WelcomHeritage Judges Court

We couldn't fault our stay at The Judge's Court. It's the perfect spot to break the long drive north from Delhi and is situated in a secluded location in the quite mountain village of Pragpur. We stayed on our way to and from Mcleodganj - the first time in the Kipling room and the second time in the Hardinge room. It was also the perfect spot to rest and take in delightful surrounds, including the gardens and orchards, the village itself (India's first heritage village), and I spent hours exploring the many treasures housed at the Judge's Court itself. The staff were friendly and helpful and the food was delicious. Offerings vary according to what is available so you can be guaranteed that whatever you order will be fresh. Breakfasts and dinner are usually taken in the formal dining room, but lunch, coffee and snacks can be had in the delightful courtyard or garden (perfect in the superb weather we experienced). At night pre dinner drinks are served in the bar or around the outdoor fire pit on warmer nights. Although our stay was planned as a stopover, next time I return it will be for the destination itself.

We stayed for 1 night en route from Shimla to Palampour. Check in was quick & easy. We had the Mountbatten Arch room, deluxe, which was huge. Very creaky floorboards! As it’s cold in the evenings in February there were 2 electric fires & electric blankets provided which made it cosy. The bathroom was simple but everything worked well. Breakfast buffet was good & omelettes excellent. Dinner was also buffet with good local home style options which we enjoyed. The staff looked after us well & were very efficient. The grounds were spacious with seating areas & we could walk ***** the road into the village.

We believed that we were booking a garden view suite in a heritage hotel, direct with the hotel. In fact, we had inadvertently booked via an agency that gave every appearance of representing the hotel. On arrival we walked into the beautiful main hotel building that you see on the Judge’s Court website, but were assigned a large room without a view, in a more modern building adjacent to the main heritage hotel. This annexe is not mentioned on the Judge’s Court website at all. Whilst we were offered a room swap the next day we were only there for two nights and chose not to swap. The grounds were lovely and the staff were delightfully welcoming but almost everyone staying on our two nights was part of a tour group, which was what we felt the hotel focused on. This, ***** with the pleasant but could-be-better buffet meals, gave the place a slightly soulless feel. Not somewhere that we would return to as independent travellers, although the adjacent village was certainly interesting.