By INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA
NEW DELHI | 12
NOVEMBER 2026
It’s true!
Some homestays are worth leaving home for.
Nestled in the village of Siswan just outside Chandigarh, ANTLER WOODS is a veritable slice of paradise. Admittedly a loaded statement, but quite true.
I mean, just picture the ‘scene of the crime’. You are driving along a fast-track highway, and just pull up the place, enter through an arched gate, and get a weirdly pleasant surprise. 50 metres walking through foliage and potted plants deposits one at the twin spacious rooms. Yes they are spacious. Yes they are tasteful. Yes they are elegantly appointed. Metres away is the suite, which is part of the original, pre-restored farm.
But this isn’t the whole deal. No Sir! The ‘icing on the cake’ is the forest view. The forest actually comes within breathing distance. Seated at the large patio cum verandah fronting the rooms, with the forest’s edge a mere 20 metres away and below, one does take a while to grasp exactly what the hell is going on.
I walked all of 70 steps to the Glass Room, a lounge literally breathing down at the forest. A balcony drives the point home, with one actually being able to touch the dense foliage. The lounge houses books, artifacts, a wooden fireplace, wood ceiling and flooring, and antlers suspended from the ceiling like a ‘rustic chandelier’.
I firmly believe that all this was instrumental in my partaking of a rather heavy breakfast.
The king-sized suite comprises a seating lounge, dining area, bar & kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. It is skirted by a tiled verandah.
A large bamboo-hemmed-in lawn and a vegetable garden are also part of the farm ‘circuit’.
The boutique nature retreat is owned by, and in the capable hands of the SIDHU family, notably MICKEY, MARINA and MEHER. The three of them combined make up a formidable team.
Marina envisioned, conceived and designed the retreat, Meher markets it with great aplomb, and Mickey is the senior talisman. As good a combination as anyone could ask for.
I did the rounds. The establishment sprawls across over 4 acres of woodland and landscaped gardens, offering a peaceful escape enhanced by rich biodiversity, bird-watching and nature walks.
Guests get taken in hand and encounter a package that includes understated luxury with earthy warmth, blending curated interiors and natural surroundings. The result is staggeringly delightful, as I discovered to my delight.
Antler Woods is part of The Himalayan Outback, an outdoor adventure and nature tourism company founded by Mickey Sidhu.
With its limited accommodation, one might say there isn’t too much space to ‘bed down’ in. But that’s exactly the point. I can vouch for the fact that the retreat offers a personalised hospitality experience for those looking to slow down, unwind, and reconnect with nature.
The experience had floored me. I wasn’t looking for anything like this. But got bemused and seduced, nevertheless.
Personalised hospitality and a total escape. That’s the deal and Antler Woods is the place…
(INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED, MULTIPLE AWARD – WINNING TRAVEL JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR)
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