Ri Kynjai Serenity by the Lake

Wonderful place to be on the outskirts of Shillong. Really defines - Serenity by the Lake (except for the occasional noisy crowds). Great ambience esp. for the rooms overlooking the lake. Courteous Staff from reception to house keeping to the restaurant. Tasty food esp. Continental and Chinese. Breakfast spread - nice for a 4-star hotel. The wood interiors gives a majestic touch to the property. Bar is well stocked with most of the brands you would like. Did not use the spa. There are a few issues however. Not exactly disable or wheelchair friendly. Also not recommended for elders with bad knees as stairs to climb at several areas. Limited activities at the resort - a trail leads to the lake and a small open area for some outdoor games. Great to relax but not if you have a large family and want to do activities. Shillong is 15-20km from the property - both an advantage (away from the maddening crowd) but if there is shopping to do and places to visit a limitation. The emporium (shop) with handicrafts can be better stocked. Very limited options and many overpriced. Overall a great place to relax and chill for a couple of nights with a great view to enjoy and nice staff to pamper you.

Nestled amidst the serene beauty of Meghalaya's lush landscapes, this authentic architectural marvel stands as a testament to the rich heritage of the region. Each room, adorned with intricate wooden craftsmanship, whispers tales of tradition and timeless elegance. As the gentle breeze dances off the tranquil waters of Umiam Lake in Shillong, guests are enveloped in a symphony of serenity and awe-inspiring vistas. From the spacious interiors that beckon with warmth to the culinary delights that tantalize the taste buds, every aspect of hospitality is meticulously curated to evoke pure enchantment. In this sanctuary of natural splendor, every moment is a celebration of beauty, grace, and the soul-stirring magic of Meghalaya.

Beautiful property in the lap of mother nature. The staff very efficient and polite... Good local cuisine and huge breakfast spread... Had a very comfortable stay. The rooms are huge with old vintage wood furniture. Definitely worth an visit.

The Hotel is away from the central part of Shillong city, overlooking the magnificent waters of Umiam lake, also known as Bara Pani by the locals. The property has 17 rooms in total, 5 cottages and 9 rooms. The rooms accommodating us overlooked the lake and the view was just marvellous to behold. The rooms are superfluous on space and are well kept. Bath tub/shower/toilets are all well cleaned and hygienic. The staff is very friendly and cordial. Food at the restaurant is basic and Breakfast in the morning is not a very inviting spread that one would find at a high class hotel. The hotel itself is far off from the city and this is its biggest drawback. If you are visiting Shillong as a tourist, perhaps you would like to stay at this hotel for a day or two, but definitely not for the entirety of your trip because the time that you would spent for commuting would be a real drag on your energy. Final verdict: Stay for serenity at the last day of your trip, when you just wanna relax and return. Don't miss it, its breathtaking beautiful.

An easy 2 hour drive from Guwahati and an hour short of Shillong city. Lovely resort located on a lake with serene views. Both the rooms and the bathrooms are super comfortable and oversized. The balconies have lake or forest views. The FnB head Mr Mishra looked after us very well. The food is good and not great. This was expected given that it is a small resort located far from town. We did a day trip to Cherrapunji and another day trip to Dawki village. Both were 12 hours long given that we were staying an hour short of Shillong. The rooms have fans and get warm during the day. There should be mesh doors added to the glass doors leading to the balcony. For now you cannot leave the doors open for ventilation as insects come into the rooms. Also a room fridge is required for cold water and drinks.

We stopped for lunch at Ri Kinjai en route to Gawhati. The hotel is located overlooking the Umiam lake, and has beautiful rooms. Beautiful setting, great food and a view to die for. It is a bit over priced but the rooms are large and tastefully done. Food was great.

Great Property Great Service Great Hospitality. Would have given 6/5 had the booking office not only thought of robbing the customer but also look at the customer. Inspite of no light in the hotel for over 13 hours no compensation was even offered. Inspite of paying for a singer and the hotel not being able to provide for the venue payment for a non existent singer was taken. The singer had a cold and cough and couldn’t sing but still that was. It considered. All Reena at the booking / marketing was interested was rob the customer. Full marks to Rani , Mishraji and their team at site for looking after each detail.

What kind of place is this is it a 5 star place or a 7 star place this is so funny . Me and my fiancee, went there and reach our destination in the resort Ri kynjai and it's so funny that the security guard said that if you are not reserved it yet, then we have to pay first, 1500 rupees just to enter the restaurant. It's funny if the place is a five or seven stars place I would accept it but it just a local home stay. That's why it will never be popular and I will make sure everybody knows about it, even in a 5 star property in India you don't need to pay for an entrance except in the club, this is rediculous, didn't expect this..

This is a long overdue review. We'd travelled here before the pandemic. We'd been travelling across Meghalaya - hiking extensively. We'd booked Ri Kynjai for the last night to relax and rejuvenate after about 8 days of extensive walking and climbing. We decided to splurge and specifically booked their best lake view room. It was pricey but we'd planned it as our one luxury to end the trip. The day before we were to reach Ri Kynjai our tour planner got a call that the room that we had booked suddenly developed electrical fault and they cannot give us that but will give us another room. ***** with apologising, they agreed to waive off our meals as well as stay. This seemed a bit odd and too generous, so we prodded further asking what the actual reason was. They stuck to their response. Our tour planner was confused as well. When we went to Ri Kynjai - we checked the guest list and saw that the room we had booked was now marked for VVVIP and we'd been allotted a different room. That explained the sudden shuffle We went to the reception and asked them why they changed our fully paid booking and they still said it was an electrical fault. We showed them the guest list picture and they refused to accept that it was changed for a VVIP. So let me say here that the place is beautiful, food was great. They did waive off our stay and the meals. It was the thing to do in such a situation. But here is what they did not do. They weren't honest with us - informing us of the issue and requesting for cooperation. They continued to deny it inspite of us seeing the whole VVVIP contingent at the resort, informing that us we could not use the dining room but would be served meals in the room. The issue that bothers me is if I'd booked a room and paid for it fully, a month in advance, shouldn't that have held any value? Shouldn't common honesty be expected? Aren't plans for regular citizens not important enough for common courtesy? SAs a resort facility, they are fantastic. o yes, my issue is with the lack of honesty and courtesy that should be shown to every paying guest of the hotel and hence this review. That is what rankles and hence the 3* review. This was