Indian Hospitality At It's Best At Cinnamon Stays

Today, we bring to you an account from Radha, a Cinnamon Guest from Canada. Radha came with her brother and mother and spent time with us at Cinnamon Stays. After a month's stay she has gone back and was kind enough to grace our blog with a short write up about her experience with us. Do have a look at what she says -

Indian Hospitality At It's Best At Cinnamon Stays

I was looking for a home away from home in the millennium city, Gurgaon, India for a month’s stay. Friends and family members made several recommendations and I spent my first four days in India exploring several places that offered a comfortable and homely place for my mother, brother and myself. 

(From L to R - Radha, Devika(Radha's daughter), Shilpi (Madam Cinnamon!), Vibhu (Radha's brother), Gumaan Singh Panwar, Auntie (Radha's mum)

It was especially important as my brother had recently undergone a serious surgery and was venturing out of rehab to enjoy quality time with the family. A friend said she had heard of a place called “Cinnamon Stays”. “Why don’t we check it out”, she said. Tired and exasperated we made our way to the greens of Nirvana Country. As we drove through Nirvana Country we saw a quiet neighbourhood nestled in green gardens, without noise or pollution. “WOW! This is a lovely neighbourhood”, I thought. A short walk and we had a quaint plaza with all facilities, including a bank, pharmacy, eating places, a few fashion stores. A great place to recoup from a surgery; all amenities and excellent service.

As I stepped into Cinnamon Stays I had a very positive and happy feeling. Very accepting, comfortable, and truly a “home away from home”. 

It was a very pleasant surprise to chat with Shilpi, the owner founder of Cinnamon Stays. Within 5 minutes of speaking with her, I knew that this was the perfect place; conducive to a happy family reunion and even more, a place that would facilitate positive interaction with like-minded people from all walks of life.

 

Thus began a memorable month’s stay. I met guests from across the globe and two amazing people who I am proud to call friends. The ambience, personal care, great cuisine and friendly environment made it a perfect holiday. Through guests I met a yoga instructor who learned the traditional science of yoga at a renowned school under a reputed guru. The combination of breathing exercises, asanas and meditation were both physically and spiritually an undescribed experience.  It’s been therapeutic for my brother who has recuperated faster than anticipated.

Shilpi and Manish have created an ambience and space that caters to the requirements of people; professional and personal. Needless to say that I look forward to coming back to Cinnamon Stays next summer and enjoying the hospitality of our wonderful hosts and par taking of this rejuvenating ambience. 

(Picture Courtesy - www.vectorstock.com)

Medical Care At A Home Away From Home - 2

Hello there! Thank you so much for your kind words. Your words are encouraging and a huge support to both my mother and I. I was in the midst of telling you, why I chose a homestay. Taking this further, I realized a few more points why even you should do so if you are looking for long term medical care.

1.   Moral Support by the hosts

My mother’s illness was a trying time for me. I was my mother’s support but I yearned for support too. My friends and the rest of the family were far and I needed to people to talk to. In such a state of mind, the hosts were very helpful. The kind of moral support they provided me with was like a warm blanket on a cold night. Sure enough, they soon became like family to us.

2.   Coping and Adapting to the new city

In our case, I was so new to Delhi.  A person from a small town, I considered myself brave enough to face Delhi. No matter how I managed, I was always a little scared and tensed. Coping was getting difficult but our hosts helped me with a lot of advice about the city and the culture. It made be “ready” to move around the city comfortably.

3.   Local people, local advice

Moving in with the locals, I not just felt safe but they were like my “Wikipedia” or “Google”. Any query, any doubt was just a shout out and I would get the best advice on transport, food, deals, pharmacies and also how to unwind.

 

4.   Network

My experience with the homestay was one of a kind. I met with a lot of people. My stay being longer than usual, I bumped into other guests and increased my network. Strangely it was good for my work too. I even bagged a contract for supplying Sikkim Tea to Nagpur! Thinking about it, I don’t think I could achieve this had I continued staying in a hotel!

