FAGUNIA FARMSTAY - A SONG IN STONE Literally hand built, stone by stone, by a Kumaoni farmer and then lovingly rebuilt and expanded by a Pahadi-Telugu couple, Fagunia Farmstay is a bespoke mountain homestay that is the epitome of subtle charms and understated, minimalist luxury. This little piece of heaven is the perfect place for discerning travelers who are looking to reconnect with nature and for a quiet place to unwind. We are sure you will fall in love with it like we did. Fagunia Farmstay is an ecofriendly homestay on the stunning Fagunia farm estate near Nainital in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Our dream come true home is based in a remote, rural but serene hamlet. It is surrounded by a gorgeous forest, a seasonal waterfall, and has spectacular views of the mountains of Pangot and Nainital in front. The villa is situated on a verdant farm estate with banj, pomegranate, kafal, malta, lime, bimal, peach, apricot and other trees in abundance. The estate is an oasis of bliss and peace amidst melodious bird calls, soothing greens and earthy browns. Accessed by a beautiful but adventurous drive on a rough track through an enchanting forest, over Raj era arched bridges across seasonal waterfalls, and with a short walk down in the end, Fagunia Farmstay is an experience in itself. This hard to reach but serene destination is about 15 km from Nainital city. While we would love to share our dream home with everyone, given our remote, off the road, rural location next to forests, and our eco-friendly focus, our place may not be apt for everyone. So do go through the description and location details in full to understand what kind of a stay experience you can expect from us. In case of any questions, do feel free to message us. FAGUNIA FARMSTAY LAYOUT Uniquely built across different levels, Fagunia Farmstay is a villa which has one independent spacious suite and two independent smaller bedrooms, all with ensuite bathrooms. None of the rooms are interconnected. There is a common kitchen and a semi al fresco communal dining area on one side that overlooks the adjacent pine forest and a large common garden on the front side with an outdoor BBQ station. It is perfect for a family or group wanting exclusive access to the sprawling ~2 acre farm estate. We can host a max of 8 people including children in the full villa. The pricing includes all veg meals for the booked number of guests. More details in the Food section below. Please note that we require more than 24 hours notice to host guests due to our remote, off the road location. SUITE/ROOMS The suite and rooms are specially curated around a theme and luxuriously appointed and furnished with handpicked antique furniture, furnishings and art pieces to make your stay comfortable and memorable. The villa also comes with many eco-friendly and special features such as solar water heating, sustainable waste management, farm to table produce for cooking and more, which we hope will enhance your stay even further. BARBET SUITE-MIDDLE LEVEL Located on the middle level of the villa, the Barbet Suite-our flagship suite consists of an expansive drawing room with a distinctive fireplace and a bright master bedroom with an ensuite toilet and an attic. The master bedroom has an antique queen sized four poster bed. The cute and cosy low height attic sleeping area is accessed through an internal wooden staircase from the drawing room. The attic comes with 2 floor level mattresses and has beautiful views of the pine forest on the opposite hill. Please note that the low height entrance into the attic has no door. Both the master bedroom and drawing room of the suite open out onto an expansive private balcony that offers glorious views of the mountains in front and the valley below. This suite can sleep 4 people maximum including children. STARLING ROOM-LOWER LEVEL The cosy Starling Room features huge picture windows offering beautiful views of the garden and the valley in front and which also let in ample light. Located on the lowest level of the villa, the room comes with 2 single beds, an ensuite bathroom and a writing desk. A patio in front and a large common garden on the side offer ample space to laze about. This room can sleep 2 people maximum including children. SPARROW ROOM-LOWER LEVEL The comfy Sparrow Room comes with 2 single beds, an ensuite bathroom and a huge picture window and a writing desk. A patio outside, with views of the mountains and forests and a large garden on the side, is the ideal place to get lost in a book. This room can sleep 2 people maximum including children. LOCATION Fagunia Farmstay is located in a small and remote hamlet in Uttarakhand in the Kumaon mountains of the Indian Himalayas. We are at an altitude of ~5000 feet, about 285 km from New Delhi with a driving time of ~6-7 hours. The last 4 km of the route to our village is a scenic but stony and untarred, rough forest track, which needs to be driven on cautiously and slowly and is only motorable up to SUV car size. Force Travellers or Wingers etc cannot be driven on the forest track. From our village parking area, you will have to walk down a cemented village path for about 5-10 mins (~500m) to reach our place. Please note that this path is not accessible friendly so our place is not apt for anyone with mobility issues. Same path needs to be climbed up while going back. FOOD The food at Fagunia Farmstay is an eclectic melange of Pahadi and Telugu influences. Simple yet nutritious, wholesome yet easy on the stomach, we use seasonal farm fresh and locally available ingredients as much as possible. Most of the vegetables are sourced from our or neighbouring farms when available so that you can have the freshest farm to table experience and discover the difference that fresh, organic, seasonal home cooked food has on your tastebuds. To reduce our impact on the environment and not create unnecessary garbage, our use of packaged food is kept to a minimum so for example we will not serve carbonated drinks or packaged fruit juices or fast food. The food is cooked in our fully equipped contemporary kitchen as per a fixed menu and will be served buffet style at defined times in our al fresco dining area with glorious views where you can eat at leisure on our biergarten style dining seating. Three vegetarian meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening snacks, morning and evening tea or coffee) are included in the tariff for booked guests, unless otherwise mentioned. Non-vegetarian meals, BBQ and bonfire (bonfire only between Nov-Feb) are available as an add on option at an extra cost, which you can choose while booking. Our meals are served as per a fixed menu and at designated times in the common dining area. There is no room service or a la carte ordering. Breakfast: 9 am to 10 am Lunch: 1 pm to 2 pm Evening Snacks: 5 to 6 pm Dinner: 8:30 pm to 9.30 pm Lunch on the day of checkin is not included. It will not be possible for us to arrange for lunch on the day of checkin. Please note that our kitchen closes at 10:00 pm as our staff need to go home, rest and prepare for the next day. ADD-ONS Non-veg meals add on (we can serve either a mutton curry or a chicken curry dish which is enough for 2 people in lunch or dinner, upon prior booking at least 3 days in advance of your checkin date). Mutton dish: Rs. 600/plate Chicken dish: Rs. 400/plate Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Non-veg BBQ (incl 1 kilo chicken, coal, and use of our outdoor bbq station): Rs. 2000 DIY Veg BBQ (incl 1 kilo paneer and basic veggies, coal and use of our outdoor bbq station): Rs. 1500 (our staff will set up and light up the coal in the unit, clean and marinate the chicken/paneer and give it to you for barbecuing. BBQ is subject to weather permitting. Any extra chicken or paneer will be chargeable at Rs 500/per kilo.)