Why I created ZoonDub

When people visit ZoonDub for the first time, the reaction is almost always the same.

They step out of the car, look around quietly for a moment, and then say:

“It’s a beautiful place.”

It brings a smile to me every time I hear that, because beauty was always meant to be the first impression.

But ZoonDub was never built only to be admired. It was built to be lived in.

ZoonDub began as a personal home that my wife and I wanted to build in the Pawna Valley — a wooden house inspired by the warmth and quiet elegance of Kashmir. The idea was simple: a place away from the noise of the city, where mornings begin slowly and evenings stretch into long conversations.

During the construction itself, something interesting happened. Friends and family who visited began saying the same thing:

“Why don’t you host families here?”

What started as a personal home gradually evolved into something else — a private estate where we now welcome one family at a time.

From the beginning, I wanted the experience to feel very different from a typical villa stay.

When a family comes to ZoonDub, they do not rent rooms. They receive the entire estate — the wooden chalet, the gardens, the pool, the valley views, and the quiet spaces where conversations unfold naturally.

Most of our guests arrive as two or three families travelling together. Parents, children, sometimes grandparents as well. Groups of eight to twelve people who simply want to spend time together without the distractions of the city.

The rhythm of the stay is almost always the same.

After arrival and settling into the rooms, the property slowly reveals itself. The lawns invite children to run around, the pool becomes an afternoon gathering point, and by evening the dining table becomes the heart of the house.

Dinner at ZoonDub is rarely hurried.

Our kitchen prepares all meals fresh in-house, and guests often spend long hours at the table talking, eating slowly, and enjoying the food. Sometimes the conversation continues well after the meal, with people picking up their plates and walking out to the lawn or sitting along the parapets.

Later in the evening, most families naturally drift toward two spaces — Pavilion 360 or the poolside deck. These open areas overlooking the valley become the place where everyone gathers again. Conversations stretch late into the night, the breeze carries the quiet of the valley, and time slows down in a way that is increasingly rare in modern life.

Many guests tell me later that those evenings are what they remember most.

Behind the scenes, ZoonDub is cared for every day by a couple who have been with the property since the very beginning. They live on the estate and look after it as if it were their own home. Their presence ensures that everything runs smoothly, yet our service philosophy is simple: guests should feel complete privacy.

Our staff appear only when needed and otherwise remain discreetly in the background. This allows families to experience the space as their own.

Over the years we have hosted families from many different backgrounds — professionals from Mumbai and Pune, extended families celebrating milestones, and groups of friends travelling together with their children.

What touches me most is that many guests leave with the same parting thought.

“Next time we will bring more family.”

That sentiment captures exactly what ZoonDub was meant to be — a place where families gather, share meals, talk freely, and spend time together in a beautiful setting.

Today we have been fortunate to host over 160 family stays, and the overwhelming response has been humbling. Nearly all our guests have rated their experience five stars on Google, often mentioning the beauty of the place, the food, and the warmth of the hospitality.

For me, however, the greatest satisfaction comes from something much simpler.

Seeing families slow down.

Watching children run freely across the lawns.

And hearing long conversations continue late into the evening.

In a world that moves increasingly fast, ZoonDub was created as a place where time can briefly move at a different pace.

And that, perhaps, is the experience we are most grateful to share.

Warm regards,
Ravinder Bhan
Founder, ZoonDub Meadows & Chalet
Pawna Valley, Maharashtra