Head To Bara Bungalow Gethia, A Cottage In The Hills

A hop, skip and jump away from Delhi (well, six hours), Bara Bungalow is an Enid Blyton-esque stone and wood cottage, built over a century ago, which promises a sun-kissed experience every time.

With room names like Olive, Willow Suite, Deodar, Goat Shed and Oak, you will be hard-pressed to choose your hideout. The First Things, where we stayed, overlooks the pool and comes with a loft and private ante room. The hook though, is the bathtub that overlooks the valley! The teal-coloured pool amid the splendid outdoors is all yours. Don’t forget to have your first meal of the day on the wooden deck here. With ample sunshine and dark chocolate mountains, you couldn’t feel more at peace.

For those wanting some alone time, Lands End is your spot. With wooden benches overlooking the valley, this is love at first sight; come here at night to find shooting stars to wish upon.

Bara Bungalow is home to many perennial species and is the winter home of several migratory birds as well. These include the Siberian Rubythroat, Blue-Throated Barbet, White-Throated Fan-tail, Lemon-Rumped Wabler and Scarlet Minivet amidst many others. Animal lovers are likely to spot gorals, barking deer, porcupines, and those lucky will spot a leopard sprinting across the valley below.

The adventurous few can make this their base camp to hike up to Nainital, which is a four km walk, or a 30-minute drive from here. You can top it up with a rudimentary lunch at a village home. Bhimtal, Sattal, Pangot, Almora and Ranikhet are close by, too; you can also drive down to Jim Corbett National Park.

If you want to stay in, pick out a book from their well-stocked library. From chick-lit to bloke-lit and almost everything in between, you’ll find it all on these shelves. You can also indulge in a game of table tennis or pool.

This is a year-round destination. The summers are warm and windy and the winters, we are told, are cold but with crisp sunshine in the afternoon.

Nearest Railway Station: Kathgodam