Rules of the Estate

HIMALAICA

How to make yourself at Home and comfortable at Himalaica & Rules of the Estate!

Check-in – 14:00 PM

Check-out – 11:00 AM

Identification card and required COVID negative/ vaccination certificate as per the laws needs to be given at the check – in or at the time of booking

MORNING TEA
Madhavi/ Basant generally comes up to the kitchen at 7 am.
Tea will be served between 7.30 am – 9 am
If the birds wake you up early and you come down early, tea / filter coffee/ instant coffee items are set up in the kitchen at night for use at any time in the morning

BREAKFAST (Included in Room Rate for 2 adults)
Prakash/ Basant generally decides, may ask you, or else you can also let him know your preferences.
Options are eggs in different styles, paranthas, cutlets, idli and sambhar, pohe, upma, etc. Choice is limited to one Indian item, and eggs-to-order.
Breakfast will be served until 10.30am. No breakfast will be served after 10.30.AM

LUNCH
Please inform in advance if you are not going to be home for lunch; or if there is any unexpected change of plans while you are out.
If you wish to take packed lunch, you will have to come up with ideas and work alongside Prakash/ Basant to get your picnic hamper ready. Some ideas – parantha rolls (veg, non-veg), kebabs, salad, sandwiches, etc.

Lunch is typically served from 1.00pm- 2.30pm. No lunch will be served after 2.30pm

THE STAFF REST BETWEEN 3-5PM AND SHOULD NOT BE DISTURBED.

DINNER
Prakash/ Basant have a reasonable repertoire of putting out a wholesome home-style meal. You could check with him at lunch time, in case you have specifics.

For Dessert there is a choice of local Indian sweet meats/ ice creams/ fresh or canned fruit and in case of a special occasion, Prakash can even bake you a cake.

Dinner is typically served at 9pm. No dinner will be served after 10.30pm.

EVENING SNACKS
Prakash/ Basant will generally come up by 5.00 PM or so, after a brief afternoon rest.

If you wish to have a light snack, there is enough variety of namkeen and biscuits in the store; if you would prefer a heavier/ hot snack, you could ask Prakash/ Basant to make something – toast and cheese, pakoras, maggi.

Outdoor Barbecue is restricted to one evening per stay upon request and charged separately. Request to be made one day in advance.

BONFIRE: Rs. 800

HOUSEKEEPING

  • Our staff starts making the beds and clearing up the room around 9am.The washrooms are cleaned by 11am, in case you use the washroom later, it may remain like that till the next morning.
  • Laundry – For stays longer than 3 days, Madhavi can run a wash load – leave your laundry in the bucket;you may have to help her identify your own stuff if you are in a group. You can get a maximum of 1 set of clothes per person per day washed to conserve water
  • Clothes can be dried in the dryer or on the clothes line in the kitchen verandah. Please do not dry clothes on furniture or balconies.
  • There is an iron available to iron your own clothes. Clothes will not be ironed by our staff.
  • Towels – please identify and keep a track of your bath towels. We prefer not to wash towels daily to conserve water; spare towels are available in all bathrooms if required.
  • If there are children with you, we would appreciate your supervising them so they do not dirty surfaces, create spills, damage artefacts and curios, or damage plants, etc.

