Well , I am not able to frequently visit the hill stations, but after visiting mussoorie, I made up my mind that I have to take time out to visit often.
I went to mussoorie with my wife in a Qualis which started early morning ( around 7 am which by the way is early for delhi in the cold season of december) . After the usual stoppages for breakfast and lunch , we reached in the afternoon. the distance is approximately 330 km from delhi . the drive after dehradun to the top of mussoorie is a winding one ( which is usually the case with hill stations :-) ) but it has some breath taking sights because of the no. of mountains you get to see around you. We stayed at Honeymoon inn which is very decent but there are a couple of other hotels which u might be interested in looking at..
there are a few places to visit in and around mussoorie... they are as follows:
1) kempty falls : as the name suggests , its a water fall ... not very big but very decent . u have a lot of shops selling pakoras and tea which make an interesting combination during the winter season. there is an artificial lake where u can spend some time boating . useful to go on a shooting spree ( with a camera of course ...)
2) artificial lake: there is an artificial lake which has been prepared for people to take the pleasurre of boating. the lake is very small but still its worth one hour of sunshine..
3) lal tibbal : this place has a telescope which shows you the places around... there is a smart guide who tries to convince you that you can see the gangotri and yamunotri from this spot but if u r smart u will know that those peaks are not possible to be viewed from there ;-)
4) dhanolti: my luck was good which made the trip memorable.. this part is another mountain top but what made it special was that it snowed for a day ( there was no snow before that day and after for some days) the place was fully covered with snow.....and all the mountain tops around had a white sheet spread over it....
the sight was unbelievable. we played in snow for quite a long time.... then it started to snow lightly and we had to leave.... but my camera got some really stunning views.... I still recollect all the snow fun we had.... strongly recommended when it snowing!!
5) mall road : the road which is famous for its shops where you can bargain for lots of cool artefacts, jackets etc. lots of stuff to eat also which are mouth watering..
this is a pretty long winding road... but a word of caution: if u r travelling by ur own vehicle and have booked a hotel which is in the midst of the road, be prepared to travel on foot. this is because in the peak season, the authorities do not allow the vehiocles to ply on the main road ( to decongest it)
temples: for those people who would like to follow there instincts and not only the tourist books, go to the buddhist temple and dalai lama temple. I got amazing tranquility when I visited the buddhist temple( first time ever)
the dalai lama temple is for some other reason... its a small temple but situated on the top of a small hill and its a very narrow climb... the stairs are not proper and when u see below while walking down, it actually can get scary!! but the view from top os worth the effort .. additionally u can always shed off those few pounds ;-)
there is a cable car which takes u from mall road to the top of a hill... nice ride.
the other good aspect of going to musoorie is that u can get to dehradun, hardwar and rishikesh within a short span of time. ( a couple of hours) .
the ideal time is during summers and then september to november ... but for all those blokes who can survive and enjoy very cold temperatues, I would recommend somewhere around new years time..... u will love it...... I did!
ideal for a 2 nights/3 day trip
over all a great hideaway.... am always open for a second time!!