The journey begins in Dehradun, a 45 minute plane ride or 4+ hour rail journey from Delhi.  The  drive onwards to Ananda in the Himalayan foothills winds upward along an ever steepening road, trafficked by mud spattered Land Rovers, trucks, trishaws and bicycles, and slaloms around lingering cows and monkeys skittering from one verge to the other.   Road signs with elephant and exclamation point and slogans – “License to drive not fly” or “After whisky driving risky”,  warn of the hazards of these mountain roads.  But there is another as well;  the vegetation, thick and green in this monsoon season,  cannot always prevent the massive  tumble of boulders that makes for an impasse.

We find another way around and arrive at Ananda.

There are two Anandas – the Maharajas’ Palace which stands on a manicured sweep of lawn and part of which houses the reception, the deco Viceregal suite and a ballroom used for indoor yoga classes as well as charming classical dance performances performed by village children.  Down a pathway are three private villas, each with swimming pool and ravishing views and, a further few minutes walk on is the other Ananda, the one around which your life revolves when you come here for spa, therapies, teachings and diet.

Here are the balance of the accommodations,  70 deluxe rooms and a handful of suites, each with balcony and some with gardens, housed in a five-story horizontal building that runs along a verdant ridge overlooking Rishikesh and the river Ganga on the valley floor below. A step away is the spa, gym and enticing shop, a lovely, large pool, and, in another stand alone building, the restaurant and private lecture room pannelled with plate glass windows and flooded with light.

http://anandaspa.com/content/default.asp

to be continued….