Amenities

The kitchen is the heart of the house. Our chef cooks every meal, and has done for years. There is a South Indian thali at lunch most days and an à la carte menu for guests who want to choose. Tiffin is served between four and five - biscuits, sandwiches, sundal, whatever is in season. Cooking by guests is not allowed, but the pantry has a Nespresso machine and an electric kettle for early mornings.

We have a full dining room that seats sixteen, and a smaller breakfast verandah that catches the morning sun. Most guests take breakfast outside.

The sitting rooms have fireplaces - both wings. Pine logs are stacked by the hearth. The library has a small shelf the family has kept since the seventies; Christopher Morley and Jane Austen are there, along with a run of National Geographics from the eighties. WiFi works everywhere in the house.

Each bedroom has a desk, a wardrobe, an electric blanket, and a hot water bottle if you ask. The bathrooms are en-suite. Hot water runs from a solar geyser; in heavy monsoon there is electric backup.

We have open-air parking for five to six cars. There is a staff room with dormitory-style beds for drivers and staff, and we serve them home-cooked meals from the same kitchen.

Outside: one acre of lawns. Hammocks under the eucalyptus. A wood-fired pizza oven that we light on request. A pear tree on the front lawn that fruits in July. Bonfire pits for evenings. Bicycles for the lake circuit. The lake itself is sixty seconds from the gate.

No pets. No smoking inside. Check-in two, check-out ten.