Banjara Orchard Retreat (Tel: 01782-222265, 09418022265; Tariff: Rs 2,400) is set in the inevitable apple orchard, overlooking the deep valley of the Sutlej and offering delicious sunsets. The seven rooms and suites are comfortable, the sitting and dining spaces homely; the menu is flexible and comforting; their apples, in both the jam and chutney forms, are mouth-watering. And Prakash Thakur, the owner, takes good care of his guests, telling them well-collected tales of these hills and guiding them on the mountain paths.

The PWD Rest House (Tel: 222252; Tariff: Rs 190) is right on the solitary road running through Thanedar. It has two clean, comfortable rooms and a lawn outside, where ‘tourists are welcome’. Meals will be cooked for you.

KOTGARH, the apple heartland of Himachal is perched high above the left bank of the Sutlej about 80 km from Shimla, on the old Hindustan-Tibet road. Located at about 6,500 feet above sea level, Kotgarh commands a panoramic view of the Sutlej valley and the distant snow covered peaks of the greater Himalayas. It is renowned not only for its scenic beauty but also for its contribution to the horticulture revolution for it was here the saga of apple cultivation in the Shimla hills began in the early 1900.

Source : Mr. Manoj Jreat ( The Tribune )