Ours is a small boutique homestay. We manage it on our own and try to make things as comfortable as possible for our guests. The house rules listed in this document are based on guidance from local authorities and to make your stay convenient to both you as a guest and us as hosts. Commencement of stay in the cottage(s) is equivalent to acceptance of these policies, rules and regulations.
Quick links to the sub-topics:
Check-In / Check-Out
No Smoking Policy
Kitchen Service
Pets are Not Allowed
Outdoor Bonfire / Indoor Fireplace
Heating Inside the Cottage
Power & Water Supply
No to Plastics
Cancellations & Refunds
Check-In / Check-Out
The check-in and check-out time is 12 PM (noon). We allow early check-in and late check-out depending on the status of other bookings.
As per the government rules, each guest has to provide a photocopy of his/her ID card which has a photograph. Guests are requested to either carry the photocopy or email them to us (contact@cottages.live) well in advance. Only registered guests are allowed inside the cottage.
No Smoking Policy
Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the cottage and on the Mini-Golf course (this includes electronic cigarettes, vaping and other smokeless cigarettes as well). The smell from smoke tends to linger on and gets absorbed in curtains and carpets, so we do not permit smoking inside the cottages.
The open sitting area can be used as a smoking area but not when there are other non-smokers or children in the vicinity. Passive smoking is bad for their health. Due to high wind speeds and dry leaves all around, burning matches and cigarette butts can be a potential cause for a fire. Don’t discard them around. Ask for an ash-tray!
Kitchen Service
We provide freshly prepared food with a touch of Kumaon. Unlike the popular trend in restaurants, we don’t keep things half-prepared. We will get in touch with you regarding your food requirements as soon as you arrive. Since we procure ingredients locally and food is prepared fresh in our kitchen, everything may not be available all the time. Preparation time is also long.
Timings for kitchen service are as follows –
- Breakfast: 9 AM to 11 AM
- Lunch: 1 PM to 3 PM
- Cocktail Snacks/Evening Snacks: 4 PM to 7 PM
- Dinner/Supper: 7:30 PM to 10 PM
We request you to stick to these times, especially for dinner/supper. Some of our kitchen workers come walking from their homes, next to the forest area, and returning back to their home at late hours is not very safe.
If you provide your own ingredients for cooking, we will be happy to use them. You can cook your own meals too, with the help of our kitchen team. Using your own stove/grill is strictly prohibited.
If you come to us as a group / family, we also encourage that you all have all the meals together. It’s a good opportunity to bond with each other and enjoy the food.
We use different types of salts, spices, oil, herbs etc. depending on the dish being prepared. Please don’t ask us to change that. For us Pasta tastes best with olive oil, Chicken curry with mustard oil, and Parathas taste best with ghee and butter.
Meals from the kitchen are served in the designated outdoor dining area. They are not served inside the cottages. This ensures good service. Items that taste good piping hot are served as they are supposed to be. Even the cook is just a shout away!
The meals are not charged. We provide them free for our guests. If you come with a driver or a helper, they also eat for free with us.
In case, you skip any of the meals with us, we will not be able to provide you a refund or pay for your meal at any other place.
If any of your friends want to come over and join you for meals, we will be happy to have them over. Just let us know beforehand. Since, ours is a small kitchen, we can’t host any large groups.
Pets are Not Allowed
Pets are not allowed inside the cottages. We try to maintain an allergy-free environment. Pet hairs are common allergens and so pets are not allowed.
As a part of our rewilding efforts, various local animals like hares, martens, cats, squirrels, foxes, etc. roam around in parts of our garden. Leaving pets outside the cottages is also not an option.
Outdoor Bonfire / Indoor Fireplace
Indoor fireplace is lit only during winters. It is a specialized fireplace and so only some specific types of dry wood can be used. Please don’t burn anything else in it. It also requires priming before a fire can be lit. Without such preparations, lighting a fire in the fireplace can fill the cottage with smoke.
Outdoor bonfire can be arranged round the year (except during rains and snow) and no such prior preparations as in the indoor fireplace, are needed. The wood used for outdoor bonfire is different from the one used for indoor fire. Due to its environmental impact, we discourage bonfires during summers.
Heating Inside the Cottage
Indoor Fireplace is lit only during winters.
Warm quilts are provided. If you feel cold, ask us for extra quilts and hot water bags. Layers of clothing or quilts work better in cold weather than single layers.
The cottages can get cold in winters but to reduce the carbon footprint, we do not recommend electric heaters though we do provide them. It’s better to dress up warmly. We also request you to switch the heaters (if you had used them in the daytime) off before going to sleep for your own health and for safety concerns.
Power & Water Supply
As a part of our green initiative, we are majorly dependent on the sun for the power supply. It is recommended to keep your electrical power consumption to the minimum after the sun sets.
Switch off all lamps and electrical equipment when you leave the cottage. Please don’t let the geysers, bathroom exhausts, kitchenette chimney, etc. running all the time.
Electricity supplied is 220 Volts at 50Hz, the usual standard in India. Sockets are meant to use the standard 3-pin/2-pin Indian plug.
Water Supply
Water pressure is low in most of our washrooms. This helps in conserving water.
Here are four simple initiatives that you can undertake towards this cause –
- Reuse your towels and bed linen.
- Close the taps when not in use.
- Take a bucket bath instead of a shower.
- Let us know if you notice any leakages.
All our water supply is from a natural spring. We also use ground-water sources during periods when it is hard to pipe water from the natural spring. The water we use is clean and potable. For your convenience water filters are provided in the cottage itself. Though we discourage it, bottled drinking water can be provided.
Hot Water Supply
Hot water is available round the clock. We still recommend conserving water for the good of the earth. Take bath using a bucket instead of a shower if you can. The best time to take a refreshing bath is late morning or early afternoon time in the hills. That’s what we hill-folks do to endure the cold.
No to Plastics
As a part of our green initiative, no plastic or polythene bags are allowed within the premises. Almost all of the organic waste generated is used for composting.
When you go for a trek or a walk and indulge in snacking (pre-packaged chips, chocolates etc.), please carry back the wrappers to the cottage with you. We will discard them in a responsible way.
We do not promote the use of bottled water, though we do provide it if you want. We do have soda water bottles and packaged drinking water bottles available with us.
No bottled soft-drinks are available. Please bring your own bottles if you want to consume them and take the empty bottles away with you.
Cancellations & Refunds
In case of any cancellations, we use the following table to calculate the refund –
| Day of Intimation of Cancellation | Amount Refunded |
| Upto 6 days before Check-In Date | Complete amount refunded (after deducting transaction charges if any) |
| 5 Days before Check-In Date to 1 Day before Check-In Date | 50 % Amount Refunded |
| On the Date of Check-In (Even if informed in the morning hours) | No Refund |
| Any time after the Date of Check-In | No Refund |
Check-In and Check-Out time is 12:00 noon.
The day of intimation of cancellation is based on the actual calendar date of check-in (calendar date starting from midnight)
In case of a change in the number of guests, we will try to help out as much as possible. The new tariff will be calculated according to our existing tariff plan at the time of the intimation of change.
In case of last-minute cancellations or shortening of the stay, it is a direct revenue loss for us and so we don’t refund.
If you have booked your stay using the services of any of our online booking partners (Airbnb, booking.com, Agoda, etc.), their terms and conditions will apply for cancellations and refunds.
We don’t refund any amount for meals that are not had with us.
Maini's Hill Cottages 