5.   Emergency Services

With a number of people staying under the same roof, I was convinced that had there been an emergency I could count on the hosts and the caretakers. No one would deny me! I felt safe, secure and wonderful being with them.

My experience at the homestay was incredible. When I was leaving, as much as I was happy to take a healthier and more positive mother back home, I was engulfed with a lot of sadness of having to leave behind a home that I had started to think as mine. 

If you are wondering, where did I actually stay, I have to say that it was Cinnamon Stays run by the most adorable couple Shilpi and Manish, who helped me tide through my life’s toughest times. In case you are looking for a medical care homestay that can give you the best, I suggest you should visit www.cinnamonstays.in or write in to bookings@cinnamonstays.in

Take my word for it…after all we pahadis never lie !

Medical Care At A Home Away From Home

Guest Blogger Manisha Pradhan writes to us from Gangtok. She shares her experience with home stays in her post. Introducing today is Part 1 of her blog - "Medical Care At A Home Away From Home". Do read on!

Sipping my cup of tea and leafing through the morning newspaper, today was the day I had to make a few decisions. Living in Gangtok was like living in utopia- amidst nature and friendly people. Whilst everything was going smoothly, my mother had not been keeping too well lately. A train of visits to the doctors and I knew I had to move her to a bigger and better city for her to be under proper care. I finally made up my mind to move her to Delhi. 

Little did I know, that this event in my life would make me realize how much I needed a ‘home”. Having booked ourselves in a decent hotel close to the hospital for over two weeks, I increasingly found myself being stressed over things. I could never point out why I felt the way I did until one day I realized that the problem lay not in the hospital but where we were staying. I shared my concerns with my friends and it was then that one of them recommended a home stay. I was not very convinced that someone would let us stay at their place especially with my ailing patient. On the other hand, we were spending a lot on post operative care and it was not advisable to undertake the long journey back home. 

I started looking at the range of homestays and talking with some of them. I was convinced that if I had to survive the turmoil of long term medical care in a new city, I just had to move my mother to a place that is “home”.

Our stay lasted for two long months and needless to say I never regretted my decision. I want to share a few points on why I chose a homestay over the hotel closer to the hospital. To anyone looking for a homey place for a patient to recover, this is what I discovered:

1.   Cost Effective

Medical treatment is not easy and the first thing that affects you is the cost. As much as I tried to budget, I would always find myself being a little short of money. A decent hotel was the primary reason that was eating into my pocket. A homestay on the other hand is more economical and viable. I saw a large chunk of savings having moved to a homestay.

2.   A home is a home after all

A hotel can give you comfort and luxury but these two were the last things on my mind when it came to bringing my mother back home after her surgery. She needed a place that could support her new diet plan. A place where she could move about at her own pace and still have the privacy. Most importantly, she did not want to be seen as an ailing person in a place full of strangers. The homestay covered for all of the above and more.

3.   Cleanliness and Care

Cleanliness was of utmost importance to us. Luckily my mother did not suffer too many side effects but when she did we needed to clean up the mess as soon as she felt unwell. This was something that came to us promptly at the homestay as compared to the hotel where housekeeping had to be called in time and again. The hosts and the caretaker were genuinely caring towards both of us.

I can go on for a few more pages, but I need to retire and get back to my mother who is asking for me. I promise to share some more in my next post, which should be sooner than you think. In the meanwhile, I wanted to share that India is one of the top 5 destinations for Medical Tourism in the World! You could have a look at the following few websites to know more!

http://www.indiahealthcaretourism.com/

http://www.indian-medical-tourism.com/

http://www.medicalindiatourism.com/

http://nomadcapitalist.com/2014/01/05/top-5-best-countries-medical-tourism/

7 Reasons Why Corporate Travelers Prefer A Homestay

Unlike in the past when company executives either stayed at a fancy but expensive hotel or a basic guest house with inconsistent service, today there is another option of a homestay / bed & breakfast.

And Tripadvisor makes it easy to find these special places hidden in a city's landscape. With ratings and detailed guest reviews you can be assured of a safe and comfortable stay at this non hotel option!

