One of the trends that surfaced during and after the pandemic was the growth of a work-from-home practice. Many companies have announced work from home indefinitely. As a result, people have been travelling and working from different locations, and some have permanently shifted bases to remote locales, something they could never have dreamt of doing before. And the advent of greater connectivity has meant that remote working and the digital nomad lifestyle may just be here to stay.
If you are looking for a cosy nook in the hills to book for an indefinite stay, here are some ideas.
A Former Boarding House in Darjeeling
Built in 1871 as a boarding house for British Raj families — the likes of Vivian Leigh and Julie Christie visited as schoolgirls — Ivanhoe wears its growing age with grace and courteous charm for contemporary visitors content to rest with him from the daily crusade. It is run as a B&B with other meals provided on request in the golden wood-panelled dining hall. Cast-iron fireplaces warm the bedrooms. Gingham and chintz cheer up the dining table.
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A Cottage On Stilts In Shillong
A nearly 70-year-old residence in the vernacular Assamese style with framed bamboo walls stands on stone stilts by the River Umshyrpi. Next door is a more modern annexe, bringing the property to five rooms in all. Inside, the chintzy furnishings are fit for a fairy tale or an Enid Blyton holiday caravan. A charming family-style dining room with fireplace serves homestyle dinners on request at this B&B as well as sumptuous breakfasts. And all of it framed by pretty, private garden spaces with cosy reading nooks amidst the flora close to the heart of town. Owners and staff alike exude welcome.
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A Heritage Stay In Coorg
Old Kent is an old estate that’s been operating as a premier coffee plantation sprawled over 200 acres in Suntikoppa, about 20km from Madikeri. The gardens are lush, the food is carefully prepared, the service is courteous and modernised, and there’s a spa in which to relax. The Old Kent Lodge is the original home of the estate’s erstwhile colonial owners, lovingly maintained and offering fabulous views from its vantage. There’s a snooker room and woodsy library, and a propah English garden with hammocks. The modern chalets honour the vintage theme—850 sq ft with private gardens and sequestered bathrooms lavished with lathed marble tubs.
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Colonial Tea Bungalows In Meghamalai
The location is remote (a four-hour drive from the temple town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu) and all the more enchanting for it, as it often happens with lovingly kept colonial-era tea bungalows. It’s not just the history but the sweeping other-worldliness of it—tiers of tea plants enveloped in mist, deep silences broken by birdcall (behold the Malabar whistling thrush), the crunch of booted feet on moist moss, a hot cup of freshly brewed tea on the sunny verandah. Why, Meghamalai itself means ‘cloudy mountain’, and the sense of being cut off from civilisation and chaos is very strong, especially when there are only two cottages and three rooms between them on offer. The cooking includes four-course meals featuring rare Anglo-Indian recipes.
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Chilling Out By The Lake In Nainital
Designed as a rustic-chic seven-room ‘vacation farmhouse’ property, this addition to the also excellent Soulitude in the Himalaya sits on the river Kalsa, in Chanfi village, on a working organic farm. It is truly off the beaten path, reached by a 30-minute trek and thus suited only to the fitter traveller. Accommodation is split across three cottages, one 70-odd years old with skylights, and the others furnished with red-oxide floors and fireplaces. Meals are often cooked al fresco on angeethi or chulha or in a solar cooker. No TV here, but yes, Internet, heated beds and towel rods and hot water are available.
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