Hola Steemians, I had recently been to the Scotland of the east, Coorg. Its a beautiful hill station around 150 Km from Mangalore in the southern part of India. The capital of this district is Madikeri and is mix of British era fortifications and buildings surrounded by quaint little coffee plantations. Its the perfect weekend getaway for people from Mangalore, Bangalore and Mysore which are all equidistant from Coorg. Its in this place that we have the beautiful property Vivanta by Taj which is very close to Madikeri but feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. The entrance is simple but wild and immediately gives a feel to the things to come. We drive up to the lobby and are greeted by the ever smiling staff that are willing to go out of their way to make your stay comfortable. After a traditional 'Aarati and kumkum' welcome, we are lead to the lobby. Its huge and airy built in dark coloured wood with the interiors complementing it with hints of purple.
The lobby opens up in to a sit out area with a view of the surrounding hills and in to the valley below. Its easily a few hundred feet to the bottom from the here.
After completing the check-in formalities, we were dropped to our room in an electric buggy as the rooms are pretty far from the lobby.
The rooms are actually individual bungalows set on stilts on the side of the steep hill with breathtaking views from the balcony.
The view from the bed is great as well with unobstructed views of the valley. The view is spacious enough to have a study desk in one corner. The bathrooms are in a room behind the bed and have all the amenities that are present in most Vivanta properties. It also comes with a custom built black slate tub that quite big
We headed next to the restaurant for lunch. The restaurant building is again set against the hill side and overlooks the pool way below in the valley. Perfect place for an afternoon beer!!!
We also got to see how our bungalow looks at home in the forest while we enjoyed our lunch. The menu had a variety of cuisine but had mostly Indian and local Coorgi cuisine. They also had a nice collection of cocktails and single malt whiskeys as well
After a short nap, we headed to the recreation area that housed below the lobby. They have all sorts of activities such as table tennis, snooker, a gym, a spa and a heated pool as well. The pool is an infinity pool with the same view as the lobby.
Overall, I had a great stay at Taj Vivanta, the one thing that makes this property stand out from the others is the view from everywhere in the property. You're always on the side of the hill!!! Its a great feeling, and although we went in summer, would be a completely different experience in the cooler months of November and December. I also forgot to mention the other activities available at the property, there's hiking and plantation walks with a guide, massage centre with Ayurvedic treatments. They also can arrange for white water rafting trips along with sightseeing if booked or informed in advance. On the whole, a great experience and would recommend to anyone who is looking for a quite weekend in the hills of Coorg.