New Delhi : The rising mercury levels across the country make one long for the soothing and sylvan surroundings of cloud-kissed mountains. A recent survey by TripAdvisor ® the world’s largest travel site reveals that for Indians, hill stations are the most preferred and popular destinations for a family vacation, with 74% respondents giving them the thumbs up.

In time for vacationers to make the most of their hill station holidays, TripAdvisor has announced its list of Travellers’ Choice Hill Station Hotel Awards.  This year an additional category called ‘Lodgings’  was introduced as part of the awards, to include alternate accommodations such as B&B’s, boutique resorts and homestays which are more common in these destinations. The Travellers’ Choice award winning hill station hotels were determined based on hotels most highly rated by TripAdvisor travellers, in hill station destinations across the country.

Interestingly, while North India has been the traditional choice for hill station holidays with popular places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K – we see that majority (60 percent) of winning properties are from hill stations down south, compared to previous years.

According to Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager-TripAdvisor India, “The Travellers Choice Hill Station hotels list showcases the best properties for holiday makers retreating to cooler climes this summer. The winners in the new ‘Lodgings’ category are especially a revelation, as our community of travellers have helped identify quaint and charming escapes at some beautiful and less explored hill stations.”