Both Chhavi and I were quite tired by the time we reached The Apple Blossom Fagu which is a HPTDC hotel. She perked up seeing snow on the side. I was happy that she found something to look forward to in spite of being tired. We spent three nights there and The Apple Blossom Fagu review is based on our personal experience when it had low occupancy in February 2015.
The Check In
We had a smooth check-in as there was no one else arriving that late in the evening. The staff took my luggage to the room. Rakesh the kind person that he was, he quickly switched on the heater correctly guessing that we were cold.
First Impressions
The room was big and spacious. However, it had a carpet as well. Now as a rule I do not like carpets because many hotels do not keep it clean and the room stinks. At the Apple Blossom the carpet was certainly old but they managed to keep it clean, so the room had no funny smell. After that I started breathing a little easy. As the weather was cold they had provided a thick quilt.
The Room
The room had a comfortable double bed with clean linen. It had a mirror and a dressing table, table and chairs for food and a work table. There were side tables by the bed as well which is very handy to dump things like mobile phone, books earrings etc just before going to sleep. However what stumped me was the lack of plug points for charging. In the room the TV socket was the only option for charging gadgets. There was a functional plug point in the bathroom too.
I took the lowest category room and it was a big, clean and functional room. I have no major complaints.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was once again absolutely clean. The amenities were sparse, it had two clean towels, two sachets of shampoo, two small soap bars and bucket and mugs. There was a shower too which we didn’t try. There was plenty of hot water so we were good for our entire stay.
The Food
The hotel has an in-house restaurant and we had all our meals there. They made excellent soup, parathas, paneer, french fries and noodles. They make Maggie too! However the cheese omelet was just about OK. The food was always fresh and as good as homemade food. They were happy to serve the food in the room at night as it would get quite cold out there. They make good tea.
The Ambience
The hotel has a huge courtyard at the back which is an excellent place to sit on a sunny day and do nothing. In a shady area there was a reasonable deposit of snow which was the favorite place for kids to muck about! From this courtyard you can take an exit and start exploring the nearby hillocks.
This and That
I guess on two nights Chhavi and I were the only guests at the hotel. The staff was so well behaved that at no point I ever felt unsafe. I ordered room service for all three dinners and I could confidently do so.
The hotel would get quite busy at lunch time as cabs stop with their guests who were exploring places around Shimla.
Their location is excellent but then government hotels usually have the advantage of the location. There are many birds around the hotel. The bird in the picture is a rock bunting.
The Verdict
If you are looking for a clean and no frills hotel, you would enjoy your stay at The Apple Blossom Fagu. I will happily stay there again. The only thing I want is more plug points in the room, preferably next to the side tables by the bed. If that is not possible then near the work table so that people can charge their various gadgets easily.
I always wanted to visit Fagu… thank you for the review. Will def.ly visit this summer holiday 🙂
Renu I am sure you will have a great time!
Looks like a spacious, clean hotel. Very much liked Chhavi’s photos 🙂
Thank you Maniparna.
Lovely place and great pics.
looks like Chhavi had a blast.
Thank you Anu, she indeed had a blast.
Great place to stay!
It was quite good value for money Indrani.
The first pic is gorgeous! The second one reminds me of the various hotels I’ve stayed at when in Shimla… it just has so much of that lovely Himachal feel 🙂 Love the bird pic!
Thank you so much Ami for this wonderful comment.
that sounds amazing…. what about the tariff?
Lata the tariff was 1800 rupees per room in winter season.
Amazing snaps… !!!
Thank you so much.
Thats a nice review.. in places like Shimla, carpets are must, that keeps you warm..
But not if they stink.
that indeed is a beautiful place
Bikram’s
Thank you Bikram.
I have seen this hotel from outside.. and must say based on your review it looks a good option to stay and much better than typical sarkari hotels…
Prasad many sarkari resorts in HP and Rajasthan have become better these days.
Apple Blossom is a very awesome place to stay. We stayed there in April 2015. Peaceful and beautiful.
Happy to hear that, we too had a good stay!
Seems a suitable place to stay 🙂
Yes Ravish I was quite happy with them!
The courtyard with snow looks great. Must have been really cold though!
Vibha it was cold but they had a heater in the room so it was bearable.
That bird shot is exquisite.
Thank you so much Lady Fi.
The bird photography is just superb! I liked even the one in which Chhavi is walking in front of the hotel. Nice to know about HPTDC… Thank you 🙂
Thank you for stopping by Sindhu.
Neat review. And about the lack of power points, I have noticed this in so many no-frills hotels. One has to invariably take off the TV plug to use the power point.
I would like to visit in month of jan 2022 date( 20). How much probability of snow fall in that period.
Very difficult to predict weather but chances of snow around are high.