Stayed at Hadimba Cottage for 5 days during the month of Dec 08. It was a nice stay - sort of rustic I would say. Was on honeymoon, hence sort of liked the privacy a cottage offers.
The cottages are lined up on the incline of a mountain ( of course Manali is a town nestled between mountains). There are total 18 cottages set-up as pair of 9 structures.
Each cottage is built with Wood , with a Bed room attached Bath, a Dining / Sitting room and a Kitchen - though not very clean but still manageable. Kitchen has Gas, some utensils and one pre-historic fridge ! :).
Its a nice set-up with Nature all around you , with privacy and cozy setting. The staff is very helpful and courteous. The location of cottage makes it a hit.
You can sit on the portico full day and enjoy the Nature around - gives a nice view of snow capped mountains. Price of 2000/- INR per day looked decent , however since we landed up during Christmas and New year eve, we found out to our horror the price was jacked up to 3350/- with some food throw in.
This was not the occasion to argue with HPTDC - so ended up paying. Beware of HPTDC - check, recheck again and again before you book, as a small disclaimer will do you in. I had not expected this of a Govt run body - making moolah out of tourists in seasons.
Nevertheless I recommend the cottages for honeymoon couples, you will njoy.