Jimmy's River Retreat

This was probably the best home stay I’ve ever lived in. Clean rooms, clear sky, delicious food(mostly plucked from the kitchen garden) and an amazing host. I was little apprehensive spending new year eve at such remote location, but the preparations done by Brigadier Jamwal and his men was outstanding. It’s a must visit place for everyone who’s looking for peace and tranquility.
I’m definitely visiting again very soon.

Loved the charm of this place. The host, Ret Brigadier Jamwal ji is an amazing person with whom you can enjoy long conversations & still feel it like your grampa’s home away from home.
He’s gonna make sure that you have a comfortable stay with whatever delicacies you prefer to enjoy specially the local varieties of food.

About the place , it’s in beautiful riverside location away from the usual tourist crowded areas, the sound of gushing water of River Ravi is a music to your ears.
Absolutely loved the place and everything about it. Would definitely revisit here for longer weekends.

This is a place to spend sometime (for sure). If you happen to be around in the area this is a good place to stop by. I did a longer stay here as the place is equipped with all amenities and also offers the luxury of nature being so close. (I could even do some urgent office work as Wi-Fi was made available). I just loved it and would plan again to be there.
Host can ensure that your vacation is memorable one with with good food and bonfire talks, and one needs to be there next to the river to view its grace and glamour at various times of the day at least (if not in various months)

The farmhouse offers beautiful views of the river Ravi from each room, the riverbed itself is a minute away if you want to sit by and admire the vistas or just go & read a book by the brook side. Our visit in January was just perfect, with Brigadier sir helping us with our itinerary and regaling us with stories around the bonfire. The resident barn cats provide excellent company on bonfire nights (they are not pets, they will just grace you with their company if you are lucky). A word about the meals - They. Are. Otherworldly. We overstuffed ourselves on mealtimes each day as the food was just so delicious every single time - Compliments to the support staff.
Thank you sir for your hospitality!

Beautiful and peaceful location, surrounded by farms on one side, the Ravi river on the other and magnificent mountains all around. The views are beautiful, be it from the rooms or the sunny garden, or from the cozy verandah. Spacious rooms and enough spaces to laze around in. Our host's hospitality was outstanding and made us feel at home. His company and stories by the fireside just made our evenings better. All our meals were well thought through and each dish was delicious.. impossible to not overeat, and one can go back for the food alone. Would highly recommend staying at this homestay.

Stayed at this charming riverside house for a night and it was love at first sight. The grand property is beautiful and is the perfect, idyllic getaway that will remain with you for a long time. Amazing hospitality and fresh homemade food is a special attraction. Met some lovely people and it just felt like home. Definitely coming back to visit again.

Jimmy's River Retreat, Rajpura, Chamba is a well laid out property by the River Ravi. One sees the Ravi from every room. On the other side one can sit & see the well kept garden & entry. There are some exotic fruit trees, like Avacado & Pican nut besides peaches, lime etc.
There is ample Parking.
It's located well away from City crowds, noise & pollution.
Services, food & hospitality is excellent, the owner himself is happy to attend your call.

The views, the food, the ambience, the staff, and especially the interaction with the lovely family were par excellence!
It was a home away from home. We had a wonderful holiday and we were completely pampered. Bhanu and the staff went out of their way to spoil us with their culinary treats. Looking forward to my next visit.

We came to Jimmy's retreat seeking workcation in a calm and peaceful place and we got more than what we were hoping for. Brigadier sir's property is huge and has a beautiful view of River Ravi, mountains. We came here in January(cold season) and there was rain on most of the days. The view from room of the river Ravi with mist covered mountains is nothing less than gorgeous. Sir has been a superhost and he took personal interest in all the meal preps. I am taking back all the good memories, conversations that we had in front of the fireplace(Bukhari) on cold rainy days.
This place has one of the most serene environments and with best food prepared by Brigadier sir's staff :) Thanks a lot for hosting us

Jimmy's River Retreat, as the name suggests is great place to chill out. We had great Himchali cuisine - just the thing for the foodies. Experience was made even more memorable by Brig and Mrs Jamwal, hosts par excellence. It is the kind of place which one would want to imbibe over and again.

Jimmy's River Retreat is an amazing getaway from the regular life. The house was super clean, river view was amazing and the hospitality of Mr Jamwal is top notch. Every room has river view. Room sizes are very spacious. Most of the food cooked here is locally produced.

Mr Jamwal lives on the property and loves to have a chat with the guests. We spent hours talking to him about his experiences in the army and our personal experiences as well. He always ensures to exceed expectations, be it food or hospitality.

Now talking about food, We tried their homemade recipe Chilla (which uses more varieties of crops i have heard of and its just yumm especially with egg on top of it). When i asked for mutton for dinner, Mr Jamwal personally overlooked the preparation of Awadhi Mutton and it was amazing. The food portions are abundant. RO Water is available for drinking.

Suggestion for Guests: Consider coming when the weather is good (as this place is not as high up the mountains). Ensure to carry a hit spray (as this property is in the midst of mother nature, sometimes bugs may jump into the rooms). If you are into hikes, there is a close by mountain which you can trek in the morning which may take around 2-3 hours depending on your pace. The wifi here is 8Mbps and I didnt find any issues using it.

Now coming to things which weren't perfect, the tap water was a bit darkish (which i was told happens only during monsoon season), and there is mirror only in washroom and not in room area.

