Set amidst an oak forest and facing the valley, Iris Cottage in Mukteshwar is a quaint, rustic abode that’ll remind you of the Enid Blyton days. Situated approximately 340 kms from Delhi, you can hop on a train till Kathgodam and then drive down till Mukteshwar. If you’ve had enough of the city and need a quick break, escape to this cottage that comes at a price of INR 6,000 (approx.) for six people.
Iris Cottage is the perfect hill homestay. It’s perched on an elevated land surrounded by the woods on all three sides, has a cosy attic with lots of sunlight coming in (like you’d find in the stories) and split level decks with a stellar view of the Kumaon valley (we’d probably spend most of our days here).
There are three bedrooms in this cottage, one of which is also a painting studio that overlooks the hills. The whole space is airy yet cosy, and we love that this place is so full of comfy cushions, floor mattresses and shelves lined with lots of books. What's better than having the entire cottage to yourselves?
Another reason we love the Iris Cottage has be it’s resemblance to an old-school hill cottage. They do not have WiFi but they do have plenty of board games like carrom, Pictionary, darts, Monopoly and DVDs that pretty much make up for it. But considering how pretty the valley around looks, we don’t think you’d be spending too much time inside.
About 5km away from the property, you can head to the well-known Shiv Mandir which is the highest point in Mukteshwar. You can also check out the Sunset Point here and really, is there anything better than chai and pakoras with a killer sunset view?