Private House
Our villa is a beautiful mud house built in the local Kangra Style of architecture. It is a unique boutique property and is a combination of traditional architecture and modern comforts. It is fully equipped and offers full privacy in the comfort of a warm home. Our villa is in the middle of a small village in between Dharamshala and Mcleodganj.
The space
Forktail villa is built in the local Kangra Style of architecture. At the villa we have tried to incorporate the Permaculture philosophy in all areas of construction as best as we could. The house has been built with mud, stone, slate and bamboo. The idea was to create a building where very little building material had to be got from the outside to reduce the carbon foot print as much as possible.
The house is in a village called Gamru in Dharamshala. Kotwali Bazar which is the main market of Dharamshala is 1 KM away. Even though we are so close to Dharamshala the villa is nicely tucked away from all the crowds and noise.
Our backyard has spectacular views of the snow-capped Dhaulahars, there are small village shops, a large market, malls, cinema hall, restaurants etc all within walking distance of the house. You can take the short cut to walk to Mcleodganj or Bhagsu Nag from Gamru, it’s about 30 min to an hour on foot. If walking is not your thing then you can get a cab and it is a 15 mins drive up the hill. The villa offers you an interesting mix of urban and rural life and also a lot of wilderness. This leaves you with a lot of options to choose from.
Kapil who is the caretaker of my place will personally meet you upon your arrival and show you around the house. He lives in the village and will be available during times of the day to help you around. He will also be able to help you with any suggestions you may need in regards to places to visit, taxi and so on. We can organize a bon fire and Barbeque for you at an extra cost, which you can directly be paid at the property.
We also have a full time cook who can be available to cook meals at the property.
The house is fully furnished and includes a living room, two bedrooms, a loft, kitchen, dinning area, laundry and a veranda. Apart from antique furniture and heritage curios.
The large garden surrounding the house with all the fruit and flower trees is a frequent haunt for the birds. you will see loads of russet sparrows, Sibias, Rose Finches, Magpies, Bulbuls, barbets, fly catches, Redstarts, etc. You will also see lots of Himalyan Griffons, Lammergeier’s and kites trying to catch a thermal above the house during the day, depending on the season you visit us.
Monsoons are very heavy here and post-monsoon starts mid September usually.
During your stay here you can choose to either have Raju our full time cook to help cook food or self cater meals or we can provide some local restaurant numbers for home delivery (Swiggy and Zomato food delivery apps deliver in Dharamshala now). The kitchen is fully equipped for your convenience with a Gas stove, toaster, pots and pans, crockery, and cutlery.
You also have the option of hiring our cook Raju who can come and cook all the meals you would like him to do for an extra fee. He is an amazing cook and is comfortable making a variety of Cuisines. He can also do all the shopping etc needed from the market at actuals.
If you wish to self cater and cook, you can shop for groceries and other supplies in Dharamshala which is very close. Specialty food and drink such as wine, premium liquor, cheese, dried fruit and nuts, packaged foods, spices, imported items, coffee etc are easily available in the well-stocked market of Dharamshala and Mcleodganj. All basic groceries are available close to the house itself. There are many grocery stores in the village.
If you are using the kitchen then cleaning up after use will be your responsibility. If you would prefer to not clean while on holiday, then please let us know in advance and we can have this arranged at a small extra fee.
We will clean the common areas every day free of charge however if you need the room’s cleaned please let us know and that can be arranged at an extra cost.
What this place offers
- Kitchen
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Private backyard – Fully fenced
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Wifi
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Luggage drop-off allowed