Tikli Bottom

– English countryside home in Haryana heartland

About 6 kms from Rajiv Chowk in Gurgaon, off the chaotic Sohna Road, is a lazy lane that meanders seven kilometers down to Tikli Bottom – a Lutyens style four-bedroom private guest house run by the English couple Martin and Annie. It is located at the bottom of Tikli village, just at the edge of the village of Baas – hence the name Tikli Bottom. Adjacent to a stud farm, Annie and Martin Howard bought the 2-acre parcel of land in the 1990s to build a home for themselves. The quiet and alluring charm of the surrounding Aravallis was something they wanted to share with friends – and soon enough what was to be their retirement retreat turned into a private guest house. It is not a walk-in set-up – you need to book well in advance. The rooms are limited but not the guests wanting to stay there. The tariff of Rs 12,000 per night for a double room is inclusive of all food and drinks.

The tasteful English interiors together with personal touches of hospitality exude a very comfortable, relaxed, home-like feel. The four rooms are around a haveli-style courtyard, with a covered breakfast area leading to the pool and the rear lawns. Martin grows organic vegetables and the bacon and ham are from the pigs he reared.

Ideally located for quiet walks, it is a place to unwind and distress – over a gin and tonic by the poolside, hearing the birds chirp – and nothing else.

Tikli Bottom is closed annually from April 21 – and reopens on July 1.

Tariff – Rs 12,000 per night for a double room inclusive of all food and drinks

Telephone: (00 91 124) 2766556; except dialing code from Delhi is (95124)

Mobile: (00 91) 98180 39382 , 93133 70853