Parvada Bunglows is a luxury homestay located in a small tranquil village Parvada which is just 10 kms from Mukteshwar. It’s a place where you can have a holistic experience while making the most of natural surroundings. I stayed at Parvada Bungalows for 3 Nights and 4 Days in the month of April and those days were truly blissful whether you talk about the beautiful mountain ranges or scrumptious home like food. 

Day 1:

I started my day early by taking the morning Shatabdi from New Delhi railway station which takes five and a half hours to reach Kathgodam Station. From there it took me around 2 hours to reach Parvada Bunglows by cab though we stopped for lunch at Udipi. Passing through the majestic Bhimtal lake and feeling the cold breeze as you go up the altitude along with beautiful valley views makes the road trip to Parvada even more beautiful. 

In & Out of Room:

Parvada Bungalows has a big Wild Fig Villa which is located right next to the main building called Quinta. Wild Fig Villa is further divided into three rooms Wild Fig North, Wild Fig Central Suite and Wild Fig South. North and South Rooms are kind of similar. I stayed in Wild Fig North, it’s a duplex  room with a king size bed on the ground floor and twin beds on the first floor. I loved the minimalistic and traditional decor. Gazing through the window from the first floor became my favourite thing to do during my stay. 

The Property also has two cottages Oak and Pine Cottage located inside the estate only. Both the cottages are surrounded by natural beauty and good for 2-3 people.

Now talking about the estate, it has around more than 3 acres of land surrounded by natural beauty, mountain ranges, peach and plum orchards, farms, flowers gallery with labels and the main building Quinta has a dining area with a home like kitchen. They also have a beautiful lounge in the building perfect for relaxing, reading books or working in the quaint atmosphere. 

After reaching the property, I slept for couple of hours. After that I went to the restaurant for evening snacks. I had chole chaat in a tokri, homemade banana cake, a sandwich, pakoras and tea. The view from the balcony was incredible in the evening.

One can also spot different variety of birds chirping around you, the property manager Carol Dsouza spotted 4-5 varieties (which I don’t remember) at that time only. Then I spent some time in the victor lounge where I checked out few books on the shelf and played board games with a fellow blogger. 

For dinner, Chef made us some homemade pizza and pasta. Both were delicious. Oh! I forgot to mention that the chef and other staff at the property is from Kumaon region only. I really liked the idea of giving employment to local people only.  

Day 2: 

I got up early for morning Yoga at the meditation hall. The yoga instructor is also a local. He is really good indeed. I was doing yoga after more than 2 years. He started with warm up exercises followed by basic yoga for beginners. 

I decided to skip the breakfast as I was leaving for Jageshwar Temple which is around 80kms from the property. Still Carol got us packed sandwiches and fruits for the journey. It took more than 3 hours to reach Jageshwar Temple though we stopped in between couple of time to enjoy the hills and beautiful weather. There’s a place from where we can spot the whole Parvada Village. In fact one can also spot Parvada Bungalows from the point. 

Jageshwar Temple

Jageshwar is considered as one of the 12 jyotilingas of Lord Shiva lies on the ancient route of Kailash Mansarovar. I spent a lot of time around the temple. There are around 125 temples (dated back to 7th – 14th century) of various shapes and sizes dedicated to Lord Shiva. It’s actually a must visit place if you’re in Almora or Mukteshwar. The valley is really beautiful with lush green environment and a river (Jata Ganga) flowing besides the temple complex. The calmness around the temple made me want to sit more. But I had to leave because I wanted to enjoy sunset at Chauli ki Jaali in Mukteshwar.

Of course I had Maggi on the way to Mukteshwar because a trip on the hills is incomplete without having maggi. I had paneer and veg maggi. Veg maggi was too much spicy for me though the paneer one was still good.

Chauli Ki Jaali

I reached Chauli Ki Jaali around 5 pm. This place has changed because they have made it a bit commercialised. But still sunset at Chauli ki Jalali is mesmerising. Nothing can beat that. You can also do Ziplining at Chauli Ki jaali. This time I didn’t do it because I had experienced it the last time I went there. 

After spending a quality time and enjoying the sunset I went back to the Property. I was excited for dinner because it was Chinese night. We started with pumpkin soup followed by noodles, veggies and manchurian. I really loved it and the style of cooking was such that it felt like I’m having it at home. In the end Chef treated us with a delicious chocolate mousse. 

Day 3:

Again I got up for early for another incredible Yoga session. That was the time when I started feeling energetic after doing yoga for an hour. After having Upma in the breakfast I left for Dhokaney waterfall recommended by our cab driver who is also a local. Though I was supposed to go to Bhalu Gaad Waterfall which is just 9 kms from Parvada but since I had already been there I decided to go Dhokaney waterfall. It took me around 2 hours to reach there. 

Dhokaney waterfall

It’s a beautiful hidden gem amidst the pines in a village just 18kms before Almora. You will hardly find anyone there. Just imagine a beautiful natural pool with a stunning waterfall all by yourself. Who wouldn’t want to dive in it? I spent a lot of time there.  I also had desi chowmein which was pathetic and aloo parantha which was average. I love the waterfall and solitude it has to offer. Everything is beautiful about this place. MUST VISIT.

I came back to the property by the lunch time. Chef prepared a Kumaoni thali for me. It was something I always wanted to try. It was amazing it had dal, raita, bharta, aloo sbji, steamed rice and sabudana kheer. I totally loved it. 

After relaxing for sometime it started raining. Trust me guys this one thing that you’d always want to experience at Parvada Bungalows. I was just enjoying the rain from Victor Lounge while reading a book. For dinner again I had spaghetti as loved it the last time and asked the chef to make it again for me. 

Day 4:

It was my last day at the property. Started with another morning Yoga Session. After having breakfast I was hanging around the property because there are so many things to check out in the estate only. There’s also a beautiful Ganesh temple in the estate. I also checked out the flowers they have planted in the garden area and I went to see Peach and Palm orchards.

Carol has also planned a master chef class for us where chef taught us how to bake banana cake. My fellow blogger even baked one. The experience and the cake both were damn good.

This was is it I had to leave by 11am because I had catch the Delhi Shatabdhi from Kathgodam station.

I had a very good time at Parvada Bungalows. It has so many things and experiences to offer. Whether you’re going with family, friends or even solo you’re just going to love it.

Places to see near Parvada:

• Jageshwar Temple
• Bhaalu Gaat Waterfall
• Dhokaney Waterfall 
• Chauli ki jaali 
• Mukteshwar Mahadeva Temple
• Indian Veterinary Research Institute
• Kilmora Shop (where you can find traditional kumaoni stuff made by local people)

Tariff: Please checkout here.

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