Norling House

Adjacent monastery was nice.

1) We were given a room with a king bed instead of 2 double beds that we had booked. Room Looks dated. 2) small bathroom 3) room was cold 4) no view 5) linen did not look clean 6) restaurant on the property was not so clean and the food was average

Review of Norling House – Dharamshala Nestled within the serene Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan Culture, Norling House offers a peaceful and immersive stay on the outskirts of Dharamshala. The guesthouse is beautifully decorated with handcrafted Tibetan art, including intricate thangka paintings, wood carvings, appliqué textiles, and metalwork, all created by skilled artisans trained at the institute. A unique aspect of staying here is the opportunity to visit the institute’s workshops, where artists and students bring traditional Tibetan craftsmanship to life. Guests can observe the delicate process of thangka painting, wood carving, and embroidery, gaining insight into centuries-old artistic traditions. Many of these handcrafted pieces are available for purchase in the on-site shop, making it easy to take home a piece of Tibetan culture. The atmosphere at Norling House is calm and meditative, with the gentle scent of incense lingering in the air. Its location, away from the crowds, provides a perfect retreat while still offering easy access to Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, and Dharamkot. I explored the region with Phurbu, a guide from the institute, who took me on his Royal Enfield motorcycle to visit key sites such as the Tibet Museum, the Tibetan Library, various monasteries, and the Dalai Lama’s residence in McLeod Ganj. We also visited the peaceful ashrams in Dharamkot, a hidden gem for those seeking tranquility. The restaurant at Norling House serves delicious traditional Tibetan cuisine, including steaming momos, butter tea, handmade noodles, and the hearty tsampa porridge for breakfast. The food is simple but authentic, offering a taste of local Tibetan flavors. Overall, Norling House is an excellent choice for those looking for a culturally immersive and peaceful stay in Dharamshala.

Located on beautiful grounds for walking about and temple for meditation, gift shop with handmade items from the center. Staff was helpful and attentive - helped with sending postcards, room service (on rainy day). Dogs were great. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menu had good options (tibetan, local, western cuisine), delicious for our whole 3 night stay. Room was delightfully decorated.

nothing major.

Location is far from the main city but we always hated staying in main city centres in India- too packed and crowded city centres- so that way we wouldn't complain. View from the roof is nice - some of the rooms also have nice view. Food at the kitchen is boring but taste good- one of the major issues with any hill stations in India is that the food is basic and boring and lacks variety- same was with Norling House. But the next door -right outside is a Himachali Dhaba- man you should try their Himachali Mutton - not very hygienic looking but we enjoyed- even my snobbish family ate there as well and came out very fulfilled - there are plenty of cafes around as well. Over all a nice place and since it's inside the Norbulinka Institute so you get to spend a lot of time walking around. By the way you have a taxi stand right in front of the Hotel - we didn;t hire a vehicle at our disposal for this trip but getting in and out of the place never became an issue.

Rooms are bit tired- need an upgrade specially the bathrooms - so much more could be done with them. and pls for gods sake upgrade your kitchen as well- You Can add so much more Tibetan food why serve same boring toasts, omelette and "Aloo paratha"- the whole place gives a nice Tibetan vibes except the kitchen- pls serve more of tibet on our plate we would love that.

the ambience

power cuts and non availability of water at a crucial time

Breakfast is good

Power backup

Courteous staff, excellent food..

The ambience of the place was super calm and serene. It's not just a guest house but it's part of this beautiful institute which is working towards conservation of Tibetan culture and arts. The whole campus is accessible to guests day and night. In house restaurant and cafe was also pretty good. Best part was the in house baked supplies. Just wow.

Rooms were spacious but bathrooms were very small and there was negligible water pressure.