Family in the Hills by Nature's Glamping

Nine Cottages Scattered Through an Orchard at 7,000 Feet

Mukteshwar's hills are dotted with orchards long before they're dotted with hotels, and Family in the Hills leans into that order rather than against it. Nine stone-and-timber cottages sit scattered through peach, apricot and apple trees above the village of Nathuakhan, at an elevation where the Himalayan range shows up clearly on a good morning. There's a herb garden, a small mushroom farm guests are free to walk through, and a recreation room that runs more on karaoke and table tennis than on a printed activities schedule. Meals come home-cooked rather than catered, built around what the kitchen garden and the season actually produce. It reads less like a resort than like a working hill farm that happens to have rooms.

Why It Works

We picked this property for the combination that's genuinely rare in this part of Uttarakhand: wheelchair-accessible paths, a pet policy that welcomes dogs rather than tolerating them, and a family atmosphere built on home cooking rather than a buffet line. The orchard setting does real work too, giving children and adults alike somewhere to wander that isn't a manicured lawn. Evenings built around a bonfire and a shared guitar, rather than a programmed entertainment slot, suit families who'd rather talk to each other than watch a show. It's a property built for staying three or four days, not one night on the way to somewhere else.

Why This Location

Nathuakhan sits above Mukteshwar, roughly an hour's drive beyond Nainital on roads that climb steadily into orchard country, well clear of the lake town's peak-season traffic. At close to 7,000 feet, the air stays noticeably cooler than the plains below, and the Himalayan range is visible on clear mornings from the property itself. Mukteshwar's temple and its cliffside viewpoints are a short drive away, along with the region's fruit markets, which run heaviest from late spring through autumn depending on the crop. It's a base built for slow mornings on a cottage porch rather than a packed sightseeing itinerary.

Fast Facts

• Prix : €€ (gamme standard, cohérente avec le positionnement du média)

• Vibe : rustic, family-oriented, orchard-set, relaxed

• Chambres : nine stone-and-timber cottages scattered through the orchard

• Best For : families and dog owners wanting a slow, accessible hill stay away from Nainital's crowds

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel : wandering the working orchard and herb garden between meals, children included

• Dining : home-cooked meals built around the kitchen garden and season

• Amenities : wheelchair-accessible paths, bonfire area, recreation room, free parking and WiFi

• Attractions : Mukteshwar temple and viewpoints (short drive), Nainital (about an hour), orchard and herb garden walks (on site)

Cottages Built for Orchard Mornings

Each cottage sits with enough distance from its neighbours to feel private, built in stone and timber rather than poured concrete, and furnished simply enough that the orchard outside the window does most of the work. Mornings start on a porch with a view toward the Himalayan range rather than a parking lot, and the pace of the place discourages checking a phone much past breakfast. It's not a design hotel, and doesn't try to be: the cottages are built for a family to spread out across a few quiet days, not for a single polished photograph.

Before You Book

This is a destination for slow days rather than a single overnight, and the property is built around guests staying three or four nights rather than one. The kitchen cooks to order and accommodates dietary requests, but confirm ahead if traveling with specific needs, since there's no à la carte restaurant to fall back on. Roads up from Nainital climb and narrow toward the end, so arriving before dark makes for an easier drive, and warm layers are worth packing even outside winter at this elevation.