Landour Language School Accommodation Guide for Hindi & Urdu Students

Landour is a stunning place to live in. You really feel lucky to be up in the mountains surrounded by snow-capped peaks and lush forest. It’s a quiet retreat from the bustling Mussoorie main market a few kilometres away.

Because Landour is a cantonment area and no more houses or hotels can be built there, it makes for a generally expensive stay compared to anywhere else in India.

Before I started studying Hindi at the Landour Language School I went and visited all the accommodation options.

If you’re still wondering which language school to study at, you can see my Which Hindi School in India to Study At? guide.

Apartments in Landour

This article will cover hotels, but you can find apartments for rent in the area. You’ll need to arrive early and ask around though. Try to ask Prakash or his wife at Prakash’s General Store, next to Landour Bakehouse, if they know any apartments for rent. Locals are friendly, are happy to help.

A basic single room should cost around ₹20,000 a month. Renting an entire basic villa here costs around ₹120,000. It’s a very expensive area because accommodation is limited due to building restrictions. A mega-millionaire’s mansion was even demolished recently as local authorities decided it was illegally built.

Landlords will also likely ask for a 3-month minimum rental period – but it won’t hurt to ask for lesser.

High-End Landour Hotels

If you want a comfortable stay in the mountains, then Rokeby Manor and La Villa Bethany are perfect. They’re both walking distance from the Landour Language School and offer meals. All hotels give discounts for language school students, so make sure you ask them.

As for amenities near these hotels, you have Char Dukan or Sister’s Bazaar. There are some great restaurants like Cafe Ivy and the Landour Bakehouse. There are a few small general stores too.

Rokeby Manor

Rokeby Manor the best place to stay in Landour without a doubt, and also the most expensive at around ₹3750 a night (that includes a 50% discount for students!). The single rooms are VERY small for the price, but you have a beautiful outdoor area, large cafe area, and a library to study in.

Rokeby also owns the Landour Bakehouse about 100m away and bake from traditional recipes from the British time. They also run the Clock Tower Cafe about 1km away in Malingar Bazaar. I’ll cover all the food options in Landour in another post.

Next door their Bakehouse is a very good Peanut Butter and dried fruit maker called Prakash.

You can’t miss the Rokeby staff all around the area wearing their green jackets. The brand is owned by the same guy that I mentioned who had his mansion demolished by local authorities.

I was all-around impressed by Rokeby. If you can afford it, book it!

La Villa Bethany

La Villa Bethany has more of a luxury homestay vibe than a hotel like Rokeby. Less staff and facilities. But more homely and very friendly owners.

You can expect to pay around ₹6000 a night for one of their large suites twin-sharing. They have smaller rooms for single occupancy which are cheaper. The price includes breakfast and dinner too.

Location, like Rokeby, is just a few metres from the Language school and a stunning 100m walk to Landour Bakehouse and the local store.

Mid-Range Landour Hotels

The further you go from the Landour Language School the cheaper the hotel options become.

Both these mid-range hotels are a 15-minute uphill walk to Char Dukan or 20 minutes to the Language School. But they’re closer to Manlingar Bazaar so you can walk there to shop and eat too. The location is ideal – halfway between school and shopping.

Doma’s Guest House and Restaurant

Doma’s is a delicious restaurant serving Tibetan food and they have 6 guest rooms. The rooms are large, cleaned daily, internet and 4G reception is good. Rooms are nicely decorated in a Tibetan style, and they have a desk for studying. You even get your own sitting area in the sun!

Price is around ₹1500 per night for a single person and includes a yummy breakfast. You can bargain for cheaper if you’re staying longer (2 months plus).

The owner, Taashi, also has 3 rooms available at a homestay (his home). I think you can get a place there for ₹900 a night. It’s a stone’s through from Sister’s Bazaar, and you can miss it as it has a huge bright yellow roof. It’s right by the stone “bus stop” on the road to Sister’s Bazaar.

The one issue? It can get noisy as it’s a restaurant and a place to hang out. I live in Delhi, so noise isn’t an issue for me.

Cliffe Cottage

I stayed here while doing my research for the article. They have an attached restaurant called Cafe Viola which has a very friendly head chef and tasty food. It’s also very close to the Mudcup Cafe and Doma’s. Food options, 4G internet, and location are good.

As for the rooms, they’ve seen better days. They’re large with big bathrooms and desks. But they’re run down and bedsheets stained. For the rate of ₹2500 a night, I don’t recommend it.

You can stay here longterm and get the rooms at a discount similar to Doma’s – I’d bargain for less! Doma’s is definitely preferred and where I ended up staying for 6 weeks as you can see in many of my “Life in Indian Lockdown #COVID19” videos.

You Want Even Cheaper Options?

If you really want rock-bottom prices then look towards Mussoorie and Malingar Bazaar – about 2-4km from the School.

Snow View and Castle Rock are the cheapest places you can find. I didn’t visit either. But I hear rooms range from ₹500-₹900 a night.

Do you know a good place that’s missing from this list? Leave it in the comments so I can add it.