Nice place for a relaxing weekend. Located inside forest , far away from all rushes. Excellent property for detoxing yourself. Highly suggested for people planning for a trek at Matheran and also for families for a time together.
It was wonderful to be back in Barr House (last visit was in 2009). The property itself remains as beautiful as ever, though Matheran town has really degenerated in terms of waste management. The walk to the Barr House was not very pleasant. The best part of the stay in Barr House was the staff - Shyam, Vishnu, Jibin. They are all very helpful and warm. However, the care of the property seems to have suffered, especially the common areas. For instance, - Evidently, cobwebs have not been cleaned in a long time. They were everywhere, even in the handle of chairs. - Upholstery of chairs have faded, cushions need to be changed, polishing and repair of furniture is much needed...giving the property a run-down feel. - The plastic curtains in the iconic verandah are supposed to be transparent - they have turned opaque with long periods of no cleaning. - The cupboards (even inside the rooms) need to be cleared of old cables, wires, telephone sets. - Suggest setting up a fully equipped first-aid box (one of the guests needed bandaid and they could only find 2!) especially considering the remote location of the resort. In fact, one of the staff members should be trained in first-aid. The local cuisine was very well made. However, Barr House earlier had a repertoire for Parsi and Continental food. That is not the case any more. I don't think you should offer those as your speciality (I read it somewhere on the website).…
Amazing experience, this place is for people seeking calm and peace. Away from the hustle bustle of the market. Centre of Attraction is the bungalow itself, it's architecture and furniture. One can just relax with worrying about phone calls and email popups as in most of the bungalow area there is no network. There is one wifi router which can be of help in emergency near the Manager's room. I cannot close the review without mentioning the Food, the food served is delicious inside the house.
That we had not ever been to Matheran did not sit well with me so on a last minute whim, I booked ourselves in the Dune Barr House. One of my friends called me and questioned why we would think of going there and that it was a sh___y place. I wish I had taken her seriously. It is a hillstation gone all wrong..its conceptually very good-what with no cars allowed, the whole toy train experience etc., but it has failed miserably. In reality, all we could see and smell was horse sh__. As soon as we reached Matheran, we were bombarded with people offering horse rides to the hotel etc. After taking the toy train from Dasturi Car Station ( a place where you have to park your car) to Matheran- we were greeted by hoardes of people again offering rickshaw rides to the hotel. It was a hot afternoon and all we wanted was to get to the hotel so we agreed and hopped in two of them. The hotel is an old heritage property that must have seen happier days. There was no air-conditioning and it did get quite hot. Felt like the owners did not want to spend any money in maintaining the property(which felt like a rip-off because they had charged us 26,500 for two nights ) The only saving grace was the meagre staff that they had there. The manager was very sweet. He worked with the cook to get us all our meals , just the way we wanted them. The meals were quite tasty and priced decently. There were huge monkeys all over the place- who had to be watched closely so that they could let you eat in peace in the verandah. Not a comfortable feeling at all. All in all, a definite no-no. Don't bother wasting your precious time and money on either the hill station or the hotel.…
Our stay at Dune Barr House was memorable. This is a heritage resort, which was originally built by Capt Barr in the 19th century. The old world charm is still retained. The rooms are big with very high ceilings (so ceiling fans are out). It's a place to be with nature and the rooms don't have air-conditioning, television and don't have mobile connectivity too ! It's a perfect getaway place where you can just chill. There is an impressive reception and dining area and you just wonder at the various times those pieces of furniture would have witnessed. A special word for Rahteesh and his team who left no stone unturned in making this holiday special for us
We had one of our most amazing stays in this beautiful ancient (170 yrs old!) property well located near some out of the world views. We were well taken care by property manager Ratheesh and his team. Everything we asked for they responded with a positive. Simply great hosts. The chef provided us with some great meals customised to our liking. 5 stars and highly recommended. Choose only this place if you are visiting Matheran. Better still plan for a visit once. Won’t regret.
Staying at the Barr House was a life experience. Nestled cosyly in the rugged terrain, towering trees, swaying branches and the rustling leaves is this more than century old British mansion. The ancient wooden and wrought iron furniture, antiques, picturesque British and Parsi paintings, exquisite hall, magnificent dinning table and crockery and a unique verandah are things which Barr House can boast of. One can either go walking to the renowned Matheran points or sit on the wrought iron chair under the tree and sip a cup of tea or borrow a book from their library, or nostalgically recollect one's childhood by playing a game of ludo in the unique verandah or sit in the palatial room and brood like a philosopher under the high ceiling and painted English glass panes. The food is delicious and served with great pomp and style. And above all, it is the Manager Mr Ratneesh who makes all the difference. Soft spoken, gentle and extremely courteous, Mr Ratneesh is always there to help you even if there is a problem. He gives you a very homely feeling. I remember the poet who said: A thing of beauty is joy forever !! Nilima and Kajal Chandiramani …
We (wife and kid) visited the property in Nov 21 Out overall experience was super - incl. property, service, food A special mention to the staff which was very courteous. They made sure everyone Incl. my child is well taken care of The rooms and property is very clean and maintained the charm
We booked our stay at this 170 year old mansion for a day. The place is extremely peaceful, food was superb, specially their special, mutton sukha. Staff is very polite and welcoming and it gives a home like vibe. Very comfortable rooms & amazing ambience.
I should probably give it a 3 but I'll give it 2 just to bring down its average rating which I believe is way too overrated. The cos: 1. No phone or Internet 2. The decor and building is old, nowhere close to the posh look that's in the pictures. 3. Service is poor 4. Way too expensive and not as good value for money The pros: 1. Close to couple of tourist spots. 2. Food quality is good.
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