This Bhimtal Couple Turned Their Ancestral Home Into A Slow Travel Haven

A cosy wooden cottage in a quaint hill station, a bounty of locally-grown fruits and veg, and myriad exotic birds and animals. Sounds like a dream getaway spot, doesn't it? That is exactly the vibe at Geeta and Rajshekhar Pant bed-and-breakfast in Uttarakhand's Bhimtal.

An ancestral home-turned-homestay, Avocados B&B is more than just a business; it is a piece of their family heritage, their Pahadi culture, and heartfelt hospitality. 

Speaking to SheThePeople, Rajshekhar Pant, who is also a freelance journalist, described his deep personal connection with the homestay and how it reflects the welcoming culture of Uttarakhand.

A homestay with a heart

Much before Avocados B&B existed, the seed for the homestay was planted during Pant's work stint in Scotland. "I always had this cherished dream of a barn-style home in the hills like they have there,” he recalls. 

That dream materialised into a structure on his family’s 120-year-old property. Initially intended to be a personal studio, everything changed after the demise of Pant's father, a beloved local writer, in 2020.

"It was his favourite place," he shares. "After we lost him, the house remained closed. It was my wife and daughter who said: Such an aesthetic space should be shared with others. That’s how, in 2020, it became a homestay.”

The homestay sits within a large orchard brimming with produce like berries, taro root, pulses, herbs, and (of course) avocados. The restoration respected the original architecture.

"The main shell of the house remains as it was in 1902, when it was planned by my great-grandfather," Pant shared proudly. "We did not disturb the main structure."

Preserving local culture

The property is peppered with symbols of Kumaoni culture: Alpana to welcome visitors, a 150-year-old "crudely-carved" wooden threshold at the entrance, and traditional cuisine cooked by the Pant family women themselves.

Pant thanked his wife and sister-in-law for their efforts in making his homestay dream come to life. "Hats off to them for being great enough to carry out all this, along with the household chores." 

The women also oversee operations in the kitchen garden, which is a fiercely protected tradition in Uttarakhand. "Every hill home tries to grow its own greens; even if success varies," Pant says. 

Central Himalayan cuisine is deeply linked to its landscape. "This region is rich in pulses. Many landraces still survive," Pant explains. While some varieties are sadly disappearing, he’s preserving what he can in his fields.

At 5,000 feet, the area has access to high-altitude herbal wealth. They now cultivate 16-17 medicinal herbs used for their homemade herbal tea, popular enough to sell online.

"We have guests who won’t leave without buying some,” he laughs. "Turmeric too... we grow three to four varieties, which our guests often take home as souvenirs."

And then, there is wildlife. Pant recently documented nearly 50 bird species right in his orchard (in one sitting). “In the evenings, you may see flocks of koklass pheasants or jungle fowl. If someone loves solitude and nature, this is the right kind of place.”

Guests who leave as family

Pant's stories of guests are what truly reveal their homestay's purpose. There’s the ornithologist who roams the orchard with her camera for days

There's the 75-year-old regular, who asks after daffodils, Japanese lotuses, and even the fish hatchlings each spring. "He sits by the flowers with such involvement; it gives me real satisfaction," Pant expressed.

Another guest, an Indian-South African, fell in love with local temple history and now messages frequently for more stories about Himalayan mythology.

Then there are the children who received Jim Corbett books on their visit and still send him birthday wishes years later.

"These things may appear minor," Pant reflects, pausing, "but they show the relationship built here. More satisfying than any revenue."

Lessons from the mountains

Geeta and Rajshekhar Pant's B&B is not another tourist magnet in Uttarakhand's saturated hospitality market. It promises a stay that feels personal, rooted, and genuinely cared for.

He believes being in Uttarakhand shapes you in ways that never fade. Quoting the English poet William Blake, he says, "Great things are born when man and mountain meet."

He continued, "Mountains become a conditioning force; they shape your personality, your psyche, how you think, how you love, how you form relationships."