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Judges Courtyard Hotel

Judges Courtyard Hotel, Himachal Pradesh

A heritage hotel in India's first heritage village at an altitude of 2000 feet, that is Hotel Judge's Court. In the famous Kangra valley near the famous heritage village of Pragpur (a medieval village), where peace prevails, is set Judge's Court. The location along with the amount of tranquility and space it gives to its guests is remarkable.

The hotel owes its interesting name to its owner. It was a 300 year old manor house which was built for Justice Sir Jai Lal. The house was built keeping in mind his status, imbibing the best of Indo European tradition. Hence the house came to be known as 'Judge Sahib Ki Kothi' and later 'Judge's Court.'

While the hotel retained the original structure of the house, the Anglo India design, it was however, restored with modern plumbing and lighting. The hotel is located near the village courtyard with an ornamental tank. A cobbled path leads you to the hotel. It is here where you get the feeling of what lies ahead. The courtyard captures the original era completely, comes ahead is Judge's Court spread in 10 acres of orchid gardens.

The magic of panoramic Kangra valley, the heritage village of Pragpur and the timeless grace of this manor house turned heritage hotel, its a perfect place to stay.

Rooms with a Name

The rooms needless to say are all very elegant and well appointed. Since the hotel is run by the owing family, you taste a rare warm and intimate hospitality here. There are 10 rooms in all. What is interesting is that the rooms have all names ' Dhauladhar, Kipling, Hardinge, Kangra and so on. Inside, the rooms are tastefully done and yet elegantly simple. There is also a private suite with a kitchen, sitting room, dressing room and a study with an open terrace overlooking Dhauladhar mountains.

The snow capped peaks of the Kangra valley shine through the windows of some rooms. There are 10 double rooms, three of the suites have the ancestral cottage in the backyard.

Food From The Kitchen Garden

What is interesting about dining in Judge's Court is that the food is prepared with the fruits and vegetables grown in the orchards of the hotel itself. The hotel serves delicious Indian and Continental food prepared by the hotel's chef. The hotel's orchard grows an interesting list - Mango, mango, lychee, grape, plum, parsimon, citrus and exotic trees like camphor, clove and cardamom. Not just that, the hotel also has its very own hotel dairy. The kitchen uses all the milk and such products from its own dairy.

As for water, there is an ancestral spring in the mountains from where the water is piped for the hotel

While there is an elegant dining room for the hotel guests, you can also choose to dine in the lawn if you wish to, for nothing can be more pleasant then that.

Uniquely Interesting

Though the hotel is peace and tranquility personified yet it is not completely devoid of some recreation and adventure activity. The hotel has a swimming pool, a restaurant and a bar if you want to relax or move your muscles a bit in the hotel itself. However, if you wish to move out of the hotel, there are many interesting options for you to choose from.

There are many masheer river camps in Kangra valley. There is a reservoir of Maharana Pratap Sagar at a little distance which is also a very good place for angling. If you wish to get more adventurous, then go for some adventure sports in the nearby Maharana Pratap Sagar like water skiing, surfing, kayaking, rowing, canoeing and sailing. These water sports are organised in collaboration with Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.

The countryside is also apt for some low level treks and walks, the area can also be of interest to bird watchers as there are quite a many species to hold interest. The hotel organises trips to explore the nearby country side and historical monuments. You can explore the nearby Gali which has old houses in Shimla style architecture and Pragpur ofcourse with ancestral homes and cobbled streets.

If you go to the nearby Pragpur, another interesting experience awaits you there. The market here has silversmiths who can modify trinkets according to your taste quickly. Similarly, there are weavers who will weave shawls and blankets just for you and tailors here are so fast that they will make dresses for you overnight.

Business Travellers

For its corporate travellers, the hotel has adequate conference facilities. There is an elegant conference style room here and service is impeccable.