At the very outset I would like to mention that the four star rating is based on the fact that the hotel is in a hill station. If it were in Delhi, I would not have rated it this high.
Secondly, if you go by the word if mouth, Manu Maharani is the best hotel(and most expensive) in Nainital though some others like Arif Castles come close.
So I went to Nainital over a weekend a few days back. I had booked bus tickets in advance and had also booked my hotel.
I went in the off peak season so I got a 2 night 3 day package at the Manu Maharani for 12.5K.
I am told that in the peak season this could go upto 18k.
I took the standard room in the hotel, which though not very spacious, is clean with modern facilities like central air conditioning, phones Flat screen TV, lamps etc. The room looks pretty much the way any decent hotel’s room would look. The X factor in the room is the view from the wall sized window which overlooks Naini lake down below.
The Manu Maharani is about a Km uphill from the Mall road(where most of the other hotels are located) and is relatively quiet. The flip side is that you have to commute to and fro from the Mall road(walking uphill is not easy, and rickshaws dont ply uphill).
The hotel provides you with unlimited pick ups and drops to the mall road in the hotel car( a Qualis) but this service extends only till 6pm after which you will have to take a cab to come to the hotel. The cab charges around 50/- for the same and if you mention Manu Maharani he may want more.
The hotel itself is very neat anf clean. It has a pool table, TT and a disco(which is always empty). Manu Maharani provides its guests with a complimentary boat ride in naini lake, a trip on the roapway and a trip to the cave gardens(which is a must visit for the thrill of walking through narrow caves).
The buffet breakfast is good, but what is great is the dinner. The restaurant of the hotel serves amazing food. We dined there on two occasions and had Indian and Chinese and both the times they served us really good food. The Indian dishes were amazing. However, this is an expensive restaurant and wont cost you less than 500 per person.
The hotel also provides its guests with a 2k floating credit. You can use this money in the restaurant/spa.
In all this is a nice place to stay. The place is maintained well and leaves a good impression.