Jones Estate, originally a property of over a thousand acres, (which included a tea estate that still survives under the forest that has been allowed to grow over it), was owned by Col.Jones,who was also the magistrate of the area.

Part of this property was bought from the Colonel at the time of India's Independence by Frederick Smetacek, who fled the Nazis and managed to board a ship sailing to India in 1939. He hailed from Sudetenland, a German-speaking enclave now a part of the Czech Republic.

He had established himself as a successful businessman in Calcutta, where he married Shaheda Ahad, a descendant of Tipu Sultan. A highly popular and warm personality, she was famous for her entertaining stories of her life and experiences during and after the British Raj, and is fondly remembered by all who met her during their stays at The Retreat.

Fredrick Smetacek moved with his family to the Kumaon Hills where he opened The Retreat as a holiday home catering to diplomats from all over the world.

Also an avid entomologist, his extensive collection of butterflies and moths is one of the most well recognised.

The family has run The Retreat throughout the years, and its old-world charm and cosy atmosphere has been preserved to this day and the family's warm hospitality has that same old-style quality.

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