Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / India / Binsar / Mary Budden Estate
Mary Budden Estate
Binsar, Uttarakhand, India · Independent · Core Luxury
A British missionary named Mary Budden lived in this house, built in 1899 at 8,000 feet inside the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, and she used it for a girls' school and a refuge for orphans and homeless women. Ashwani and Serena Chopra bought the estate in 1990 and restored it into a hideaway of about eight suites and cottages among oak and rhododendron, with a private chef and views to Nanda Devi.
- 8 rooms
- Opened 2000
- Neighborhood: Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
About Mary Budden Estate
- Mary Budden Estate dates from 1899 and stands at about 8,000 feet inside Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kumaon, one of only five private homes in the sanctuary.
- It is named for Mary Budden, a British missionary who set up orphanages, a girls' school and a refuge for homeless women.
- Ashwani and Serena Chopra bought the estate in 1990 and turned it into a retreat of about eight suites and cottages.
- A private chef cooks Kumaoni and Indian meals, and clear days show Nanda Devi and Trishul.
History
Mary Budden Estate is a 19th-century colonial bungalow inside Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kumaon Himalayas at about 8,000 feet (2,400 m). The Budden family of Almora built and occupied the house; it was later restored as a small heritage hotel of rooms and cottages among oak forest. Private chef service and sanctuary walks replace a spa-resort programme. It remains independent.
Restaurants and bars
- Estate private chef — Restaurant · Kumaoni and Indian
Amenities
- Handful of suites and cottages inside a wildlife sanctuary
- Private chef service
- Off-grid mountain setting at 8,000 feet
- Walking trails among oak and rhododendron
Open Mary Budden Estate in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Binsar
- The Kumaon — Independent · Core Luxury