Mistycove is an exclusive lakefront homestay in Kodaikanal, consisting of five British colonial cottages spread over 3 acres of sprawling lawns with a lake frontage of over 500 feet. These cottages have been renovated and upgraded to meet modern comfort needs. The award winning flower gardens and lawns overlooking the majestic lake are the perfect spots to unwind with an evening tea, watching the sunset. 

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At the heart of this land, there lies a natural spring that flows year round, which provides water to the entire property. Using this natural spring water, a set of thermal baths are proposed, near a natural outdoor waterfall cradled by lush ferns. This is the soul of the project. There are three bath houses - one enclosed bath house with a well from which the untreated springwater is extracted, a second enclosed bath house with a heated pool, and a third open to sky heated pool, under the trees. Stone, wood, lime, springwater, and the scent of fresh fern and eucalyptus. 

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A few other additions are proposed - an independent recreational home for the family overlooking a pond and outdoor barbecue, a set of single and couple suites, a new reception block, outdoor yoga decks, vegetable garden patches, a complete walking trail, and a lake view deck at the highest point of the site. All the architecture follows the language of its colonial counterparts, while embodying an Indian identity at the same time. Locally sourced stone and wood form the majority of the built fabric. Spaces are designed for intimacy and framing the beautiful views the landscape has to offer.  

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All together, Mistycove is a beautiful natural ecosystem, a place where one can be in silence with oneself, a place of desire. 

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Concept design