So why should a busy corporate traveller stay at a homestay. Here are 7 good reasons. 

1. Do you remember the last hotel room that you stayed in 5 years ago on a business trip? Most probably you don't.  But people who stay at a homestay/ bed & breakfast invariably remember, because their experience is so unique and special. You may be a busy executive, but you still remember the delicious home cooked food, the quirky room with some beautiful painting; the chat over breakfast on local city tips and much more.

2. The Warm Human Touch.  Unlike a B&B,  a hotel doesn't have hosts who blend the skills of a cook, waiter, tour guide, housekeeper, conversationalist and much more to make every guest's experience a delight.

3. For the budget conscious corporate traveller, the SME owner, the entrepreneur with a tight wallet, often the homestay works far economical than a hotel. The food costs are less and you avoid luxury tax.

4. Many a time the corporate traveller travels with his/ her spouse or family. In these cases, the home like environment of a B&B is much better than the confined space of a hotel room. 
Of course you need to check the reviews on Tripadvisor before you make the booking.
In the connected economy, the good places are easy to book and the bad places can't hide themselves!

5. If the stay is for more than a few days, hosts at a B&B can give valuable tips on shopping, eating out, the coolest cafes and pubs. These local tips are invaluable when you are in a  new city for a few days. It saves you valuable time and you gain from their expertise!

6. Hotel food, no matter how fancy can get on your nerves and palate after a while. Especially for the widely travelled corporate traveller, hotel food is no longer a big draw! But a well prepared, delicious home cooked meal at a homestay is a big hit with travelers. Often the odd pickle, a special recipe, a local sweet or ice-cream is a gentle balm for the wearied corporate traveller.

7. A homestay is also a place where you chance upon other interesting travelers. At Cinnamon Stays - we have hosted amazingly interesting people from almost 60 countries - artists, entrepreneurs, corporate honchos, VCs, musicians, social media gurus, NGO heads and even students in their gap year! 

The homestay with it's unassuming and open space allows corporates to mix and unwind with this diverse lot. The free flow of ideas and conversations is enriching for all. 

The world is opening up. Businesses like airbnb.com have made B&B accessible and available to all. Tripadvisor and guest reviews have made finding great non hotel places far easier. 

So, in case you have never tried a homestay / bed & breakfast  you may want to give them a try after reading this. Believe us; after 5 years of running Cinnamon, our lives have been transformed by this experience.

(The hosts and writers Manish and Shilpi have had a corporate career in media and HR respectively. They took the plunge 5 years back to create cinnamonstays.in - the No.1 B&B in Gurgaon. They also manage the bookings and marketing for Granny's Inn - www.grannysinn.in in Varanasi run by their aunt and mother!

Best Place to Stay While Taking a Prometric Exam in Gurgaon

 Guys in case you are travelling to Gurgaon for taking a Prometric exam at the Iris Tech park centre on Sohna road, Cinnamon is probably the closest, safest and quietest place to stay.

But please note that we are a homestay / bed & breakfast and not a hotel or a run-of-the-mill guest house!

- In a homestay, you stay in a home like environment

- You can expect delicious home cooked food (in very less oil)

- There is 24X7 power, wi-fi internet, clean comfortable AC rooms ( heater in winters)

- Our place is very safe for women students and senior citizens (in case your parents are accompanying you)

- We are child friendly as well.

However, please do not expect room service or round the clock service

- Breakfast (730 am - 10 am), lunch (1 pm - 230 pm) and dinner (8pm -10 pm) have fixed timings. We can of course be flexible but you will have to give us advance notice

- No loud music and outside guests are permitted.

- Entry to homestay after 11pm needs to be informed.

Having said that as a small business we give highly personalised and customised

service to our guests. You may read our reviews on Trip Advisor here

You can request for a packed lunch (with prior notice) and we can also arrange a pick-up and drop to the centre ( at a nominal fee)

Please tell about us to your friends and family whom you know are taking a Prometric test in Gurgaon.