The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa
Gulmarg, India
A cedar-and-stone lodge at 8,500 feet, with the Pir Panjal filling every window.
Gulmarg is one of the highest ski resorts in the world, and for years there was nowhere really luxurious to stay in it. The Khyber changed that. Built from local stone and deodar cedar, it sits a snowball's throw from the famous gondola, close enough that you can be on the slopes minutes after breakfast.
Inside it's all Kashmiri craft, from the hand-knotted carpets to the papier-mache detailing and the crackling fireplaces in the lounges. In winter it's a ski lodge in the grand sense; in summer it's a green, flower-strewn base for trekking and cool Himalayan air when the plains are baking.
The Verdict
The most comfortable bed in the Indian Himalayas, in one of its most beautiful settings. Come for the snow, but the summer here is a quiet secret worth keeping.
A butler lighting the wood stove in your room while fresh snow piles up on the balcony and the Pir Panjal range glows in the last of the light.
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