hotel staff enthusiastically served steaming bowls of noodles along with pakodas and tea. Snacks never tasted this good!

Two hours later we laughed our way back to the valley thinking of the rainy adventure unlike any other and etched forever.

In the world of luxury, the big things such as impeccable cleanliness, a pleasant check-in and other fabulous service are a given. It is in the little surprises that a place stands tall. Indeed, the innumerable other little things made the 250-km road trip from Delhi worth it.

The sights and sounds of rain-drenched mountain life soothed the urban dweller in me. My stay in Voco Jim Corbett encapsulated the essence of the word Voco derived from the Latin word meaning ‘to invite’. It did with warm hospitality, modern amenities, good food and, stunning views.

The resort in Dhikuli region of Jim Corbett is cocooned in 13.5 acres of lush greenery along the banks of magnificently meandering Kosi river and the dense forests of the Malani mountain range behind it. It is the kind of place you wouldn’t want to leave in a hurry. In the quietude, there is the music of the gurgling water and the continuous chirping of birds just outside the room; an endless feast for the eyes is the panoramic landscape and a sky with moving clouds casting light of different hues. All this with the traditional Kumaoni cuisine and cocktails adding to the senses.

Voco is an unconventional brand that first came up in Gold Coast Australia in 2018. When the staff greets you with “I am your Voco host” and not the name and designation, the ‘stuffiness’ of brands is absent here. “Today there are 71 Voco hotels across the world with 79 more in the pipeline,” says Suprabhath and informs that of them, six more are planned across India, in Gurugram, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, Amritsar and Srinagar.

Given the brand’s focus on sustainability and Nature, there are three hallmarks, represented by birds that define Voco. The gregarious finch represents the staff’s interactions with guests, and their chatters that burst with energy; the owl, known to enjoy its solitude, is about spending time inside the perfectly designed plush rooms and, the social flamingo is all about soiree, meeting up in the outdoors and the restaurants. The motifs of the birds can be seen in the dining area, on signboards and on different accessories.

In the room, the spread of nibbles including the famous pahadi bal mithai (like chocolate fudge made with roasted khoya coated with white sugar balls), the Red Kokum Sangria, the auspicious Kumauni Pichhoda (dupatta), cloth napkins with embroidery of flinch, a broadsheet personalised with the guest’s name, photo, and details about the region, temperature and the property are the kind of collection of small but elegant understated details that lend a pensive richness to the place.

I spent lot of time walking around the vast green property that boasts a huge mango orchard, a well-manicured garden with years old rudraksh (the Utrasam bead) tree, and numerous pathways dotted with the native chakrota (grapefruit) and other trees. Bird watching, yoga sessions, spa treatments and river rafting by the day and a barbecue dinner on the river bank or the beautiful Kosi roof terrace is the done thing in this 70-room property.

Adding to a hotel’s appeal is the food. Here, it is informal but a reverent affair with local gourmand. Traditional Kumaoni cuisine, mostly vegetarian and strongly dal-based, the thali is comfort food. Dishes such as Kafuli (simple spinach gravy made with pahadi masalas); madua (finger millets) ki roti with dollops of ghee and jaggery; Aloo ke gutke (simple potato fry tempered with red chillies, coriander leaves and local spices in mustard oil); pahadi raita (made with grated cucumber and crushed mustard seeds) are delicious bets.

The surprise is the turmeric martini made with the provincial gin Kumaon & I with a hint of pahadi haldi, lime and organic honey poured in a glass with orange rind, and Bandarful, acoffee flavoured locally made rice wine. The liquer pays homage to the local langur and is also a pun on the word wonderful, which the place is!

The writer was at Voco Jim Corbett on the invitation of the brand.