Sikkim Aurora

This hotel is located in Upper Pelling, but that is a gross understatement. This hotel lies at the very top of Pelling and even if you wanted, you could not go any higher. The 360 degree view (weather permitting) of the Kangchenjunga Range from this hotel and from the Helipad (right beside the hotel) can be awe inspiring. But from the viewpoint of service you may be left wanting for more. Details below: Location: As stated earlier, the hotel is situated on the very top of the hill on which sits Pelling. It is located right beside the Helipad. The obvious advantage being the great views that you can enjoy from the terrace of the hotel or the Helipad beside it. But a problem with this location is that it is quite a distance from Pelling proper, meaning that you don't have easy access to restaurants, transport or other facilities. You will be dependent on the hotel and the few hotels around for all your needs. Remember that almost the entirety of Pelling enjoys great views of the Kangchenjunga range. Rooms: Rooms are clean and spacious. Bathrooms are clean and hygienic with modern fittings and hot water geysers. Geysers though don't work during a power outage (thankfully lights and power outlets have backup power). For some inexplicable reason nearly all rooms face away from the Kangchenjunga range while the stairwell windows have great views! I noticed some rooms on the higher floors have balconies that might have a nice view. We had booked rooms through an online travel website. On reaching the hotel we were led to rooms which are below the reception area (meaning that we had to take a flight of stairs down from the level we entered). While these rooms were not dungeons and had windows which let in light, these weren't exactly what one would call desirable rooms. On enquiring we were told that online bookings weren't profitable for the hotel hence those were relegated to these 'less than desirable' rooms. Service: We found the hotel lacking in this regard. Service is not prompt and it can take repeated prodding before you get what you want. The behavior of the manager is what can only be described as smug and bordering on the rude. They do not serve food (apart from snacks and tea) in your room and have clearly mentioned that they will do so only in an emergency and that too at a 30% premium. This is not a bad thing in itself but for the fact that their restaurant has a very limited number of seats. This is not enough to cater to all the patrons when the hotel is full. We had to wait a long time (with the inevitable prodding and pleading) before we were served our dinner. On the brighter side, the behavior of most of the other staff is very cordial and it seems that the reason for the slow service is that they are overworked. Food: The restaurant serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The quality of food is average and nothing to write home about. The aforementioned problems with seating coupled with a slow service can be irritating. They do serve you bed-tea in paper cups in the morning. The breakfast service is a rather lackluster bread (not toasted), butter, boiled egg, puri and sabzi affair. One interesting fact is that I was refused a second boiled egg (surprise surprise)! The food is moderately expensive. If you are looking for some cheap food, there is a locally run tea stall nearby where you will get Momos/Dumplings and noodles (Maggi/Wai Wai). This is a hotel run by Bengalis. This can be a good thing if you are Bengali like me. But to us it seemed like they had a steady stream of patrons supplied by tour operators in Kolkata and were at great pains to satisfy these patrons (even at the cost of other patrons like us). This does not bode well for people who book rooms online or through other channels. But if you are looking for good rooms and are ready to compromise on service this place can work well for you. I will stop short of saying that I wholeheartedly recommend this place but compared to many other hotels (and in spite of it's shortcomings) this one may be a pretty good choice.

One of the best hotel in pelling. just next to helipad. The rooms are decent. but the best part is the hospitality of the stuffs and the food. they will provide the bed tea every morning and will let you know when the breakfast is ready. they will come to room to get the order for dinner. oh i forgot, if you have luck and the weather is clear, you can get a life long memory of Kanchenjunga from the hotel roof itself.

The location is near new helipad and it is far from car stand if you don't have any private vehicle you have to walk more that is not easy for people ..Otherwise the hotel is good.

Excellent hospitality...very good location...hotel staff are very caring, well behaved.. Food is excellent..