14:00
Arrival
You turn off the village road onto the private lane and park by the house. The team meets you at the door, shows you the rooms, and gets tea going. Bags go up, and people drift toward the terrace almost immediately.
“We built the day around the terrace, the fireplace and a very slow cup of tea.”
Chapter one
A hillside home run like a family
The Blue Door sits down a quiet village road in Purkul, at the end of a private lane. You park, walk in, and the first thing you notice is how little noise there is. Then the valley opens up beyond the garden.
It works the way a good family house does. Five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, so fifteen people can share a living room and a terrace without queuing for anything. Rooms are themed and a little eccentric, which suits the name.
Mrs. Kavita and her team run it with a light, personal touch. Breakfast arrives, the fireplace gets lit, and someone remembers how you take your tea. It feels lived in, not staged.
Chapter two
A day at the house.
A few moments, in the order they tend to happen.
19:00
First evening
The fireplace is lit in the living room and the BBQ corner gets going in the garden. It cools quickly in the foothills, so bring a layer. Dinner is slow, and the valley goes dark below you.
08:00
Next morning
Light reaches the garden and the mountain view clears first. Breakfast is served without fuss, and most people eat it outside. Pets, if you've brought them, get the lawn to themselves.
11:00
Departure
Check-out is at 11, so the morning is short. Most guests spend it on the terrace with a last cup of tea. Almost everyone leaves thinking they should have booked another night.
Chapter three
The spaces.
Living room
The shared living room is the centre of the house, with a TV, a fireplace and enough seating for a big group.
Terrace
The terrace faces the valley and the mountains, and is where most mornings and evenings are spent.
Garden
A green garden with room to sit, play and take a pet out, with the BBQ corner tucked nearby.
BBQ corner
A grill spot in the garden for evening cook-ups when the air cools.
Balcony bedroom
A themed en-suite room with its own balcony opening to the mountain view.
Garden-view bedroom
An en-suite room looking onto the lawn, with a quiet outlook in the mornings.
Family bedroom
A larger en-suite room that suits parents with children or a group sharing.
Themed bedrooms
The remaining en-suite rooms each have their own colour and character, with heating and AC for all seasons.
Workspace
A dedicated desk area with wifi for guests who need to work between hill views.
Parking
Space to park at the house after you come down the village road and private lane.
The feeling
In a word.
Unhurried
The terrace and balcony face the mountains, and mornings here have no schedule. Tea gets slower the longer you sit.
Together
One living room, a garden and a BBQ corner pull fifteen people into the same space without trying. The fireplace does the rest after dark.
Self-contained
Five en-suite bedrooms, power backup, wifi and a workspace mean you rarely need to leave. Housekeeping and breakfast are part of the stay.
A note from your host
We tell every guest the same thing: don't plan too much. Sit on the terrace with a cup of tea, look at the hills, and let the afternoon go where it wants. The house does its best work when nobody is in a hurry. Mrs. Kavita and the team will handle the rest.
Step outside the gate
Where you are.
Purkul is a village in the foothills outside Dehradun, where the road narrows and the pace drops. Fields, small homes and forest edges replace the city's traffic. Dehradun's cafes, markets and restaurants are a short drive back up the road, so you can go out for a meal and be home before the evening cools. Mussoorie is further up the hills when you want more altitude. Most of the time, people stay in.
Good to know
Worth knowing.
- The house is reached by a narrow village road and a private lane, so larger vehicles may need to park and walk the last stretch.
- Rooms are themed and individual, so layouts and styles differ from room to room.
- Evenings in the foothills get cold, especially in winter, so pack warm layers even if the day is sunny.
- It is a homestay run by a small team, so service is personal rather than round-the-clock hotel style.
- Expect insects near the garden at dusk during warmer months.
- Sound carries in a village setting, so keep late music at a considerate volume.
