Listed as Mustard House – Travellers Homestay · 4.9 stars across roughly 132 Google reviews and 4.9 from 118 on Justdial · near Ayurveda House, Lower Dharamkot · check-in 2 pm · free breakfast, wifi and parking. Ratings checked August 2026.
You will spot it before you find it. Mustard House is painted bright yellow and sits tucked into the forest on the lower side of Dharamkot, and reviewers keep describing it as a landmark they navigated by rather than an address they found.
It is run by Nupur Kohli, who spent roughly three decades in corporate life before building this. That background shows up in two places. The interiors are properly designed — not a guesthouse with a nice bedspread, but thought-through rooms that guests single out. And the hospitality is deliberate: she replies personally to almost every review, remembers guests by name, and the tone lands closer to a friend's spare room than a booking.
The food
This is the differentiator and it is not a small one. Google's own review summary leads with "delicious, comforting, and homemade", and guests repeatedly point out that this is one of very few homestays in Dharamkot serving full meals rather than pointing you down the hill. Breakfast is included.
In a village where the kitchens shut for three hours every afternoon and the walk back up from dinner is dark and steep, being able to eat where you sleep is worth more than an extra square metre of room. It is the single strongest argument for staying here.
There is a second thread worth knowing about: Nupur buys pickles made by local women and sells them through the homestay, which has grown into a small side operation of its own. Ask about the mustard pickle. It is a better souvenir than anything on the McLeod Ganj tourist strip.
The rooms
Clean, warm and comfortably furnished, with views into the forest on most sides. It is a small property rather than a hostel, so the atmosphere depends heavily on who else is staying — which in practice means it is quiet most of the time.
Where it is
Lower Dharamkot, on the wooded side, near Ayurveda House. You are a short walk from the Eevolve and Alt Life stretch and roughly ten minutes from the main café run, but the property itself is silent at night. McLeod Ganj is a walk or a short cab down.
Honest drawbacks
Three things. There is no published nightly rate, so you contact the property directly — no instant booking, and some back-and-forth on WhatsApp before you know what you are paying. "Lower Dharamkot" also means you climb to reach most of the cafés rather than stroll down to them.
And the ratings are not uniform. Google and Justdial both sit at 4.9, but Tripadvisor rates it 4 out of 5 and ranks it third of ten B&Bs in Dharamkot. That is still good; it is just not the flawless picture a single number suggests. Read a spread of reviews, not one platform.
One practical warning: a homestay with a very similar name operates in Naddi, on the other side of Dharamshala. Check the address says Dharamkot before you send money.
Best for
People who want to be fed and looked after — solo travellers, older couples, anyone who has grown tired of assembling dinner from three different cafés, and anyone arriving in monsoon when walking out for every meal stops being charming.
If it's booked out
For home cooking, Parvati House is the other Dharamkot property where the family cooks for guests, and White Rabbit Guest House in Upper Bhagsu runs a proper rooftop kitchen of its own.
If what you actually want is to cook for yourself instead, Kishore Singh Homestay and Yellow House both have rooms with working kitchens.
Full list: the best homestays in Dharamkot. Staying a while? The Dharamkot workation guide covers wifi, costs and the rhythm of the village, and our 30-day workation bundles a vetted stay with airport pickup and a local fixer. Hungry? Start with the best cafés in Dharamkot.
← All blog postsQuestions, answered
Does Mustard House Dharamkot serve meals?+
Yes — it is one of the few homestays in Dharamkot that cooks proper meals rather than directing guests to nearby cafés. Breakfast is included in the rate and other meals are home-cooked to order. Guests consistently rate the food as among the best they ate in Dharamkot.
How do you book Mustard House?+
Directly with the property — there is no published nightly rate and no instant booking, so expect a WhatsApp conversation about dates and rates first. That is normal for Dharamkot homestays and usually works out cheaper than a platform, especially for stays over a week.
Is Mustard House in Upper or Lower Dharamkot?+
Lower Dharamkot, in the forest near Ayurveda House. That means it is quiet at night and close to the Eevolve and Alt Life stretch, but you climb uphill to reach most of the village café strip — roughly ten minutes.