Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / India / Manali / Sitara Himalaya
Sitara Himalaya
Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India · Independent · Core Luxury
Anita Lal, founder of Good Earth, named this house Sitara from her three children, then opened her own holiday home to guests: ten rooms at 8,200 feet in New Kothi, above the Kullu Valley, facing Mount Meru. Hand-spun Banarasi silk, patterned with a Himalayan cloud, covers the bedroom walls. Local tradition places the sage Ved Vyas on this hill. Relais & Châteaux arrived in 2024, and Michelin has given the retreat Two Keys. Her daughter Simran's Paro oils are the turndown.
- 10 rooms
- Opened 2023
- Neighborhood: Kullu
- Architect: Sri Dunichand
- Interiors: Anita Lal (Good Earth founder, creator/designer)
About Sitara Himalaya
- Anita Lal, founder of Good Earth, named Sitara from her three children and opened her own holiday home, a two-minute walk from the retreat, to guests.
- Ten rooms sit at 8,200 feet in New Kothi, near Palchan, facing Mount Meru on the way toward Lahaul and Spiti.
- Bedroom walls are hand-spun Banarasi silk patterned with a Himalayan cloud. Simran Lal's Paro brand supplies the turndown oils.
- Relais & Châteaux included the house in 2024. Michelin has awarded Two Keys. Guests are adults, from age 12.
- Local tradition treats the hill as the place where the sage Ved Vyas meditated and the Vedas were received.
History
Sitara Himalaya is an intimate ten-room mountain retreat near Manali in Himachal Pradesh, created by Anita Lal, founder of the celebrated Indian lifestyle brand Good Earth. Conceived as an extension of Lal's private holiday home, it sits at roughly 8,200 feet in the village of New Kothi near Palchan, on the Manali-Leh highway, facing the peaks around Mount Meru.
Rooted in the Vedic concept of oneness with the cosmos, the retreat blends the feel of a private residence with luxury-resort service. It became a member of Relais & Châteaux in 2024 and has been awarded two MICHELIN Keys. The interiors reflect the Good Earth aesthetic, with hand-painted murals, silken wallpapers, Tibetan rugs, and a hilltop spa oriented to sweeping Himalayan views.
Experiences
- Paro Svasthi wellbeing space — Guided meditation, yoga and fire rituals, plus a Shantih yogshala, Deodar-oil plunge pool, salt-brick sauna and steam room.
- Himalayan Trail food journey — Culinary journey through regional Indian cooking, from tandoors and clay pots to local trout, goat and foraged morels.
- Stargazing in the glass-roofed pavilion — Guests recline under the crispest skies, looking up at the Milky Way after dinner in the pavilion in the upper garden.
- Yoga — Yoga practice in a dedicated room with mountain views.
- Sun-dappled afternoon tea — Afternoon tea in the glass-walled morning room, or outdoors on the garden terrace overlooking the valley.
- Kashmiri thali — The famed Kashmiri thali, elegantly served on silver.
Amenities
- Glass-roofed stargazing pavilion
- Glass-walled morning room with piano
- Triple-height galleried drawing room with stone fireplace
- Yoga space (guest shown in yoga pose in a room with wooden ceiling)
- Afternoon tea served in morning room and outdoors
- Dinner including Kashmiri thali served on silver
- Wellness-focused retreat (spiritual and physical)
- Garden retreat
- Orchards and farmland
- Private bookings available
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
Open Sitara Himalaya in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.