Farmhouse in Dumas, Surat: What We Paid and What We'd Change
A first-hand account of booking a farmhouse in Dumas, Surat for a farewell for someone leaving — what we looked for, what it cost and what we would do differently.
The number first
The slot rate is ₹14,700 on a weekday and ₹17,640 at the weekend. On top of that there is a per-person charge of ₹500 above the included headcount, which with 50 of us moved the total more than the base rate did. There is also a refundable deposit of ₹5,000 collected at check-in. It comes back when you leave, but it is cash on the day and I nearly forgot it. Make it one person's job. Split across the families, it worked out well under what the restaurant would have cost for the same number of people — and we had a garden and a pool for the whole afternoon rather than two hours at a table. The one thing I would say about the money: work out your total for your actual headcount before you compare two properties. The cheaper-looking one was not cheaper for us.
Why we were looking in the first place
For a farewell for someone leaving we wanted somewhere the whole group could actually sit together. About 50 of us — a team of colleagues from the same office floor — and the usual problem: my house takes twelve people comfortably and not twenty-five. I run a transport business, so I am not in a position to plan things far ahead, and I had left this late. Payal (runs a diamond brokerage) had been sending me links for a week and I had not opened any of them.
At a glance
| Property | PartyPatch (BMF-F061) |
| Where | Dumas, Surat |
| Type | Farmhouse · 4 BHK |
| Guests — overnight | 25 |
| Guests — day | 50 |
| Weekday rate | ₹14,700 |
| Weekend rate | ₹17,640 |
| Extra person | ₹500 per head |
| Refundable deposit | ₹5,000, cash at check-in |
| Check-in | 10:00 AM / 10:00 PM |
How I shortlisted
My first mistake was searching by bedrooms. We were all going home the same evening, so bedrooms were irrelevant. The number I needed was the day-time guest limit, which on this property is 50 against 25 overnight. Once I searched on that instead, the list of options roughly tripled. The rest of my shortlist came down to food rules, parking for six or seven cars, and whether there was somewhere covered for the older people to sit.
I had been forwarded a BookMyFarm listing on WhatsApp months earlier and had not thought about it again until the group chat needed an answer.
The place we booked
PartyPatch is a 4BHK farmhouse in Dumas. What decided it for me was not the photographs — every listing has good photographs — it was that the details were actually written down. The listing says: BHK Fully Furnished Farm; Bed-room (Ac); Living Room with sofa cum bed (Ac); Pvt Swimming pool. The pool is private, and the whole property is yours for the slot — we were not sharing it with another booking, which I had assumed would be the case. All of that is on the listing before you pay anything, which is the part I had not expected.
The property was PartyPatch in Dumas, Surat.
Getting there
We went out along the Dumas road, picking up two families from Vesu on the way. The lesson I would pass on is about timing. I told everyone eleven o'clock. The last car reached at half past twelve. A group of 50 does not arrive at a time, it arrives across an hour and a half, and if you are the one who has to be there when the caretaker opens up, plan for that. If anyone in your group wants something to do besides sitting at the property, the Tapi river is the usual add-on from Surat, though we did not bother. Also worth doing your shopping before you turn off the highway. There is not much once you are into the area itself.
The detail that makes a booking safe
What separates a good listing from a photograph is specificity, and it is worth using. Pool dimensions including depth, whether there is a separate children's pool, how many bedrooms have attached bathrooms, whether the kitchen is active, what the caretaker does, what is chargeable on top of the slot rate.
Where an owner has filled that in — and most have — you can size a booking to your group accurately rather than hoping.
How the day went
Everyone drifted in through the late morning, tea got made, and then the long middle part of the day that is actually why people come. The children were in the water within twenty minutes and did not come out for three hours. We took turns watching, worked out in advance, which I would recommend to anybody. Lunch went on for a long time. Vishal, who has a saree wholesale shop in the textile market and who had been the most sceptical about the whole plan, sat at that table for four hours. By six we were packing up. Nobody had spent the day in a car, and my parents sat and talked to their grandchildren for four hours instead of twenty minutes, which was really the whole reason I booked it.
Why an OTA search does not surface this
If you have tried finding a place like this on Airbnb or a hotel aggregator, the gap is structural rather than a matter of taste. Those platforms sell nights. This category is largely sold in slots — a half day, a full day, or an overnight — and the day slot is what most family gatherings and birthdays actually need.
