Staying at Badgran / 14 Mile
Persimmon Farmstead at 14 Mile, Badgran sits on the Kullu–Manali highway about 14km south of Manali, a minute off the road. It's our original 2021 farmstay: an orchard property that catches strong morning sun, suits food-first travellers and families, is pet-friendly, and books by WhatsApp request.
This is where Persimmon started. We opened the Badgran house in 2021, on a shelf of orchard land at a spot everyone here still calls 14 Mile — fourteen miles out of Manali on the old Kullu road. It's the original farmstead, and for a lot of guests it's still the one they mean when they say they want to come back.
The location is simple to picture. You're on the Kullu–Manali highway, roughly 14km south of Manali town, sitting a little above the road on the true left of the Beas. The turn-in is short — under a minute from the tarmac to the gate — so you get the ease of being on the main artery without the traffic living in your room.
Below is the honest version: what the land does through the day, who tends to be happiest here, and how it differs from our Shanag house on the other side of town. If it sounds like your kind of stay, a WhatsApp message is all it takes to check dates.
A minute off the highway
The gate is a short turn off the Kullu–Manali road, so arriving in the dark or in rain is easy — no rough last-mile track, no hunting for the entrance. Taxis and self-drive cars reach the door.
Morning sun on the orchard
The land faces to catch the early light. Breakfast is in the sun on clear days from spring through autumn, and the apple, plum and pear trees around the house wake up before the valley does.
Food-first, as always
This is where our kitchen found its feet. Meals are home-style Himachali and North Indian, cooked to order around what's fresh — you eat with us, not off a laminated menu.
Pet-friendly and easy-going
Dogs are welcome here — the open orchard gives them room, and we're used to travelling pets. Tell us on WhatsApp when you book so we can set the room up right.
How the day moves at 14 Mile
The Badgran house sits above the highway on the eastern side of the Beas, which means the sun arrives early and the orchard warms up first. Mornings are the best hours here — tea outside, the light coming over the far ridge, birds in the fruit trees. By afternoon the sun tracks across and the house softens into shade, which is exactly when you want to be back from a day out. Evenings are quiet: you're far enough from Manali that the noise drops away, close enough that dinner is never a production.
Getting here and getting around
From Manali town it's about 14km south, roughly 25–35 minutes by taxi depending on the highway traffic through Kullu-bound stretches. Coming up from Bhuntar airport or the Aut tunnel, you reach us before you reach Manali — so it's a natural first or last night if you're flying or driving in from the plains. The turn off the highway is brief and drivable in any weather. Local taxis know 14 Mile; if yours doesn't, we'll share a live pin on WhatsApp.
What's within reach
- Manali town, Mall Road and the Hidimba temple — about 25–35 minutes north
- Naggar Castle and the Roerich gallery — roughly 20 minutes south, on your side of the river
- Kullu and the Bhuntar airport road — south towards the valley, easy for arrivals and departures
- Old Manali cafés and Solang — a little further north than Shanag, better as a planned day than a quick hop
Who this house suits
Badgran is for people who want the orchard-farmstay feeling with the least fuss getting to it. Families like it because the approach is gentle and the open ground gives children and dogs somewhere to be. Couples after slow mornings and long breakfasts settle in well. Road-trippers and anyone flying via Bhuntar find it a sensible bookend to the trip, since it's on the town-side of the highway coming up. If your heart is set on being right against the Solang-side pine forest, read our Shanag page — that house is closer to Old Manali and sits higher.
Eating with us
Food is the reason a lot of guests choose Persimmon over a plain guesthouse, and the Badgran kitchen is where that started in 2021. There's no fixed menu — we cook home-style, seasonal, mostly Himachali and North Indian, and we ask what you like rather than hand you a card. Fruit off our own trees turns up on the table in season: plums and apricots through the warm months, apples and pears into autumn. Tell us about allergies or a vegetarian household when you book and it's handled.
Seasons, plainly
Spring, from March into May, brings blossom in the orchard and mild, bright days. Summer, June to August, is green and busy — the best light is early, before the afternoon haze. The monsoon threads through July and August with short heavy spells; the short highway turn-in matters most then, since you're never stuck on a slippery track. September and October are our quiet favourite: clear air, cool nights, and the fruit coming in. Winters are cold and calm — sunny days, sharp nights, and the odd snowfall down at this altitude, though heavier snow sits above us toward Solang.
Badgran or Shanag?
Both are Persimmon, same hosts and same kitchen ethos, but they feel different. Badgran (this house, 14 Mile) is south of Manali on the highway, easy to reach, orchard-open, strong morning sun. Shanag is north of town near Bahang, about 4–5km up toward Old Manali and Solang, higher and closer to the pine slopes. If ease of arrival and open orchard mornings appeal, stay here. If you want to be tucked north of town near the trailheads, look at Shanag.
Booking
We take bookings as a request over WhatsApp — no online payment, no instant-confirm button. You message us with your dates and who's coming, we check the house is free and confirm, and we sort meals and any pet or dietary details in the same conversation. It's a small, family-run place; talking to us first is how we keep it that way.
The FarmsteadPersimmon Farmstead
The flagship boutique hotel — orchard rows, a family kitchen, and the morning sun.
Explore this home
The Shanag HousePersimmon Farmstead Shanag
The high boutique hotel — wooden chalets and stone cottages on open orchard lawns.
Explore this homeGood to know
Where exactly is the Badgran house?
At 14 Mile, Badgran, on the Kullu–Manali highway about 14km south of Manali town — a short turn off the main road, above the eastern bank of the Beas. It's roughly 25–35 minutes by taxi from Manali, and you pass it before reaching town if you're coming up from Bhuntar or the plains.
How is it different from Persimmon Farmstead Shanag?
Badgran is our original house, south of Manali on the highway, easy to reach and open to the orchard with strong morning sun. Shanag sits north of town near Bahang, 4–5km toward Old Manali and Solang, higher and closer to the pine slopes. Same hosts and kitchen, different setting.
Is the house pet-friendly?
Yes. Dogs are welcome and the open orchard gives them room to move. Let us know on WhatsApp when you request dates so we can prepare the room for a travelling pet.
How do we book?
By WhatsApp request. Send us your dates and group, we confirm the house is free, and we arrange meals and any dietary or pet needs in the same chat. There's no online payment and no published room pricing — we handle it directly with you.
Tell us your dates. We'll confirm, personally.
You send a request, a real host confirms it by WhatsApp — usually within a few hours.