Weekend Hangouts: Tikli Bottom, Delhi

After living in Delhi for nearly two decades, I had given up all my hopes of enjoying weekends anywhere but pubs, clubs and house parties. Most specifically, I brutally murdered all my desires to find any *weekend getaway* spot around Delhi on the lines of Lonavla, Matheran etc. While my friends in Mumbai just could not stop bragging about their spontaneous drives through Mumbai-Pune expressway, I only had social offline and cyber hub to my rescue. But then I heard about Tikli Bottom!

Isn't it always unwinding to have a dozen places around to chill on weekend and especially on extended weekends. After all how much club hopping or house partying can our body take? Everything around Delhi, which can be termed remotely close to being relaxing, requires a minimum travel time of 7-8 hours, except for Tikli Bottom. And driving or traveling is the last thing I would want to do on a weekend which hardly lasts for 2 days or 1 for some.

What is Tikli Bottom?

But as they say, things always seem to happen when you least expect them. Call it a beautiful stroke of luck or probably my undying passion with which I have been fanatically searching for a place, I discovered about Tikli Bottom. Don’t go by the name, this is the kind of place which I believe is still rare in India. Even though it's as close to Delhi as Gurgaon, majority of Delhiites are not aware about its existence. Wonderfully relaxing and serene are just an introduction to this beautiful Lutyens bungalow, run by owners Martin and Annie Howard. About 40-50kms from the Delhi, Tikli Bottom is surrounded by the Aravali hills and has an uncanny gumption of a hill station.

Wake up to birds chirping at your window sill, or filling the surrounding with birdsong at Tikli Bottom. Eat and drink to your heart's content with Swimming pool, spacious rooms, great gardens, and indulge in happy conversations during community dinning. Another great thing, you’ll never be crowded at Tikli Bottom because there are only four large bedrooms with plenty of privacy. With rustic surroundings, organic food, clean air and great birdlife, Tikli Bottom is as perfect as the month of October in Delhi, right weather with approaching winters and the air is full of festivity. You can take relaxing walks in the valley, muscle your calves, take all the oxygen back in your lungs and just enjoy the breeze. Or just laze around and do absolutely nothing. The overriding tranquility of Tikli Bottom will add to your experience either way!