"Mussoorie had two bus stands at either end of the town, one at Library bazaar and the other at the Masonic lodge, which was also known as Picture Palace because of a cinema nearby. During the summer season taxis and buses filled the parking area at Masonic lodge, with swarms of coolies unloading baggage. Each of the hotels in Mussoorie had touts stationed at the bus stand, and whenever a vehicle arrived there would be a crush of people calling out the names of different hotels, coolies shouting, riksha pullers and dandie bearers waiting to transport tourists along the Mall." —"All the Way" to Heaven by Stephen Alter
It is somehow comforting to know that Mussoorie's chaos in the summer season is not entirely a recent phenomenon. While the madness is considerably worse than what Alter experienced in the 1960s, the scene that played out when we reached Mussoorie at the fag end of June was similar. Our driver had audaciously (and perhaps illegally) swung the car up a narrow offshoot from the main Mussoorie Road in a futile attempt to avoid the traffic. As we approached the Picture Palace bus stand, it was a melee of honking cars, coolies, touts and guides and legions of beleaguered tourists looking miffed that Mussoorie was as hot or hotter than the steaming plains that they had left behind.
Thankfully, we were spared the agony of finding lodgings during peak tourist season. We had a room at the Fern Brentwood Resort, a two-minute walk from the madness of the Picture Palace area. As we checked in, we saw carloads of tourists from the plains—primarily families— drive in. The 73-room resort owned by Concept Hospitality is a popular choice for tourists from North India for several reasons: it's close to the Mall Road, which is just 100 metres away, it's at walking distance from popular tourist spots like the Buddhist temple and Bhatta Falls and offers its guests uninterrupted views of the Doon Valley.
"Our hotel is a popular holiday destination for families, and many of them return year after year, especially during school holidays," said General Manager Arindam Bahel. "Many of our elderly guests have been visiting since they were children and students at some of the good boarding schools in the area."
Like most places in Mussoorie, The Fern Brentwood has an interesting history. According to a February 2024 article in the Garhwal Post by Mussoorie-based author-photographer Ganesh Saili, an early map of Mussoorie dated 1831 lists a certain Colonel Stuart as the owner of a place called Glenlyon House. "...by 1946, it's called the Royal Oak and turns into the Sindh Punjab Hotel by 1946 which became Brentwood in 1968 and is now a fine hostelry called Fern Brentwood."
Over the years, the Hotel has changed hands multiple times and has been with the current proprietors since 1979. Now managed by the Concept Hospitality group, the refurbished Fern Brentwood Hotel is a contemporary hotel with all the modern amenities; however, if you look hard enough, you can find traces of an older, gentler time.
While idling in the lounge just above the main reception area, I found a collection of old dog-eared books donated by the owners—a yellowed "Coverley Papers from the Spectator" issued from the Tilak Memorial Library in 1973, black-and-white cowboy comics that once belonged to the Mussoorie Club, and a romance novel stamped with the old Brentwood Hotel seal.
The room assigned to us, The Brentwood Suite, was in the Library wing of the Hotel and was the finest at the resort. The Sabyasachi wallpaper with tiny floral prints, a spacious bed, and cosy sofas in pastel hues in front of an electric fireplace (Mussoorie gets very cold in winter and receives some snowfall as well) gave it the air of an old English cottage.
There was an extra-large television in the room, but I wouldn't have missed it if it weren't there. The French windows in our 700-square-foot room opened up to a large balcony overlooking the hills down to the Doon Valley, and the changing views of the landscape and the many moods of the Mussoorie sky put up a better show than anything the TV had to offer.
When we first arrived, the view was a tad blurry, with the summer haze casting a veil over the landscape. I lounged on the comfortable outdoor furniture for a while, enjoying the surprisingly cool breeze, before my eyes wandered to a discreet message on the glass pane: "Beware of Monkeys!" I scurried inside even though I couldn't spot any of the aforesaid simians.
The bathroom was luxurious, with premium fittings and a jacuzzi, no less. The amenities were all sustainable, including wooden toothbrushes, jute slippers, toilet rolls with recycled paper, and beauty products from a local green beauty brand.
Sustainability efforts were visible in other aspects of the Hotel as well. Besides the now-ubiquitous refillable glass bottles and discreet cards nudging guests to avoid getting their bed linen washed daily, Bahel said that the Hotel has undertaken measures like water harvesting and water treatment. "The Fern Hotels & Resorts is committed to sustainability, and we are determined to make a minimal impact on this ecologically sensitive zone," he said.
Tired and hungry after the long journey from Delhi to Mussoorie, we went down to the Hotel's multicuisine restaurant, Whistling Pines, for a bite. The eatery is attached to the Winterline Deck, where one could have an alfresco meal while admiring the views of the valley. The Hotel has just one restaurant and serves guests an extensive buffet dinner every evening. From chaats to vada pao to dals to appam and stew, there's plenty to tempt the palate, with some song and dance thrown in for good measure. On the first night we were there, a troupe of Garhwali folk dancers put up an energetic performance on the Winterline Deck. It was a clear night, and it was a wonderful experience looking out at the glittering lights of the Doon Valley as we sipped on our soup and tapped our toes to the music.
The Fern Brentwood Resort's convenient location makes it easy to "do" the Mussoorie sights. We, however, decided to avoid the crowds at the regular sightseeing spots and go for a long walk down Camel's Back Road. We started from the Kulri side and struggled in the heat to complete the 3 km stretch to Mall Road. It was overrun with tourists, but I was glad to see it still green and lush, albeit dusty, nothing that a spot of rain won't cure. I imagined how lovely this road would be in the monsoons with a drizzle on my face and the mists rolling up from the hillsides.
The next day dawned bright and clear—perfect weather for a trip to Landour with Bahel. He regaled us with history titbits about the Mussoorie hills as we walked up from Char Dukan, past the Lal Tibba viewpoint and the Christian cemetery, before we stopped for a picnic amidst the deodars, a service available to guests for a small fee. The Hotel kindly packed us sandwiches, juice, delicious Danish pastries, and the most succulent smooth-skinned peaches, which we enjoyed in the hush. The dappled sunlight was not so harsh here, 1000 ft above Mussoorie, and all we could hear was birdsong and the wind rustling through the breeze.
As we returned, the bright blue skies turned an ominous grey. Our plans to explore Mussoorie seemed uncertain. There was a crack of lightning, and suddenly, there was a raging thunderstorm. Gusts of wind and torrential rain howled through the town, and I shivered as I sat on the balcony. The temperature had plummeted by at least 10 degrees. Finally, the tourists had got what they had come to Mussoorie for—cold comfort.
Address: Kulri, Picture Palace, Mall Rd, The Mall Road, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand 248179
Phone: 081910 06901
Getting There: The Hotel is located 50 km from Jolly Grant Airport, 33 km from Dehradun Railway Station and 39 km from ISBT Dehradun Bus Stand.