Glenburn Tea Estate

Surrounded by the rolling, green tea fields of Darjeeling and sitting in the shadow of some of the highest mountains in the world, Glenburn Tea Estate has a spectacular location. It has a long tea-producing history, and friendly hosts Will and Faye lend the hotel a family atmosphere.

You’ll stay in one of the estate’s two bungalows, each of which has four suites with shared gardens, verandas and terraces.

The Burra Bungalow has been home to generations of tea planters and features a large main veranda, and a cosy living room with a fireplace where you can curl up with a book from the bungalow’s own library.

The Water Lily Bungalow features gardens and verandas spread across two levels, and all four bedrooms have great views of the mountains.

The rooms are each individual. The cosy Simbong Butterfly Room has a canopied four-poster bed adorned with butterflies, with roses and wisteria featuring elsewhere in the room, and gorgeous sunrise views. The Kanchenjunga Suite is named for the mountain of the same name, the third-highest in the world, and Darjeeling is famous for the views over this mountain.

The estate offers an ever-changing menu of Indian, Asian and European dishes, making use of the hotel’s own herb and vegetable garden. Dining is a homely affair, and many recipes have been passed down the generations, such as Tibetan momo dumplings, tea-leaf pakoras and Burmese Khow Suey. 

This delicious food can be enjoyed in a variety of locations, including the Morning Room overlooking the veranda, or under the pomelo tree outside the Water Lily Bungalow. Picnics can also be arranged at various spots around the tea estate, as can barbecues on the terrace or down by the river.

A range of massage and spa treatments are available, which make the most of the estate’s produce: Darjeeling tea. Try a full body massage using Darjeeling green tea oil, followed by a green tea bath soak or a steam treatment.

On the ground floor of the Water Lily Bungalow is a mini spa room where you can enjoy a massage to the backdrop of ambient candlelight and Tibetan chanting. Foot, head and shoulder massages can also be enjoyed on any of the terraces or verandas.

A range of guided walking tours through the estate will teach you about the Darjeeling region’s rich history of tea production. Walks vary in length and difficulty, so there’s something for everyone, and begin with an audiovisual presentation on Glenburn’s history. You’ll then visit the tea factory, where you’ll be talked through the processes of withering, rolling, fermenting, drying and sorting, before finally indulging in a tasting session of black, green, oolong and white teas.

If you’ve had enough of tea, then the rolling fields make for beautiful hikes, with local highlights including the wooden Manjitar suspension bridge and the Rung Dung River. Cookery classes are also on offer at the estate’s open kitchen.