Pemba Sherpa
Tea Master
Thirty-one years picking and grading on this hillside. Runs the daily tastings and will argue about second flush with anyone.
Home / The Retreat
The Retreat
Four years of rebuilding, one planter's house, and a view that did most of the work.
Our Story
It was falling down when we found it
The house went up in 1912 for the manager of a tea garden that no longer exists under that name. By 2017 the roof was gone over the east wing and the rhododendron had got inside.
We kept what was worth keeping — the stone, the cedar frames, the ledger shelving in what is now the Planter's Loft — and rebuilt everything else properly for a place that spends four months of the year inside a cloud. Underfloor heating. Real insulation. A generator that actually starts.
Eight keys was the number that let us keep it feeling like a house rather than a hotel. It means we know your name by the second morning, and it means the good months book out a long way ahead.
See the rooms →The People
Fourteen of us look after the house
Anjali Gurung
General Manager
Came from a large Kolkata hotel and has spent six years deliberately unlearning it. Knows where every draught in the house is.
Chef Tenzin Bhutia
Kitchen
Cooks Lepcha, Naga and Nepali food from the Darjeeling haat, plus a very good English breakfast for guests who need one.
Practicalities
Things worth knowing before you come
| Altitude | 7,100 ft — take the first day slowly |
|---|---|
| Best months | Mar–May and Oct–Dec for clear peaks; Jun–Sep for the monsoon, which we like |
| Getting here | Bagdogra (IXB) ~3 hrs by road · NJP railhead ~3 hrs · toy train to Ghoom |
| Check-in | From 1pm · check-out by 11am, both flexible when we are quiet |
| Children | Very welcome; the Tea Garden Villa suits families best |
| Pets | Two well-behaved dogs already live here, so no visiting pets |
| Power | Full generator backup — Darjeeling cuts out, we do not |
| Connectivity | Fibre wifi throughout; no signal on the estate path, deliberately |
Reservations
Eight keys, and the clear months go first
Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what is left.
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