A plain summary of what The Forestbound Cottage is, where it is and what to expect, kept in one place so it is easy to check.
What it is
The Forestbound Cottage is a private luxury villa built in stone and Himachali wood, set in cedar forest above Old Manali, near Hadimba Temple, in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India. You rent it as a house for your stay. It is not a hotel with a front desk, and not a homestay where you share a host's home. It suits families, groups, couples and people working remotely.
Key facts
- Name: The Forestbound Cottage
- Type: Private villa and cottage for holiday stays
- Address: Cottage 278, Ward No. 1, near Hadimba Temple Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh 175131, India
- Host: Sahib Singh
- Bedrooms: 3, 4 or 5, depending on the option you book
- Guests: up to 14
- Bathrooms: attached bathrooms, five across the full estate
- Check-in and check-out: 2:00 PM and 12:00 noon
- Google rating: 4.8 stars from over 200 reviews
- Phone and WhatsApp: +91 9459040000
- Email: theforestboundcottage@gmail.com
- Instagram: @theforestbound
Three ways to stay
- 3 BHK, the duplex villa: 3 bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen and balconies on each floor with mountain views.
- 4 BHK, the extended villa: everything in the 3 BHK plus a fourth bedroom with its own entrance.
- 5 BHK, the full estate: the duplex villa plus two independent garden rooms with separate entrances.
What is there
- A wood-burning fireplace
- Balconies on each floor, with mountain views
- A garden with a bonfire pit (the bonfire is lit on request)
- A fully equipped kitchen you can use yourselves: gas hob, oven, spice rack, tea, coffee and cooking oil
- An in-house kitchen that cooks meals from scratch to order
- Wi-Fi and parking
- A pool table
- A housekeeping team
- Sheru, the resident dog
Meals
Meals are cooked from scratch to order. Pre-ordering is preferred: breakfast the night before, lunch by 11am and dinner by 6pm. Specialities include siddu (steamed Himachali bread with ghee and dal), chha gosht (slow-cooked lamb) and aloo paratha. Vegan, Jain and allergy needs can be accommodated with advance notice.
Distances
- Hadimba Temple and the cedar forest: 5 minutes on foot
- Old Manali village: about 20 minutes on foot
- Mall Road: about 20 minutes on foot, downhill (take a taxi back up)
- Manu Temple: about 30 minutes on foot
- Solang Valley: about 1 hour by car
- Sethan and the Hampta foothills: about 1.5 hours by car
- Sissu via the Atal Tunnel: about 2 hours by car
Good to know
- There is no swimming pool. There is a pool table.
- Pets are not allowed.
- There is no air conditioning.
- The property is not wheelchair accessible.
- The bonfire is lit on request, not automatically every evening.
- Breakfast and chai are not served automatically. Order them, ideally the night before.
How to book
Call or WhatsApp +91 9459040000 with your dates and group size, and we will tell you what is available and the rates. We take bookings for Christmas, New Year and the snow season.