I am a weekend getaway traveller and always planning to explore new places. A friend of mine suggested me Chamba and I instantly googled and the destination was set. However, accommodation is something which I am very particular about and trust AirBnB for it. First thing I notice is Jimmy’s River Retreat, excellent reviews by previous travelers’, so booked an landed here. The place belongs to a Army veteran Brigadier RS Jamwal who has phenomenally raised this place on the Banks of Ravi. The rooms are various spacious and excellent river-view. Anyways, one can find good rooms but hospitality and looking after the guests needs to learnt by Brig Jamwal. He made us relish all tantalising local dishes and helped us understand the rich culture this place inherits. He has already charted a schedule for me for next visit and atleast next 3-4 weekends are sorted now. A big thank you to your warmth and service Sir. Jai Hind!

I went to this place seeking a work-cation and the experience was nothing short of bliss. Away from the town humdrum, this place is like a hidden treasure.

The river view coupled with great internet speed of 16mbps made it a super place to work. Mr Jamwal, the host, took personal interest in the food preparations which had me looking forward to every single meal. Each meal was 5 course and I especially loved the local delicacies - “Khatta” and the kadhi. Sitting by the bonfire, listening to Mr Jamwal’s stories was the best way to end the day.

There is a beautiful trek you can do on good weather days and also visit Chamba town. The night sky on clear days is absolutely stunning.

It would be good to carry Odomos if you visit in the monsoon season.

This one is a very peaceful place by the river bank to get relaxation and leisure from this hectic life. Brigadier Jamwal (aka Jimmy) is a very gentle and caring and intellectual person, he has very good knowledge about the paths and routes and throughout the way, they were concerned about us and guide us on the routes until we reached the stay. It was my bday and they become a part of our celebration with a single malt from their personal bar. The food was very delicious and all the recipes were from Chamba cuisine (Dham) itself. Thanks to Mr. Bhanu (Cook) for the delicious food. 🙂

This is my 4th day here of the 5 day stay here. Can't recommend the place enough. The location is perfect, by the Ravi riverside and a spectacular view of mountains. The rooms are spacious. There are lot of places to sit around and enjoy the view. Brigadier Jamwal's hospitality is of no match. And the food here is awesome. Will definitely be coming back again. Also many nearby places can be accessed from chamba so it is the ideal place to stay .

On 21 st march I with my family visited this beautiful place Jimmy's river retreat. It was a lovely experience, spacious rooms,neat and clean,amazing views,delicious home cooked food.In all a wonderful experience Jamwal was a perfect host.

Jimmys River Retreat, Chamba is one of the unlisted wonders of India. Plan a serene trip for leisure, adventure, entertainment or call it for any source of joy and peace Jimmy's will give the answer. Situated next to the banks of river Ravi, Jimmy's is a must visit place with and exquisite experience to follow. A balcony view, sound of chirping birds, calm sacred mornings is all to enjoy for at this home stay. Hosted by super hosts, Brig. Retd. Rajeev Singh Jamwal and Mrs. Hemant Jamwal this place gives the best feeling for a stay at home far from home. Hospitality at its best with some wonderful home grown food, fruits and veggies. The house help boys are very friendly and helpful to treat guests in a very warm way. Our Super hosts steal the show any day, with the experience and knowledge they share of Chamba, Himachal or any other State of India and all this across a very sumptuous meal of breakfast, lunch & dinner. To add to all of these, a walk away to the gushing river Ravi is just 50 meters from the home stay and the view of the sun setting beyond the clad mountains of Himachal is quite and experience. All my recommendations for a must visit to Jimmy's not just once in a lifetime but every once in a year. Thank you Brig. Retd. Rajeev Singh Jamwal and Mrs. Hemant Jamwal for being this amazing hosts at this wonder of Jimmy's River Retreat. Countless stars to sum up this review.

We visited this beautiful place very recently and are so moved with the nature's conglomerated beauty at a single place, and specially the corodial hospitality of Brig. Jimmy saheb albeit, we have made it a mind to visit this place time and again we get opportunities in future.

Amazing stay at Jimmy’s place. Cocktail of scenic view with relaxing river’s burble, misty mountains, warmth of fireplace and conversations on life experience with Brigadier Sir. Thanks for making our vacation special.

Jimmy's River Retreat is undoubtedly the perfect choice if you visiting Chamba or around. And there are plenty of reasons ...
1. Tastefully built house with nice wooden interiors, a true home-stay and not the commercial variety.
2. Along the banks of Ravi, full view of the river from the rooms
3. Very spacious rooms
4. Great outdoors for those who want to lounge outside

And now the icing on the cake ...

5. An absolutely caring host-couple: Brigadier Rajeev Jamval and Mam Hemant. Brigadier saheb will be there to welcome you. And will most graciously share stories in the evenings, over a drink or dinner.
(One night we were stranded at the bus stand with no conveyance, Brigadier himself drove down 6 km to pick us. Thank you, Sir)

6. THE MOST SUMPTUOUS AND DELICIOUS DINNER. If you are a foodie, you may even want to stay at the place only for the food, it is that delicious. Home-cooked, lavish spread, ghee overflowing .... yumm.

Please do keep in mind that the stay is 6 km from Chamba town, so if you are the type who prefers the buzz of a market-place or a place teeming with other tourist, over the serenity of tucked away place, this may not be for you.
Also, the place is run hands-on by the hosts, please dont visit if you rely on room-service every couple of hours.

While Chamba has just a little to offer, we are looking for other reasons (enroute to Sach Pass or for the Mani-mahesh Yatra) to visit the place again, it has that charm.