If you are looking for a quiet week­end getaway then Om Adhyay Retreat Resort in Tistung-Pa­lung is the place to be! Located 65 km north of Kathmandu, it is an adventurous four-hour drive. Try to avoid the bumpy Kulekhani road though. Instead take the one that goes from Naubisey to Daman (on the old road to Hetauda). On the way to Daman, there are plenty of pointers to the hotel. Meanwhile, en route, you can enjoy some ultra-clean air, which is increasingly a luxury for people in Kathmandu. When you reach the hotel, which was established in 2015, you will find peace and serenity. The place is nice and quiet, too, with farms on three sides and a hill on one, and with the calming sound of waterfall in the backdrop to boot.

The name Om Adhyay sug­gests a meditative retreat, and the place seems to reflect this. Even if a noisy group is in the vicinity, you will easily find a corner inside the spacious property where you can be by yourself.

There are 42 tents with very good mattresses in case you want to experience living in one, while you have all modern amenities at your doorstep. You can also hire a tent to set it up in the hills nearby. What’s more, these tents are Rs 300 cheaper than normal room fares in the resort!

You can enjoy in-house activities such as snooker, table tennis, vol­leyball, badminton and also relive your childhood by playing slides and swings. There is a plunge pool too, where water flows in from a ‘dhunge dhara’ as you relax. From this place, you can go explore other destina­tions as well; Markhu, Kulekhani, Chitlang, Unamatteshwor Mahadev, Bajra Barahi, Kulekhani and Kunch­hal village are within short distance. Some of them can also be reached on foot, if you prefer to walk it.

The meals at the resort are a tasty affair—the a la carte snacks and the main course “Nepali dal bhat” buffet are both so good you might want to go back just for them. The in-house restaurant also serves var­ious liquors as well as shisha. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Fridays and Saturdays are usually packed so for those days booking should be done three weeks prior, according to Deepak Bidari, the director of the resort. Otherwise, you can book a week ahead or just drop in. One-day stay package here costs around Rs 3,000, which is a good deal considering many facili­ties such as free Wi-Fi.

As this place is cold throughout the year, the best time to visit would be during summer or late summer. Director Bidari says large groups from companies and schools often come visit.

Om Adhyay is recommended for those who want to travel a little dis­tance from Kathmandu for a retreat experience, writers who want some alone time for creative energy to flow and people who want to med­itate. A weekend there promises to be a great retreat for your mind, body and soul.