OUR HISTORY
Octavius tea resorts – a beautiful plantation retreat set amidst low lying mountainous terrain, lush vegetation, and incredible vistas. It is a hidden treasure in Dooars with its two tea estates – Nya sylee tea Estate in Nagrakata and Sylee tea estate in Damdim promising to give you the most exotic and innovative way to enjoy nature.
FOUNDED IN 1898
Octavius Tea & Industries Limited, founded in 1898, was a sister concern of Octavius Steel and Co. Ltd – a proprietary business headed by a young Walter Duncan descending from a farming family from Glasgow. The easy trade environment on the Indian shores lured him to set up tea trading companies to cultivate the ‘honey brew’ of the Darjeeling slopes across Dooars, Cachar & Sylhet. Profits of the steel business were invested to form this establishment, in erstwhile British India. When India attained freedom, the tea estates of Octavius were acquired by an Indian trading company, still working under their original British brand name.
FROM ONE ABLE LEADERSHIP TO ANOTHER
Later, in the late 90’s it changed hands and is now headed by one of India’s leading tea trading and exporting firms. Today, this family carries almost a century of tea knowledge in their inheritance, and we at Octavius are glad to be able to invite you to experience this legacy.
THE TEA EXPERIENCE-STARTED IN 2016
In 2016, we opened our tea estates for the tea enthusiasts who would be interested in knowing about how a tea leaf makes it to their teacup.
Nya Sylee Tea Estate
The initial idea took about a year to materialize once we did the complete restoration of the main bungalow of Nya Sylee tea estate. This bungalow has been a home to generations of planters. Our aim was to restore it to its original grandeur.
In 2016 The Main Director’s Bungalow in Nya Sylee Tea estate was lovingly restored, whilst retaining the style of a colonial planter’s bungalow. The estate is spread across 775.52 hectares and the area under plantation is 460.70 hectares. The director’s bungalows are in the midst of this plantation and is a Heritage Bungalow of the British era. The Bungalow has three comfortable, spacious yet cozy bedrooms which have been charmingly decorated in the colonial style. The view of the tea gardens from the bungalow is mesmerizing.
Sylee Tea Estate
In 2017 we restored the other Director’s Bungalow in Sylee Tea estate. This bungalow is at a fabulous location and the view of the mountains and the tea estate from the bungalow is breathtaking. It is a now a century old well-preserved two storeyed colonial structure with antique furniture and old Burma teak flooring. The small balconies just outside each of these large windows are perfect for enjoying the magnificent views all around.
The Bungalow has three comfortable, spacious yet cosy bedrooms which have been charmingly decorated in the colonial style. Staying in this place itself is undoubtedly an enticing experience as this beautifully themed working plantation retreat gives “A close interaction with nature and heritage”.
These antique bungalows had been converted to a tea resort with much passion, Thoughtfulness and commitment ensuring that heritage has been retained and history has been kept alive. However, to keep to our conventional requirements and desired comforts, the bungalows had been renovated with modern amenities.