The second difference is capacity. A farmhouse routinely takes fifty, eighty or a hundred people for a daytime function while sleeping fifteen. An OTA listing shows one guest number, so the property either looks far too small for your function or does not appear at all.
Comparing what Surat offers
| Property | Where | Sleeps / by day | From (weekday) | Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PartyPatch | Dumas | 25 / 50 | ₹9,800 | Private |
| Glow & Flow | Olpad | 20 / — | ₹6,231 | Private + kids |
| Mango | Kamrej | 20 / 20 | ₹4,749 | Private + kids |
| Blue-Berry | Kamrej | 20 / 20 | ₹5,572 | Private |
| HappyPlay | Olpad | 15 / — | ₹4,185 | Private |
Work the total out for your actual headcount before comparing these. Above roughly twenty guests the per-person charge reorders the list more often than not.
Would I book it again
What I know now that I did not know when I started looking: — Take the full day rather than the half if the difference is small. It usually is, and the extra hours matter more than you think. — Message the owner before booking. The one question worth asking is what usually goes wrong at bookings there — they will tell you. — Tell everyone to arrive an hour earlier than you actually need them. — Check the music cut-off time if the evening matters. Most properties stop at ten and they mean it. — Search on the day-time guest limit if nobody is staying over. Bedrooms are the wrong filter and they hide the properties that would suit you. And book earlier than feels necessary. The properties that take a large group are a small share of what is listed, and they go first.
No middleman
The chat on each listing goes to the owner or their caretaker. That removes the layer that causes most of the friction in this category — the broker who is not on site, does not know the property well and is not the person you will meet on the day.
It also means you can settle the awkward questions in writing, in the same thread as the booking, which is worth more than any verbal assurance when the person handing you the keys turns out to be someone else.
Finding one yourself
The practical route is the app or the website: pick your city, pick the area if you know it, and filter on what your group actually needs — a private pool, a separate children's pool, covered seating, a kitchen you can use, parking for eight cars.
Short-term rental vacation homes in Surat are a genuinely different product from hotel rooms, and searching for them on a hotel platform is why most people conclude nothing exists. As an Airbnb alternative for farmhouses, villas and resorts in India, the difference is that day bookings and whole-property exclusivity are the default rather than the exception.
If the stay goes well, leave a review and tell people which property it was. Owners in this market live on repeat bookings and recommendations far more than on advertising, and a specific recommendation — the property, the area, what it cost, what to watch out for — is worth considerably more to the next family than a five-star rating on its own.
Where to look
Browse all Surat properties · farmhouses · villas · weekend homes · family get-togethers · birthday-party farmhouses · pool farmhouses.
Written up from a guest's point of view. The narrator here is a composite rather than one named customer — but the property, its rates, capacities, amenities and house rules are taken from the live listing and were accurate when this was published.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kids Swimming pool is available ?+
Currently, a dedicated kids' swimming pool is not available. However, our regular swimming pool is accessible for all guests.
Veg And Non-Veg food both Are Allowed ?+
Yes
Is this farmhouse or villa fully private or will it be shared with other guests?+
When you book PartyPatch in Dumas, the entire property is reserved exclusively for your group. You will not have to share the space with other guests.
How many people can stay at this property?+
PartyPatch is suitable for group stays. The exact capacity depends on layout, so it's best to confirm guest limits before booking.
How many people can PartyPatch take?+
It is listed for 50 guests on a day booking and 25 overnight. A day booking is limited by garden, parking and washrooms; an overnight is limited by beds. If nobody is staying the night, the day figure is the one to search on.
What does PartyPatch cost?+
The slot rate is ₹14,700 on a weekday and ₹17,640 at the weekend. Above the included headcount there is a per-person charge of ₹500 a head, which at a large group moves the total more than the base rate does.
Is there a security deposit?+
Yes — ₹5,000, refundable, collected in cash at check-in and returned at check-out. It is not part of the online payment, so somebody in the group needs to be carrying it.
Can I book for the day without staying the night?+
Yes. Most properties sell a half day and a full day as well as an overnight, and the day slot is what a birthday or a family lunch usually needs. It is also why the day-time guest limit is often several times the sleeping capacity.