First, Where Exactly Is This?
Most people who find us have typed “best homestay in Dehradun” into Google late at night, tired of hotel listings that all look the same. Fair enough. So let’s start with the thing photos can’t show you: where Shivoham Retreat actually is.
We’re in Malsi, up near Sinola, on the side of Dehradun where the houses thin out and the road starts climbing towards Mussoorie. On a clear morning you can see Mussoorie from the balcony. At night you can hear the stream.
Malsi, Sinola and Robber’s Cave
Robber’s Cave is a few minutes away. Locals call it Guchhupani. If you’ve never been, it’s a narrow gorge with cold water running through it, and you walk in the stream rather than beside it. Go early, before the crowds, and you’ll have most of it to yourself. Honestly, that’s the main reason people pick a homestay near Robber’s Cave over a hotel in town.
Sahastradhara, Maldevta and Tapkeshwar Temple are an easy drive. Rajpur Road’s cafés are close enough for dinner out, if you want it. Most guests find they don’t.
And the village is still a village. There are cows in the next field, a couple of dogs who will decide you’re their friend, and a lot of green. That’s the part of a homestay in Malsi, Dehradun that no city address can copy.
What You Actually Get
The rooms
The rooms are big. That sounds like a small thing until you’ve spent three nights in a hotel room where the suitcase lives on the bed. Ours have space to open your bags on the floor, sit by the window with a book, and let the kids spread their things everywhere without anyone tripping over them. Each room has an attached bathroom, and most have a balcony facing the hills.
If you’re specifically after a homestay in Dehradun with spacious rooms, ask us for photos of the exact room you’re booking, or browse our gallery first. We’d rather you know what you’re getting.
The kitchen (yes, you can use it)
This is the question we get most. Yes, there’s a fully equipped kitchen, and yes, guests use it. Families cook for fussy toddlers. People on longer stays make their own breakfast. Someone always ends up making Maggi at midnight.
If you’d rather not cook, we make simple home food: dal, sabzi, rotis, rice, whatever is fresh that day. It’s what you’d eat at a friend’s place, not a buffet.
The garden
We grow a fair amount of what we eat in a small permaculture garden behind the house. It isn’t a showpiece. Some beds look great and some look like a work in progress, because they are. You’re welcome to walk through it, ask questions, and pick some tulsi or mint for your tea.
The people
We’re a family, and this is our home. That’s really all “family-run homestay in Dehradun” means. You’ll get suggestions that aren’t on any travel site, a heads-up on the best time to go to Robber’s Cave, and someone to set up a yoga session if you’d like one. The brochure word is personalised hospitality. We just call it looking after people.
What a slow day here looks like
There’s no schedule, but a typical day goes something like this. Tea on the balcony while the light comes up over the hills. A walk down to the stream, or to Robber’s Cave if you’re up early enough. A late breakfast. Then a long, lazy middle of the day: a book, a nap, a wander through the garden, maybe a yoga session. In the evening the kids are off with the dogs, the adults are arguing about whose turn it is to cook, and nobody has looked at their phone in hours. That’s the whole plan. Most guests tell us it’s exactly what they needed.
Who Stays With Us
Families
Families are probably our favourite guests. Kids meet the cows and dogs, run around the garden, and get pulled into old-school indoor games in the evening. Parents get a kitchen, some quiet, and nobody complaining about noise in the corridor. We think we’re the best homestay in Dehradun for families, but come and judge for yourself.
Couples
Couples mostly come for the quiet. Breakfast on the balcony, a walk along the stream, an evening with nothing planned. If you’re looking for a homestay in Dehradun for couples, it helps to know we only have a handful of rooms, so it rarely feels busy.
People who want a little luxury
Let’s be straight about the word “luxury”. There’s no infinity pool and no marble lobby. What there is: space, silence, fresh food and hosts who pay attention. For a lot of our guests, that’s what a luxury homestay in Dehradun should feel like anyway.
When to Come and How to Get Here
Honestly, there isn’t a bad time. October to March is clear and crisp, with cold nights, so bring a proper jacket. Summer is when people from the plains come up to escape the heat, and the mornings here stay pleasant even when the city warms up. The monsoon, roughly July to September, turns everything an almost unreal shade of green, though the roads can be slow and the streams run high, so check with us before planning a cave visit.
Getting here is simple. Dehradun railway station and the Inter State Bus Terminal are both a reasonable drive away, and Jolly Grant Airport is about an hour by car depending on traffic. The last stretch climbs gently through the village, so the drive itself is part of the arrival. Send us your arrival time and we’ll share directions, or help you arrange a cab.
So, Is It the Best Homestay in Dehradun?
We’re biased, obviously. But here’s what you’d be booking:
- A quiet spot in Malsi, a few minutes from Robber’s Cave
- Big rooms with hill views
- A kitchen you can use, and home food when you’d rather not
- A permaculture garden to wander through
- A family who’ll look after you
If that sounds like your kind of trip, send us your dates. We’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
Is a homestay cheaper than a hotel?
Usually, for what you get. A hotel at a similar price in Dehradun won’t give you a kitchen, home-cooked meals or a host who’ll tell you which places are actually worth the drive. And your money stays with a local family.
How much does it cost to stay in a homestay in Dehradun?
Homestays in Dehradun run from about ₹1,500 to ₹6,000 a night, depending on where they are and what’s included. Rooms at Shivoham Retreat start from roughly ₹3,300 a night on major booking platforms. Prices shift with the season, so message us with your dates and we’ll give you the exact figure.
Do you have a kitchen guests can use?
Yes. It’s fully equipped, and it’s yours to use. Handy for families, long stays, or anyone with a particular diet.
How far is Robber’s Cave?
A few minutes by car. Close enough to go at 7 a.m. and be back in time for breakfast.
Can I work from there?
Yes, and plenty of guests do. There’s Wi-Fi and a quiet spot to set up a laptop. Fair warning, though: it’s very easy to close the laptop early and go sit outside instead.