Ekaa: Workation Homestay, 180° Valley Views

Ekaa is tucked away in the Kumaon mountains in Ghorakhal. Whether you’re here for quiet time, a romantic weekend, work from hills, or just to take in the fresh mountain air, you’ll feel right at home. Our abode has been filled with lots of love and positive energy, making it the perfect spot to recharge. 30-40 min to Visitor favourites - Kainchi Dham Mandir, Nainital and other Tals, Golu Devta Mandir etc. 10-15 min drive to the closest town Bhowali for public transport and daily needs. The space Ekaa is a 2‑bedroom hilltop homestay in Ghorakhal where the valley is basically part of the furniture. You get 180° valley views, a flexible closed patio and a long balcony that turns “we’ll sit for five minutes” into three‑hour conversations. Built for families, birders, nature‑lovers and work‑from‑hills folks who want a real mountain home, not a copy‑paste hotel room. *Bedrooms & Bathrooms* You get two large bedrooms with comfortable double beds, room heaters and big windows that fill the space with light. Both bathrooms are equipped with hot water geysers, so mornings and night's stay comfortable even when the air turns crisp. The closed patio is the secret highlight: a flexible indoor‑outdoor room where you can set up your yoga mat, workstation, workout corner or games table. It catches sunrise from one side and sunset from the other, making it an all‑day hangout for journaling, deep work, stretching or simply watching the sky change color. *Living Room & Kitchenette* The living room on this level has a TV with Amazon Fire Stick, relaxed seating and high-speed Wi‑Fi, so movie nights and streaming are easy once the sun goes down. There’s also a proper table‑and‑chair spot that works as a focused desk for calls and laptop work, with plug points placed where you actually need them. The kitchen is fully functional, with gas/induction, fridge, basic cookware and essentials- good enough for breakfasts, snacks and simple meals. If you don’t feel like cooking, our caretaker can prepare very simple homely food on request at an additional cost, keeping the vibe personal and relaxed rather than “service staff” formal. *Balcony & outdoor space* The balcony is the star. It runs along the front and back of the cottage and opens to wide valley view- chai at sunrise, coffee mid‑day, golden‑hour photos, and a sky full of stars once the lights go down. The cottage also has small outdoor areas around the cottage for short walks, barbeques and kids’ mini explorations. *Parking Access* Two cars can comfortably fit inside the cottage’s gated premises, with plenty of additional space for parking just outside the gate. The approach road to Ekaa is fully drivable with no off‑roading or extreme steep climb, so arriving by road is straightforward. From the parking area, it's a few steps up to the first floor, the kind of gentle climb you’d expect from a hilltop home. *Expected vibe* Expect a homestay, not a hotel- personal, lived‑in and quietly tucked into the hills, with more character than polish. Expect a whole orchestra of birds and distant temple bells drifting across the ridge instead of traffic and horns. Expect clouds that creep in during the monsoon and sometimes wrap the cottage so you feel like you’re sitting inside the sky. And expect wide, open valley views that keep reminding you you’re in the mountains, even when you’re just sipping chai or reading on the balcony. You’re sharing this hillside with its original residents, birds, insects, village dogs and, in the wider forested area, leopards typical of Kumaon. Most of the time you’ll just hear calls and bells and see clouds drifting through, but it’s still the wild, not a city park, so please avoid wandering far at night, don’t walk alone on very dark, quiet stretches, and never leave food waste outside or try to approach any animals. Enjoy the nature from a safe, respectful distance and treat the ridge like the living landscape it is, not just a backdrop. *Location & nearby* You’re perfectly placed to dip in and out of classic Kumaon spots without losing your hilltop calm at Ekaa. Kainchi Dham – one of the region’s most loved spiritual stops, an easy 20-30 min trip from the cottage on good traffic days. Nainital – lakeside walks, boat rides and café time when you feel like some buzz and a change of pace. Sattal & Naukuchiatal – quieter lakes and birding favourites, ideal for nature‑lovers and photographers. Golu Devta Mandir – the temple whose bells you sometimes hear drifting up to the cottage on clear mornings 5 min drive or a 15 min walk. Kasar Devi & Mukteshwar – higher, wider Himalayan views, old temples and forested trails for when you want to go further out and really feel the mountains open up. (1-2 hours) Guest access Guests have private access to the entire first floor of the cottage. This includes both large bedrooms, two attached bathrooms, the closed patio (your yoga / workstation / games room), the living room with TV + Fire Stick, the kitchenette, and the long balcony with 180° valley views. Our caretaker is on‑ground to help with check‑in, basic guidance, simple homely meals (if requested) and everyday questions, while you enjoy full privacy in your space. The rest of the cottage is kept separate, so your floor feels like your own mountain home for the duration of your stay. Other things to note 1. The birds and temple bells already handle the soundtrack. No DJs, loudspeakers or parties; keep outdoor noise low after 10 PM so the valley and neighbors can sleep in peace. 2. Think of Ekaa as a friend’s mountain home: no dragging heavy furniture, no jumping on beds or sofas, and no rearranging the whole house. If you need to move something, do it gently and put it back before you leave. 3. Please stick to the booked number of guests and avoid surprise crowd additions without informing the host beforehand. 4. Clouds can wander; trash shouldn’t. Use the dustbins provided, don’t litter outside, and leave the place more or less as you found it so the next guests (and the hillside) stay happy. 5. Water in the mountains is precious. Enjoy long showers, but keep them mindful, and don’t leave taps running. 6. Please switch off lights, fans, heaters and devices when you leave a room or step out—it saves power and keeps Ekaa feeling responsible in the hills.