I had the chance of exploring this wonderful part of India while I was on the great Indian road trip(thegreatindianroadtrip.com)
In sikkim, we covered Pelling and Gangtok and then the magical land beyond Gangtok. We were on two-wheelers and getting a permit to ride beyong Gangtok towards Nathu-la isnt easy. In fact, we could not manage the permits for nathu-la but only till the baba bir ka mandir(few kms before nathu, a diversion to the right takes u here).
On the way, we also came across the chango lake, which at that time(nov 2006) was semi-frozen. After chango, traffic is next to no and you are one with nature. that particular day, I was riding alone, passes the baba bir ka mandir and kept riding into unknown territory before the snow on the road became too much for me to keep riding( I was on a kinetic comet). My gps showed elevation as 13000+ feet, there was no one around the mighty kanchanjunga peak was my constant companion. that day has to be one of the best riding days of my life!
Back in gangtok, we used to have warm tasty meals at oberoi bar be q( MG road, recommended, nice place run by a caring family). There are a lot of hotels on the MG road, you will easily get a good deal