Dharana at Shillim - Luxury Wellbeing Retreat

The property is in a well preserved forest spread over 2500 acres so it was lush green and natural. The rooms were good. The food was ok, small portions , fixed menu but on asking they are willing to give meals as preferred. We were not on any wellness package but we had some credit so used the spa. The massages were excellent. The staff was excellent

No black tea available anywhere even if you are willing to pay, coffee only in the restaurant and free only with breakfast. Not mentioned anywhere. Only no liquor allowed is mentioned .What was worst is that after charging a very fancy price ,if you order even buttermilk with your meals you have to shell out 800 bucks. No free beverage with meals. Almost all activities are paid. Hardly any occupancy, the place had just a few guests. Absolutely poor value for money. This place was rocking in its Hilton Avatar.

Spectacular property with 2500 acres of greeney. well maintained. We signed up for a short stay to enjoy the premises so didnt explore the massages/ treatments. One can soak in the greenery and explore by walking all over the property. the villas were well appointed, spacious and at well spaced for privacy. food choices could be more; although they were simple and filling. polite and attentive staff and team.

better lit roads to the villas; more CCTVs to give the preception of security- one had to go with what the staff said- that the place is safe and to not venture out after dark as monkeys may attack. we walked end to end of the 350 acre developed part of the property and observed that Security cabins were far and few. the villa bathroom door connecting to the open shower is a glass door with a flimsy bolt with too easy access to any intruder. it does not give the impression of a secure premises given everything is desolate around. while one welcomes solitude, one does need to feel secure on the property premises in the night. the property gives a hand book that says children below 14 not allowed; booking.com message says children below 12. information consistency is missing.

Got a pure wellness feel at the retreat. Thin crowd amplified the serene feeling. The swimming pool has a terrific location.It rained like it never did before and we had to extend the stay but enjoyed it nevertheless. Staff was very hospitable and ensured guest don't feel unnecessary anxiety.

We could not explore the property on foot due to relentless rain.

Somewhat difficult to get to in the mountains.

location... weather ... food

prices

There is no other place like Dharana at Shilim. It is nestled in the forest, a quiet and tranquil place to connect with yourself and with nature. We got to see so many birds and monkeys. Everything is put together so thoughtfully and with intention. We got to enjoy massages and other therapies individually suited to our needs. Working within the field of physical therapy myself, the level of skill and experience of the therapists exceeded my expectations! Especially the Super Stretch classes with Arzaan were excellent. All food is locally grown, organic- from farm to table (even the rice, herbs and spices). You can taste the difference! Last I want to mention and thank all the staff. Everyone was so nice and welcoming to us! They were checking with us on multiple occasions if we needed anything and were happy with their services. Truely a gem! Thank you so much!

It was far better when it was under Hilton group.

Nature, and spacious cottages Attempts by F and B manager Mandar to understand issues and make service recovery

Lack of coordination between staff. Inability to grasp facts and info at reception area or on call . One more issue with very senior staff that I would like to express if someone from the property calls. Wouldn’t like to review that aspect here.

Location, close to nature and quietness.

They were very limited food options and staff was not very accommodative of dietary requirements. Also, not many activities to do, no sports.

Room and food was excellent

It's not walkable. I would like it more if I could reach from one destination to another without waiting for a car.

Cleanliness.. Massage at Healing By Mr Gopakumar Food Taste was Good

There should be more food varieties in Ala-Carte Menu Food should be delivered in Villa too.. Less CCTV cameras installed in the Place.. Less Facilities for children to play n enjoy

Well managed property where you can walk miles without venturing on public road. Quality of food is good.

