AT Naldehra everything’s for real. Real mountains, real forests, real action and some very real people. Twenty-two kilometres north of Shimla, Naldehra houses some of the most beautiful boutique chalets or Scandinavian style log homes in the country. Rent one for a day or two, and it can alter the mindsets of those who think you can play golf, read books, take long walks and spend time with friends and family only when you retire. Life at the Chalets Naldehra is one without a telly, newspapers or even a telephone. Walk 200 metres and you hit a golf course in the clearing of a cedar forest. For those seeking some real action, there’s rafting too (between September and June). It all began as one man’s folly. ‘‘Stupidity, that’s what inspired me,’’ says Yatish C Sud, managing director of the Chalets Naldehra. ‘‘We roped in seven architects to build these, but all of them left us. So we finally downloaded some designs from the Internet and here we are,’’ adds Sud, who launched his project last December with just two chalets. At Naldehra, your neighbours are real too. Manju Ahluwalia and Lichi Sahni, who got their chalets built by Sud, love it when you drop in at their cottages. If you’re lucky, you might get invited to high tea.
