MEET MY PARENTS, THE CO-HOSTS
Passion, nothing else!
Just like Howard Schultz, the erstwhile CEO of Starbucks had once said, ‘When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible,’ Katie’s Homestay too is the sum-result of my parents’ passion for travelling and their commitment to give me a better life.
START BY CHOOSING YOUR ROOM
Select from our four spacious double rooms and a family room
Kilmora
Buransh
Padam
Ratti
Ashwagandha
TAKE MY WORD: THE WORLD LOOKS PRETTY GOOD FROM HERE
Pet rules for the furry visitors
Welcoming every doggy to come and stay with your pet parents in our home. Perfectly ok to stay with your parents in the room as long as you respect certain house rules that are in best interest for all..
BRICK BY BRICK – THE STORY SO FAR
How my home took shape
Although our home was built very recently, my parents wanted it to blend with the other houses of the village and not to stand out as an eyesore city mansion.
It took a lot of effort from my parents to convince the architect not to get carried away and stick to the plan of resembling a village home with flush interiors.
The layout of the house was meticulously done to minimise damage to existing mountain terraces and fruit trees during the construction.
The property has 4 rooms that accommodate 2 guests each and a family room that accommodates 6 guests. All rooms have attached bathrooms.
Hartola fun facts
8345 feet
Altitude
90
Days of fruit picking
345
Days of perfect sunshine
120
Days of snow peaks’ visibility
RIGHT FROM THE FARMS
Enjoy Fresh Local Produce
I can definitely tell you the delight of devouring some fresh chicken. It’s tasty for sure. With the villagers growing different types of veggies, pulses, etc. it’s a habit that my parents follow of bringing home everything (AND EVERYDAY) straight from the farms to the kitchen. And if I’m not feeling too lazy I accompany them to the farms too.
RESPONSIBLE STAY
The leash you can do
Be kind to the environment. Remember, being a responsible traveler is all about leaving a positive impact on not only the locality, but also the people who live in the places we choose to visit. Here are some guidelines to ensure your holiday in our home in Hartola has a positive impact on the locality.
NOOKS AND CORNERS
The common areas
You have access to our entire home except the rooms of other guests. We have a spacious sitting room with a fireplace where you can enjoy a good book from my mom’s library sipping a cup of coffee. There is a television here although I don’t recommend wasting your time staring at it. You can savour the meals in the dining hall or in the adjoining sit-out area enjoying the beauty of the calm environment of Hartola.
OFF LEASH – OUR NEWS DIGEST
Updates from my home
Top tips for planning the perfect road trip
In December 2022 and again in February this year we embarked on long road trips spanning over 1900 kms one way. Yes, we made a road trip from Noida to Guwahati and back. While going, it took us two nights, three days driving a total of 33 hours. While coming we completed the journey, making
Symphony of the Savannah – new coffee table book added to our library
As we seek to increase the number of books in our library at Katie’s Abode, Hartola with some interesting and informative books, Sivashish Thakur’s Symphony of the Savannah caught our attention. Yes, this coffee table book has nothing to do with Uttarakhand in general or Hartola in particular, yet the writer’s passion in wildlife is
Places of interest near Hartola (Part 3) Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham Mandir
It was a Wednesday evening when we realized that staying in Hartola was not complete without a visit to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Dham Mandir. A couple friend of ours too were staying with us, so it was decided that the next morning we will be visiting this highly regarded temple of Lord Hanuman. For
Spring has arrived and Hartola is draped in colours of nature!
The absence of snow this year has not thrown nature’s schedule off balance. It’s business as usual—once again, the bare brown branches have suddenly been clothed with pink and white satiny blooms. The dry and dreary landscape has transformed itself dramatically into an undulating sea of pink and white as far as the eye can
New Year, new changes to our homestay near Mukteshwar!
Well, A very Happy New Year to everyone. Since we started our homestay, we have been working on ways to make our guests’ experience in our home better and memorable. Thanks to all the feedback our guests shared, we are happy at our progress. Since our private annex on the ground floor was not ready
Places of interest near Hartola (Part 2) – Dhokaney waterfall
About 40 kilometers from Hartola is a beautiful waterfall tucked away amidst lush green surroundings on the Nathuakhan-Orakhan-Dhokaney road. One has to take a left a few meters after crossing the Orakhan market. The road that leads to the waterfall is pretty good and has hardly any vehicles plying. There are a couple of maggi
We got our first delivery today from Amazon at Hartola
Today was an exciting day for sure! We got our first delivery from Amazon! All this time we were not sure whether the ecommerce sites would deliver at Hartola. But thanks to our caretaker who informed us that Amazon had in fact delivered stuff for a couple who were staying in our homestay for over
3 weeks as a pahadan in the mountains of Hartola
They say a journey begins with a small step. So, a wish was sent out into the universe—for a change, not just in our lifestyle but also in our surroundings—and fortunately, it’s been answered by ‘the One who makes things happen’. So, events were set into motion and three weeks back to the day, we