Well Made but not maintained

Squirrels in the room all night.....They had made their home even after complaining they were not able to catch the squirrels....Had to leave middle of the night without even completing the stay

I absolutely loved it never imagined Maharashtra could look so beautiful until I stayed with you. Hats off to every staff member and the management team for keeping the property so clean, green, and well-maintained. Everyone was incredibly kind, the food was fresh and organic, and the rooms were absolutely gorgeous. I’d love to visit again soon. Thank you so much for the warm hospitality!

amazing place

Been to the property a few times and well versed with all the services & know the staff well too. Stayed in Jan for 2 nights and again on 13th April 25. Overall it's a very straightforward deal when basic food is included with a few activities and a massage therapy. The food is nothing great to write about but it's basic food with humble ingredients which works for me atleast. The hotel does support incase you don't like the daily selection . Typically the occupancy ranges between 25 to 30% on all my visits and the hotel is able to manage the guests. The hk staff and FOH staff is great as always. For my stay during April 25 it turned out to be a disaster . Where I had planned to stay for 3 days, had asked a friend to join me as well on the trip. Below are the disappointments : - vyoma the pool & bar was shut without any prior notice on a Saturday - On Sunday morning when called to confirm the cafe timing was told the pool & the cafe is shut. - requested for food and service at the pool side which they never reverted to Get waiting for 2 hours - since the property does not serve areated beverages ( alcohol, perier are allowed ) I had called for the same from outside the hotel and was happy to pay any additional if required, the hotel did not allow them to come in, on speaking to the duty manager was told they will check and get back but never got back. - smoking is allowed in a few designated areas, called for the smokes from outside through a local hotel appointed car but once procured the hotel refused to get that in saying it's a smoke free property. On mentioning the designed smoking areas do exit at the property was told they will check and get back but never did. - Asked for coffee in the morning which they confirmed is available and have called for it in the past which never turned up. - on departure, we had a 10 k voucher which while booking with the hotel was told can be used against any purchase.

The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, the staff were lovely, food and treatments were excellent

Our stay here was amazing and exceeded all of our expectations, from the treatments included in our stay to the food, the staff was exceptional and regularly went out of their way to make our stay better. The wildlife on the property was incredible too, and their dedication to sustainability was clearly visible. A once in a lifetime experience.

The service was excellent! Marami at the Ojas restaurant and Taslima at reception were very welcoming. We were skeptical about the wellness cuisine but the food was absolutely delicious. We also enjoyed the activities like the culinary course, ceramics painting, yoga and Tibetan bowl meditation. The property is stunning, you could walk around it forever!

This place deserves an excellent review. Important context - the property used to be a Hilton luxury resort until 2021, when it changed management (same owners) to become a full wellness retreat at Dharna Wellness. The entire experience from check-in - until checkout was terrific. We were welcomed and invited to embrace the 8 arms/limbs designed to guide our wellness experience. It felt as if every corner and decision made by this place was in this direction, quiet spaces, delicious but measured food, distance and space, even the rules. If you want a luxury holiday, this may not be it, however, if you want a wellness experience this is surely the place. The location is hard to beat, on a 2500 sq acre of forested land, the Villas, although a bit dated are still in excellent shape, the views are hard to beat. I read before coming the food was not great, however, we found it to be terrific. Great variety, tasty but still following ayurvedic principles. It was varied day to day, and the service was outstanding. I also read the wait times were long. During our stay they were fine - 10-15 minutes at the maximum, but even then, every single staff member was working to get you to your next destination. Remember each part of this campus is quite far, so vehicles are moving in between dropping off guests, still, we were never made to wait long and were never frustrated. We enjoyed our treatments, yoga and pranyama. The only thing wrong was that we couldn't stay longer! All in all an outstanding place - we will surely be back. Location, Service, Experience, all exceptional value . A shout out to all the staff that looked after us - Tinushka at reception, Tanmay, Suraj, Mashezoko, Jetin at Ojas, Datta and Aravind, Majindra driving, Chef Akshay, the staff and Drs at the House of Healing!, and the Activity staff for the wonderful hike up to Shilliim Peak.

Minor construction in the common dining area, - unavoidable and fine.

Forest view greenery

Food , food options

Everything is lovely, a healthy lifestyle with entertainment and closeness to nature

No complaints

It’s a fantastic property amidst a dense forest cover very aesthetically designed.

The biggest drawback was that they had only 3 cars to service 96 villas, which meant you could easily spend 25-30 mins each time just trying to get from one point to another, spread across a large property. That gets frustrating to organise each time especially for a group.

The infrastructure is good.

The staff are completely apathetic to serious concerns. A huge sum of cash was stolen from our bag on the property and the staff were completely unhelpful.

