Storii Urvashi's Retreat

At 2,000 metres in Bahang, above Manali town on the Shanag road, Storii Urvashi's Retreat is a 22-room boutique resort where glacial brooks run through a two-acre property with its own mini apple orchard. The buildings are an adaptation, in the hotel's words, of Himalayan Blue Pine and Kathkhuni architecture, and the whole place looks out at the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges.

Rooms that climb the hillside

Deluxe Rooms are the cosy entry point at the heart of the retreat with garden and mountain views. Superior Rooms, at 34 square metres, add balconies facing the Pir Panjals alongside terraced gardens and brooks. Premium Rooms, 42 square metres with high ceilings, hide the best quirk: an open attic duplex above the bedroom. At the top sit the one-bedroom Grand Himalayan Suite and the Chinar Villa, the latter with two double rooms joined by an interconnecting balcony.

Breakfast here is an ATM: round the clock, ordered at any hour you please.

That Breakfast ATM is one of the Storii brand's signatures, along with the Storii Box, a regional feast, and the Ketli & Kahaani tea ritual. Dining runs from the Rohtang Pavilion, the all-day multi-cuisine restaurant, to Mike's Tavern, a pine-panelled bar built for chess and a slow drink, the Alfresco Garden under filament lights, and Brooks Bakery for in-house confectionery.

Bring the dog, take the trails

This is a genuinely pet-friendly hotel: pets up to 45 kg are welcome under the house policy. An ecological pool forms naturally from spring water and glacial brooks, the spa offers steam, sauna and jacuzzi, and Tales & Trails guided walks complete the roster. Solang Valley is 7 km away, Old Manali 9 km, and Bhuntar Airport at Kullu 57 km. For travellers who find central Manali too busy, this quieter perch on the way to Solang strikes us as the smarter base.