Friday, August 22, 2014

Razhu Pru - cosy & comfortable

On my trip to Kohima, I stayed at Razhu Pru, a quaint, colonial villa turned into a boutique hotel. Razhu Phru is situated in Kohima village, which is incidentally the oldest and largest of the areas that make up the city. Razhu (name of the owner) and Pru (shelter) is how the name is described in the hotel's brochure. 

Note: the photos were all shot at dusk, please view it from that perspective :)




Wood is the predominant element in the interiors and the structure of the building, similar to most houses built in hill stations in the colonial era. Wooden beams, ceiling, floors, columns can be seen all over the place.

The common area, what might have been the erstwhile drawing room, is charmingly decorated with furniture and artefacts from traditional Naga culture. It's a room where I spent a pleasant half hour just browsing through the art on the walls and admiring the furniture. The only drawback to this room is that it has no windows, therefore the only natural light is from the entrance doors. 



A view of the garden from the verandah

The rooms are all well-furnished and bright with an understated elegance. I was told the pretty fabrics come from the factories owned by the proprietors themselves. My room was charming, faced the front of the house with windows overlooking the garden. It was brightly lit and gave off a comfy, cosy vibe. Some of the other rooms on the opposite side of the property, I believe, have clear views of the hillside. 

The food they offer is both traditional Naga cuisine as well as some of the popular Indian and Western dishes. Breakfast is simple and limited. But for lunch and dinner, you can place your order from their vast menu. I was all for the local cuisine, I could not seem to get enough of the bamboo shoot with meat preparations in Nagaland. A word of caution though, bamboo shoot tastes nothing like regular vegetables or greens. It's definitely an acquired taste. 

Razhu Pru has schools in the vicinity and you can see and hear students clearly in the mornings and evenings when they are on their way to or out of school. It was a tad bit noisy but definitely not a deal breaker (at least for me) though I spent two days there which included a very vocal basket ball match in the school opposite. 

I was there in October, so the weather was just turning chilly. The days were fine with the sun warm enough not to warrant any warm clothes but the evenings and early mornings were cold. The area around the hotel, while quite urbanised has some small (hillside) lanes which I walked, exploring the neighbourhood. There were pretty houses, friendly people and some fabulous views. 


View of Kohima town & the surrounding hills
with their cloud covered peaks

The staff at Razhu Pru are friendly and helpful and ready with helpful suggestions on things to see and do in the neighbourhood. 

All across the North East, the places I stayed in were clean and comfortable even if they were basic. Razhu Phru was the same but more luxurious. After two weeks on the road, ending the trip here was probably the best decision I made. It felt so good!

For more information, photos or to contact the hotel directly, you can visit their facebook page - http://on.fb.me/1AyKdtm

Other posts on the North East in this blog:

Peace & Eternal Rest (Nagaland) 

Country Roads (Arunachal Pradesh)

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