Gratitude Eco-Homestay@Laburnum

Budget Option – Bright and cozy with a bohemian touch in white and yellow! Located next to the kitchen, you will have kitchen acitvity and smell cooking through the day. While it doesn’t have a private porch/ sitout, you’re welcome to relax or enjoy your meals in the gazebo or on the ground-floor porch. Great value for a cheerful stay! Gratitude is is very special to us & has been created with a lot of love & thought, keeping with our sensibilities of aesthetics, comfort & eco-friendliness. The space IDEAL FOR: 1. Couples who like the outdoors 2. Women travellers. 3. People who love being amidst nature, in a serene environment. 4. People with creative pursuits who would like to work in an inspiring space. NOT SUITED FOR: 1. Families with children below 12 years, the elderly (due to uneven terrain & steep walk to the lake/ waterfall), large groups OR people who need steady Hi - speed internet 2. People who like loud music /party, buffets/ room service or who want services offered by professionally run resorts/ hotels. NOTE: It is located right next to our fully functional kitchen, which is active from 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM as we prepare breakfast, lunch, evening tea, and dinner. This means you will definitely hear sounds and experience aromas of cooking through the day. If your priority is peace and privacy, this room may not be the right fit. While it doesn’t have a private sit-out, you’re welcome to enjoy your meals or relax in the gazebo or on the ground-floor porch. For guests who plan to spend most of their time outdoors and are looking for a cheerful, great-value stay, Laburnum is an ideal choice! Alcohol / loud music/ parties are not permitted. Non- vegetarian food, room service is not available. Men-only bookings will not be accepted. Only Jio network is available and WIFI is unreliable. Simple local meals vegetarian (without dairy)on a SET MENU basis are available at extra cost. Details are below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours is an idyllic country house set on 5 acres of land in a pristine location overlooking the Andhra lake, has mountains in the back drop & has a private waterfall in the monsoons. We open the doors to our home to like- minded nature loving people who like to disconnect & appreciate quiet slow conscious living. Instead of a resort style villa with amenities which can at times have a standardised impersonal feel, you will find a serene, beautiful, comfortable home with character and a story in every corner. We also have a small rustic rock pool area to relax in :) The remote rural setting comes with its challenges of erratic electricity, limited internet, lack of trained local manpower and close by market but we hope it makes up with waking up to bird songs, the cool constant breeze, the beautiful expanse of the lake and mountains, its pristine location, and the gurgling of the waterfalls. We have used a lot of natural materials such as wood, bamboo, cotton, coir, terracotta, lime and stone. We are 140 kms/ about 3-3.5 hours from Bombay ( Santacruz west) & 57 kms / 1.5 hours away from Pune (Baner). ---------------------------------------------- Each room is themed around a colour and is named after a tree which has flowers of that colour. Laburnum is a deciduous tree & the flowers are pea-like, golden, and sweet-scented, and grow in long, drooping clusters. Laburnum is a small and cozy room done in a boho style with white coloured furniture and eclectic knick knacks . It is on the ground floor, next to the kitchen. It is a compact 150 sq. ft room with 2 twin beds (which can be joined to make a double bed), writing desk, chest of drawers & cupboard and a DIY tea/ coffee station. All the furniture is preloved. The ceiling is high, accentuated with trusses and the flooring is Kota stone tiles. The bathroom is cute & compact with all the basic amenities one needs to be comfortable. You have access to a large terrace overlooking the lake if you are a part of a larger group who has booked Bauhinia & Jacaranda, which has a wooden swing, outdoor seating, dining area, a small library & a DIY tea/ coffee station. For dry waste and plastics there is no garbage disposable option so we take it back to Bombay where we are based and send what is possible for recycling. We request guests to carry minimal or no packaged food or drinks and be responsible about the waste they generate. Water and electricity are scarce resources and we use them judiciously. There are many things to do while you are at Gratitude other than relaxing with a book and gazing at the vistas around. You can also book a 1 hour nutrition coaching session with me to understand how to get closer to your health goals. A detailed guide book will be provided on booking confirmation/ request. Guest access They can access the gazebo, the rock pool and can walk around the property as well as the private waterfall and lake. During your stay I am a nutrition coach and work online with clients from Gratitude and Bombay as well as look after the upkeep of the property & running of the AirBnb. I will be there to welcome you and to oversee things when I am around. Your main point of contact will be our caretaker Laxman and his wife Asha. They are simple, honest and sincere people who will do their best to make your stay and arrangements as comfortable as possible. Other things to note There are no proper restaurants or places to eat at hence we provide simple, local, wholesome vegetarian (without dairy) meals on a SET MENU basis at set times. 1 lunch (the day you check-in), 1 snack, 1 dinner & 1 breakfast (next day), available at Rs. 1200 per person per day and has to be paid in advance at least 2 days prior to your visit. Driver accommodation & meals available for Rs. 700 per day. • Last minute requests / changes cannot be accommodated as ours is a remote place with the nearest market for provisions and produce being 40 minutes away. • Only JIO mobile service is available. Sim cards of other service operators won’t work here. We have WiFi & it works well most of the time but can be unreliable at times and not relied on for high speed or for work- from- home. Can bring JIO dongle as back up. • Electric supply is not constant and there are frequent power cuts. We use solar power to maintain a steady supply of energy but there can be interruptions. We have intentionally not installed a generator to avoid use of diesel as well as the resultant pollution and noise. • Electric supply is not constant and there are frequent power cuts. We use solar power to maintain a steady supply of energy but there can be interruptions. We have intentionally not installed a generator to avoid use of petrol as well as the resultant pollution and noise. • There are many local festivals, religious days during the year as well as some celebrations in the nearby village and that they may result in music being played by the local village folk. These are unpredictable and not in our control so if you happen to be there on such an occasion, it can be disturbing. • Our land & its surrounding has a rich biodiversity and there are creepy / crawlies around. Bugs, geckos, frogs, spiders are at home here. There have been stray instances of snakes being spotted around the property too. One needs to be mindful of that while walking around during early mornings and after dark and be particular to keep doors and mosquito nets shut at all times.