During the summer last year, I along with a group of friends decided to take a trip somewhere in the hills for a long weekend. All of the people in the group agreed almost immediately because Delhi’s heat was getting unbearable by that time.

Even the decision on where to go was taken almost spontaneously. Solan, it was as a couple of friends had been there before and had all the good things to say about it. We had other commercial well-known hill stations like Shimla, Manali in mind but we did not want any hustle or bustle during the weekend.

We left in the dark of the late-night hours and reached Kalka by the time the sun was about to rise. As soon as we saw the golden sunshine shining through the distant blue and white mountains, we knew we wanted to reach the destination as quickly as possible so that we could soak in as many of the amazing views as possible.

For our stay, we had rented a 1 BHK apartment in Solan from a popular online stay booking website. It was an independently owned apartment that the owner had curated pretty well to young travelers’ taste. And finally before noon struck, we reached our destination. We knew we had made a good decision as soon as we entered the housing complex where the apartment was located.

As soon as we checked into our rooms, we were welcomed with an amazing panoramic view of the hills that reflected the shining sunlight even more beautifully. There was a cold breeze that hugged us just as we were entering the balcony area. After resting for a little, we went out for a hike that turned out to be just spectacular. It felt like nature had given us space in its lap and we were comfortably moving in there. The views of peaks in the distance added to the awe factor of all of it. In short, this was a great decision for someone who was used to seeing concrete jungle amidst a layer of smog everyday. No honking noises of traffic, no construction noises. Just serene and pristine nature as our companion.

We stayed there for just 3 days but it felt like the place gave us a lifetime of an experience. I enquired if I could get an apartment in the same building complex and the manager there said that I actually could. They had all the luxury amenities one could require in a second home like this one and a very convenient payment plan to offer to me.

And that’s how I became a member of the Chester Hills family. What’s your story?