All the experience

Too expensive for 1 Night stay The salt seasoning was bit off, at times but high and at times v low

Only location is good Spa is Ok

Staff are not trained Food is highly priced

Only Spa

Service, Food, Cleaniness. So many issues

Food is excellent, Staff is very well trained and always ready to help. Superb cleanliness.

Room rent.

Property is very huge and need a buggy cart to reach anywhere and they take 30 mins to send you, restaurant or staff are useless not at all customer friendly seen many customers argue all the time , food taste is not worth

Location

Mosquitoes

Not value for money spent. Never again!!! Mistake to have booked!!!

Absolutely no value for the money spent!!!

Great property, staff is good very comfortable villas and service

Great location

All good

Villa and pool

Service Food Housekeeping

Property is good

Old damaged Nano car

Nothing

Location and staff

The drive to the property

Maintainance of the room Weak wifi Shower knobs were opposite.....scalding hot water when we turn it to cold Extreamly high pricing of food ...not worth it Went to one of their restaurants and post 1 hour of sitting there nobody came to take orders Pathetic staff response General Manager did not even bother to meet.... Spa prices vs experience is totally skewed

Room was clean and maintained.

Food was not up to the mark.

Nice location,well spread out and felt private

Writing this review taking into account the Brand and pricing .Structurally too many steps to get in or out of the villa.transportation between villa and facilities was not very convenient. Food was very nice mini bar was empty,but was stocked up by request only which was no use because the fridge was not functioning No bathrobes in the room Wifi connection was very poor and kept dropping. some of the staff members didn't respond to our thank you. the experience did not meet the standards I expected from Hilton properties. Value for money 👎🏻

Above expectation! Loved the experience of waking up in the heart of nature! A very friendly staff specially the one who was doing the farm tour, and Lokom! They tried to accommodate my request for a special food request, activities, and others! Thank you Devarshree and Nafis for making our stay extraordinary!

Nothing!

The property is well maintained, amidst nature, food is delicious. The King Forest villas offer excellent privacy. Their bathrooms are huge and so well designed that they give a very earthy experience. The staff was courteous. I did Tibetan bowl meditation which was a very calming experience for me.

Well, I’m someone who does not enjoy so much seclusion offered by property. Someone who loves privacy, will enjoy the property. I was scared of intruder, wild life, and snakes entering the room. You have to keep the doors closed all the time as mentioned in the stay. It will be worthwhile for the property to add more activities to do in the resort.

the food was exceptionally good.

NA

Beautiful green surroundings.

The cost was very high and should be reduced by 20-30 percent.

The Calmness

NA

Not up to mark

Food quality and service is very very poor

B fast was good but our rooom had a problem No hot water no sliding door to the bathroom and there was a n open area which was of no use and we got sunlight early in s morning which we cud not avoid as there were no curtains there 332

Replenishing the tea sugar and cups and soccer

Very serene, no honk zone inside, well spaced out cabins with lots of privacy

All good

Location is great , calm and serene property . Staff at the Terrazo restaurants were good and cordial.

Ala carte menu can be improvised. The activities can be explained upon arrival. Arrival process was bad.

food spread was ok

huge hot water isssue , for the price we paid super disssapointed with basic hot water not being there , completely not worth it and super dissapointed

Location is the best thing about this hotel. I love the forest view villas. If you like going for long walks amidst nature, this is the place for you. All you can hear is the chirping of birds and monkey's cry. Pin drop silence in the whole resort. I stay here only to enjoy nature.

Everything was good. No complains. Hope they could have more options for breakfast buffet and also more options in ala carte menu for dinner. Mountain bar's location is very nice but it does not have much option for dinner. I did not find the native dogs in the property, on inquiring was informed that the dogs have been driven out of the resort as guests complain. This broke my heart. Please don't be cruel to local animals. Get the dogs back to the resort. They were friendly and never harmed anyone. Also please don't drive the monkeys away. If guests don't like dogs and monkeys let them stay in urban resorts. If a person comes to rural resort like yours, they should not compel you to be unfriendly to animals who are the original inhabitants of your area. PLEASE DONT BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS just because some guests don't like animals. Be human.