The first time I walked into Cochrane Place a year back, I felt like I was transported back into the 1900’s. This heritage resort situated on the outskirts of Kurseong was the residence of Percy John Cochrane, the magistrate and barrister of Kurseong town from 1866 – 1944. Back then it was known as The Hermitage because it was actually a nunnery before Percy Cochrane made it his residence. The building was later acquired by the Arora’s who own the resort now and they remodelled The Hermitage to the present day Cochrane Place. Thankfully, the remodelling did not discard the past and the stately British colonial home still looks pretty much like what it was nearly a century back.
Cochrane Place
The Cochrane Place management was very kind to invite a few of us Kolkata bloggers to the resort last week and as always, it was a wonderful experience staying there. We took a flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra airport and from there, it was a two hour journey uphill to Kurseong. Definitely take the Pankhabari road to go up. Yes, you have to bear the sharp turns and hairpin bends but the view more than compensates. The Teesta river, the misty mountains, the tea gardens will be your companions throughout the journey and companions do not get better than them!
