Luxury Himalayan Home ‘Iris Cottage’

A luxury cottage well furnished and fully equipped, nestled in an Oak forest facing a valley in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas. It's an open layout with a private bedroom, and two open planned bedrooms and terraced gardens. The cottage has a covered Patio overlooking the valley. All rooms are bright as the cottage faces east! Iris cottage is fully equipped with all essential household gadgets as well as cooking gas. The cottage is on three levels all facing sunny East. The living room and kitchen is on the top level leading up to the painting studio which has a double bed, the open bedroom with twin beds on the second level and the private bedroom with a double bed on the lowest level. We have an onsite caretaker who will clean the house daily and help with minor chores and also fire up the fireplace. There are two bathrooms, one is attached to the private bedroom and the other is attached to the main living area. There is an open kitchen in the living area as well as a separate kitchen. All rooms have a small garden in front facing the valley. Guests are free to access all parts of the cottage. Since the cottage is constructed on levels, please keep an eye on small kids and toddlers. We would also suggest guests above 70 years to take into consideration the walk to the cottage from the road above. While the steps are not steep and we have a railing, there are around eighty steps on the path to the cottage! While we do not stay there permanently as it is our holiday home, we are available on mobile phone at all times Iris cottage is located below road level facing a valley and an Oak forest. A winding path in between Oak trees leads down to the cottage. Parking is at road level and during tourist season you may have to park a little ahead or before our cottage. The whole area is safe! Near the cottage is the only hospital in Mukteshwar. While there are many resorts nearby, Iris Cottage has its own seclusion and privacy and yet is close to public amenities. There is a small grocery shop for essentials a 5 minute walk away and the main market called Bhatelia is a 5 minute car drive away. Just ahead of Bhatelia there is also has a supermarket called Royal Mart which has all the provisions you can need. The town of Mukteshwar is 5kms from the cottage. There are many Himalayan birds you can observe from the cottage itself so do carry binocs if you are a bird lover! Taxi drive from Kathgodam Railway station is 2 hours. From Delhi the cottage is approximately 8 hours by car. The area is ideal for long walks in the oak forests around and for unwinding and relaxing. There is also the well known Shiv Mandir at the highest point in Mukteshwar around 5kms away. At the highest point called chouli ki jaali there are groups which organise para gliding and rappelling during season. Nainital is a 2 hour drive from the cottage. You must also try Bishtji's herbal tea and pakoras at sunset point near Mountain Trail Resort We have board games like carrom, pictionary, scrabble, chess, darts, monopoly, snakes n ladder and playing cards We also have many DVDs and books for leisure watching and reading, besides cable TV. Would request that you keep the books and the DVDs back in their respective places. There are many Himalayan birds in the oak forest around the cottage so do carry binocs if you are a birder!