Kotgarh, Himachal Pradesh
The Old Manor Heritage Stay
A restored colonial manor above the apple orchards of Kotgarh.
- From
- ₹2,900 / night
- Guests say
- 4.8 / 5 · 4
Rooms
Where you will stay
The Library Suite
2 guests included · 410 sq ft
₹4,200 / nightFireplace · Library · Wi-Fi +5
View room The Library Suite
Orchard Room
3 guests included · 340 sq ft
₹2,900 / nightOrchard view · Wi-Fi · Hot water +4
View room Orchard Room
The Veranda Room
2 guests included · 300 sq ft
₹3,400 / nightVeranda · Valley view · Wi-Fi +4
View room The Veranda RoomThe house through the years
Since 1928
Most of what you will touch in the house is older than the road to it. This is when each thing arrived.
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1868
Before the house, the road
The dak bungalow at Narkanda, where the Hindustan-Tibet road stopped for the night. Our great-grandfather carried the post past it.
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1928
The house goes up
Stone below, deodar above, the beams carried in by mule from the forest over the ridge. The ones in the Library Suite are those.
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1931
The first apple trees
Saplings from the Stokes farm at Thanedar, planted in the rows below the veranda. Eleven of them still fruit.
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1947
The library
Bought one book a month at Maria Brothers in Shimla for thirty years. Read any of them; put them back where you found them.
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1962
The carved door
Made by a Kotgarh carpenter as payment for a winter's lodging, and still the way into the old kitchen.
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2026
Your room in 2026
Book your stay
The hosts
The Old Manor has been in the Sood family since 1928, built when the first apple saplings came to Kotgarh. We have kept the deodar beams, the fireplaces and the library, and added hot water and good coffee. Breakfast is on the veranda, looking down the Sutlej valley.
Guest love
-
Staying here feels like being let into a family home. The library suite is extraordinary.
Priya N. · Chandigarh -
Ninety years of history and still warm. Breakfast on the veranda is worth the drive alone.
James W. · Edinburgh -
Beautiful old house, wonderful apples, and the Soods are generous hosts.
Devika A. · Pune -
We came for one night and stayed three. Quiet, characterful, genuinely special.
Arjun K. · Delhi
Where you will be
Kotgarh
Himachal Pradesh
Kotgarh, Himachal Pradesh
About Kotgarh, Himachal Pradesh
Kotgarh and neighbouring Thanedar are the birthplace of the Himalayan apple industry, planted by the American missionary Samuel Stokes a century ago. It is a landscape of terraced orchards, old stone churches and colonial-era estate houses at around 2,000 m, an hour and a half beyond Shimla and a world away from it. Spring is blossom; autumn is harvest and the best light of the year.
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Getting here 3 ways in
- Nearest airport
- Shimla (Jubbarhatti, 90 km) or Chandigarh (200 km).
- Nearest rail
- Shimla on the toy train, or Kalka.
- By road
- Shimla to Narkanda on NH5, then down to Kotgarh — about 2.5 hours from Shimla, on good tarmac the whole way.
When to come
April for apple blossom across the whole hillside. September and October for the harvest and the clearest views to the Shrikhand range. Winter is crisp and quiet with occasional snow; the house has fireplaces in every room. Peak summer is pleasant but busier with Shimla weekenders.
Nearby
Thanedar Orchards
4 kmWhere Satyanand Stokes planted India's first Red Delicious.
Hatu Peak
28 kmThe highest road-head near Narkanda, with a temple at the top.
Narkanda
22 kmApple market town; the ski slope runs in January.
St Mary's Church, Kotgarh
2 kmBuilt 1872, and the reason this valley has apples.
Facilities
What you can use while you are here
- Hot water
- Wi-Fi
- Parking
- Garden
- Bonfire
- Power backup
Food & drink
From our kitchen
Cooked in our own kitchen, from what the market and the garden have.
Restaurant
-
Orchard breakfast (included)
Included
Apple compote, porridge, eggs, hill honey, coffee.
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Slow-cooked mutton rogan josh
₹550
The house Sunday lunch, three hours on a wood fire.
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Trout meunière
Butter, lemon, parsley from the kitchen garden.
Half fillet ₹350 Whole fish ₹580 -
Afternoon tea on the lawn
₹350
Scones, orchard preserve, Darjeeling first flush.
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Apple cider, estate pressed
₹280
From our own trees, bottled in Kotgarh.
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Single malt by the fire
₹450
A short, serious list. Ask for the Indian ones.
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Long-table orchard dinner
₹1,800
Per head, minimum eight. Under the trees, lanterns, one menu.
Dishes change with the season and what the market has. Tell us about allergies or preferences when you book.
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2 ways to spend your days
Packages & experiences
-
2 nights / 3 days
Apple Harvest Weekend
₹7,500
Two nights in picking season — pick, grade and pack a crate to take home.
- All meals
- Orchard picking
- A crate to carry
-
3 nights / 4 days
Blossom Week
₹11,000
Late March, when the whole slope turns white and nobody else is here.
- All meals
- Orchard walks
- Bonfire evening
Arranged by us, run by people we know
Things to do
Run by local operators we work with. Ask us and we will arrange it for you — nothing is charged here.
-
Ski lesson on the Narkanda slope
Narkanda Snow & Hatu Walks
Half a day on the nursery slope below Hatu, January and February when the snow is down. Skis, boots and an instructor for up to four.
If you cancel: The instructor keeps the morning for you; called off at no charge when there is no snow.
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Forest walk to the Hatu temple
Narkanda Snow & Hatu Walks
Through fir and deodar from Narkanda to the wooden temple at the top, with the Shrikhand range across the valley. A guide, a flask of tea, back by lunch.
If you cancel: Nothing owed if the guest cancels
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The Mall, the Ridge and Christ Church, on foot
Shimla Heritage Walks
Two hours from the Gaiety to the church and down the old bazaar lanes with someone who grew up above them. The walk ends at Scandal Point.
If you cancel: Nothing owed if the guest cancels
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The toy train to Shoghi
Shimla Heritage Walks
The Kalka line through the tunnels to Shoghi and back, the tickets booked, a guide on the train who knows which bridge is which.
If you cancel: The tickets are bought in your name the day before.
Good to know
What time is check-in?
From 12 noon; early check-in on request.
Do you serve meals?
Yes — all meals, cooked in the manor kitchen.
Is it family friendly?
Yes; children are welcome in the orchard with an adult.
How do we reach you?
82 km from Shimla on the Hindustan-Tibet road; we'll share directions on WhatsApp.
House rules
- Quiet hours after 10 pm
- Carry a valid photo ID
- Pets welcome on request
- Please do not pick fruit without asking
The Old Manor Heritage Stay
Book your stay
Request your dates and we will share payment details to confirm your booking.