GENERAL

  • Suggest menu items to Prakash/ Basant (if he knows them) or give them your recipe and guide them, as they are happy to learn new dishes. If you wish to cook yourself, Prakash/ Basant will happily assist you and cook with you together. Let Prakash/ Basant know in case you have any special meal requests for infants or kids below 6 years of age
  • As a guest at Himalaica, you can invite non-resident guests to enjoy the Dining experience of Himalaica with you at the same rates mentioned above. Please do let us know a day in advance before inviting anyone. However, please note that non-resident guests can be invited for the sole purpose of Dining.
  • We do not provide packed meals at the time of check out, even on payment.Any packaged or bottled beverages will be charged on actuals.
  • We keep seasonal fresh fruits, if you need any other fruit please ask Basant if he could get it from the market (as available. Note choice in the hills is sometimes limited)
  • Outside snacks and relevant supplies that need to be cooked in the kitchen are not permitted as we cannot guarantee the quality of food procured from outside
  • For ventilation at night keep all glass windows open as much as desired. In the guest cottage, this means both bedroom windows and enclosed verandah / sitting room windows; in the first bedroom upstairs in the main house this means closing the gallery door and keeping the opposite window open.
  • Locking up at night – Basant/ Madhavi will lock up the main house. Please shut (not lock or latch) both the inner and outer kitchen door once the Cottage residents leave.
  • The mains for the cooking gas are in the store – ask Basant/ Madhavi so you know in the morning.
  • If you are not using any room, please ensure that the lights/ fans are turned off.
  • The Gardeners organize the wood for the fireplace or bonfire outside; ask them to set it up for you. There are board games and a badminton set available in the store. Please put them back in their respective boxes for future use.
  • Geyser system – turn on last thing at night, so that there is enough hot water for all.
  • Any breakage or damage is chargeable.
  • Alcoholic Beverages – carry your own brand preferences, as all brands are not available in the local market. (The best choice is a shop called The Store Elementé at Haldwani on the Nainital Road, opposite the Walkway Mall. More limited choice is available at Bhimtal market).
  • In case, your personal maid or help is accompanying you, accommodation will be outside the premises and will be chargeable & available on request. Food on property is charged as per the regular tariffs above. In case, you want them to stay in the property with you, the stay will be charged. Please let us know in advance.
  • Washing of cars is not permitted on the estate as water is scarce in the hills.

TIPS
Please do not tip individually. We have a Tip Box which is in the dining room downstairs; this is to ensure a fair distribution to all our staff as there are some who work behind the scenes too!

Smoking – Please do not smoke in the main house, guest cottage guest cottage and conservatory; ask for an ashtray when smoking outdoors, please.

There is broadband Wi-Fi access – most often it is working. Password is “Winter0123”.

Walks – Basant or Prakash or any of the gardeners – Kamal – would be happy to show you where to go in the area. If you take one of the gardeners as a guide / escort, we recommend a direct tip to them @ Rs. 100 per hour.

Taxis – Basant can order a taxi for local runs / day trips – please tell him a day in advance (charges directly by vendor)

The flowers at Himalaica are special – aside from the gardens, do visit the greenhouse at the back to see what is new; we grow some of our flowers, greens, herbs, and berries. We are not responsible for the loss of any belongings – please ensure their safety and security.

Torch – you might want to carry one along. The TV Lounge has a choice of movies in the cabinet, and of course, there is cable TV. There is a choice of music available in the cabinets there or in the TV Lounge cabinets. The Conservatory is great for dancing too with the furniture moved out of the way and the lights out! The Conservatory is set up with heating and cooling – please ask Basant how to operate it/ switch it off.

Pets – Well-behaved pets permitted on the Estate premises. However, the guests need to take card that the pets do not go onto any furniture, unless guests have brought own sheets/ rugs to cover the furniture. By the end of the stay, the guests are required to remove all traces of an animal being present at the property. This includes (but is not restricted to) any food, stains, smells or feces, fur/hair (except on floors). Any damage caused by the animal must be repaired or reported to us and it will be charged back to you. This includes but is not limited to damage to screens, paint work, carpets, furniture, gardens etc. In addition, any additional time spent cleaning up after animals will be charged to you.

BEST SITTING AREAS:

  • All day – the glass Conservatory
  • Morning – lawn patch outside the TV Lounge
  • Noon – Mandir area; under Oak tree
  • Evening – Lower lawn terrace
  • Night – indoors or front deck

In general, Basant, Prakash and Madhavi run the place according to these rules and please treat their word as final!

Have a wonderful stay and do leave us your comments in our guest book!!

After your visit, please do drop a couple of lines on your experience on TripAdvisor and Google!! Please use following links:
Tripadvisor
Google Business

FINALLY, WE REQUEST YOU TO TREAT THIS AS A HOME AND A HOMESTAY, AND NOT AS A HOTEL, WHICH IT IS NOT. PLEASE TREAT OUR HOME AS YOU WOULD YOURS 😊

Thank you!!