For travel enthusiast couple Sambit Dattachaudhuri and Disha Kapkoti, opening a responsibly-run homestay in the hills was always their dream.
“Though we had a clear vision of what we wanted to build, we realised that it would require a lot of funds, which wasn’t immediately possible at that point. So, we launched the Doi Host, where we both became travel guides,” says Sambit.
The couple quit their respective jobs to start this travel company, which promotes sustainable road trips and offers immersive travel experiences for people.
Alongside travelling and hosting travellers at the Doi Host, they also kept looking for a perfect place for their homestay.
In 2019, they finally found their dream place in Uttarakhand and started work on it in February 2020. Soon after, the pandemic hit the nation.
“I was stranded in Delhi and Disha took care of all the work of setting up the homestay. But finally, we got married and hosted our first guests in July 2020,” says Sambit.
Of the very few homestays in Nathuakhan in the Kumaon region, the Doi Homestay is set at around 2,000 metres above sea level surrounded by oak-pine forests.
“On one side of the homestay, we have orchards of apricots, peaches, plums, apples, pears, and so on. Additionally, we have a small garden of Uttarakhand tea in our backyard,” says Sambit.
In addition, the homestay offers a magnificent view of the Himalayan ranges — one can wake up to the view of snow-clad peaks like Trishul, Nanda Ghunti, Chaukhamba, and Neelkanth.
The homestay offers long-stay packages ranging from Rs 33,000 to Rs 39,000 for 30 days for single occupancy and Rs 39,000 to Rs 51,000 for double occupancy.
There are options for shorter stays too — price starts from Rs 2,100 per person per day and Rs 3,000 for two people per day.
Disha and Sambit are now busy setting up their soon-to-be-open pizzeria and bakery at Seetla, almost 7 km from the homestay.