Do you identify as a ‘90s kid who couldn’t put down your book of Grimms’ Fairy Tales? Well, your dream to play the main character may just have been realised. For your next vacation, we’ve compiled a list of stays reminiscent of those beloved tales!
Here’s what they promise: morning picnics by a stream, afternoons lunching on fresh farm produce, and evenings hiking through forests that reverberate with birdsong. When thirsty, simply stop at a brook for a drink, and when hungry, head to the orchard for an apple or more.
Through these stays, let the child in you relive the magic of simpler times:
1. The Cheese Cottage, Gulmarg – Where ‘Belle’ parades
You’ll recall visuals of Belle (from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (2017)) waltzing through the cobblestone streets of a pretty French hamlet. Well, you could do the same at ‘The Cheese Cottage’ in Gulmarg, which is as idyllic, borrowing inspiration from European settings.
The homestay was an offshoot of owner Insha Qazi’s idea to let the dairy industry of Tangmarg have its moment in the sun. “My first thought was to set up a cheese factory and utilise the local resources and skills,” she shares. True to that vision, the factory saw the production of several cheese varieties — gouda, kalari among others — until the pandemic brought the experiment to a halt.
Unwilling to let the space lie dormant, Insha architectured a homestay on the land using local materials like deodar and walnut wood. Today, both, European and Kashmiri sensibilities are reconceived in the decor making it a great cultural escape.
Address: 3C4F+GRH, Mohyen, Jammu and Kashmir – 193402.
Book your stay, here.
2. Blue Book at Gethia, Nainital – Where ‘Goldilocks’ stops for tea
The space is simultaneously whimsical and bespoke. The reason, as current owner Shrey Gupta reveals, is that the bungalow’s old colonial history is blended in with modern sensibilities he introduced during the renovation.
In a story that seems scripted by legendary fairy tale spinner Hans Christian Andersen himself, Shrey explains that the bungalow belonged to a British woman, Madame Durell. “After Independence, when it was time to return to England, she was reluctant as she loved it so much here. So, she stayed back, married a local man from Gethia and had kids, and eventually grandkids also.” The 130-year-old property passed hands and was eventually leased to Shrey.
The space is nothing short of a page-turner, evoking a new surprise at every bend — from the rooms to the flower-filled gardens to the outdoors with the hill view. Shrey decodes the aesthetic, “Victorian style is all about bright colours, flowers, birds, etc. So, we ensured that the style exuded these elements. The furniture is velvet — reminiscent of that era, and we have a lot of brass crockery with golden rims and dark blue textures that were prevalent in English times.”
Address: House No – 1 Village and P.O, Chinkuwa, Gethiya, Uttarakhand – 263127.
Book your stay, here.
3. AsanjA, Maharashtra – Live in a ‘Hobbit home’
Not the fact that you’ll be living under the ground; nor the fact that you’ll be slightly cut off from the rest of the world can undermine the magic of this hidden retreat. If doing a detox from the daily grind tempts you, AsanjA is where you should look at camping next.
The utopia does have an appeal, we agree! An upscale version of a Hobbit’s home (like the one popularised by the fantasy trilogy ‘Lord of the Rings’), the stay is cocooned by the earth, flooded with natural light and suited for nature lovers. The place’s proximity to the forts Machindragad and Gorakgad is a plus.
A standout is the stay’s architecture, which is inspired by the works of renowned Mexican architect Javier Senosiain and brought to life by skilled organic architect Nitin Varchha. It is sustainability personified.
Address: House no 435 Village Dehari Taluka, Dist, Murbad, Maharashtra – 421401.
Book your stay, here.
4. H2O House, Himachal Pradesh – Where ‘Snow White’ dines
Decades ago, the land on which H2O House now stands could be distinguished by a large crowd. As we now learn, they were there to grind their wheat at the garhat (grinding mill). While the mill churned wheat into flour, the villagers would source water from the nearby stream to speed the process.
A sweet story indeed; and a living breathing one too — the still gurgling stream that runs beneath the rooms, reminds us!
The rustic yet cosy ambience is reminiscent of the cottage where Snow White lived with the seven dwarves. Meals were hearty there, as they are at the homestay — platters of vegetables and dals (lentil curries), babru (bread with yeast), khada prantha (stuffed bread), mountain herbal curry, and natural wood-fired roti (flatbread) are a few menu specials.
Address: Saho, Village – Chaminu, Road, next to The Art of Living Gurukul, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh – 176314.
Book your stay, here.
5. La Villa Bethany, Mussoorie – ‘Red Riding Hood’ might stop by to say ‘Hi’
Landour has had the reputation of being a sleepy, sombre town, but an English House has been breathing life into it for years now. Offering a view of the sprawling Doon Valley (Dehradun city), La Villa Bethany is a love letter to the town and its history.
Sharing their story of chancing upon this beautiful gem, couple Sunita and Amarjeet recall one of their trips where they spotted the building and fell in love with it — only to realise that it was up for sale.
“It was a beautiful structure, and we feared that the owner might demolish it for redevelopment. We learned that the bungalow was under the ownership of a missionary trust. The trust did not have the funds to maintain it and had thus decided to do away with it,” Amarjeet shares. What followed next — the couple decided to restore the piece of history — is how La Villa Bethany came into being.
Address: La Villa Bethany, Landour, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand – 248179.
Book your stay, here.
6. Jungle House, Shimla – ‘Olaf’s’ dream home
The 19th-century cottage has a layered story. From a local shepherd, its ownership passed to an English settler, and eventually to the princess of Bharatpur. Well, now you can head to it to relive your ‘Frozen’ (2013) fairytale. As winter sets in, the home becomes a vision of white, engulfed in a blanket of snow. And the only antidote to it is hot cups of cocoa in front of crackling fires.
If you are one who is guided by the screen when it comes to making travel plans, we strongly recommend a holiday here. A strong resemblance with our Disney dream is not the only draw; the homestay is perched at an altitude of 7,700 feet on Jakhu Hill in Shimla, wrapped in colonial magic that will set the mood for winter.
Address: Near, Forest Hill Rd, Jakhu, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh – 171001.
Book your stay, here.
7. Cossimbazar Palace of the Roys, Kolkata – ‘Sleeping Beauty’s’ abode
When Pallab Roy (60) and his family revisited their 300-year-old ancestral palace in Kasim Bazar, Murshidabad, West Bengal, they were shocked at its state of ruin. In an attempt to do due diligence by their legacy, the family began their cleaning spree.
As Pallab shares, in its heyday, the Cossimbazar Palace mimicked the Buckingham Palace of England. They wanted to bring back its former glory.
Today, Cossimbazar Palace of the Roys (Rajbari) boasts beautiful restorations of the patio, the clock tower, the marble stairs leading into the main building, the north corridor, the ballroom annexes, dining room artefacts, Andar Mahal (an indoor space where the women of the palace lived), some of the temples, and the well-manicured gardens.
Address: 12 Cossimbazar Palace of the Roys (Rajbari) Cossimbazar Road, Berhampore – 742102.
Book your stay, here.
(Edited by: Pranita Bhat)
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