Luxury Stay @ Kurumba Village Resort

Archana and I have a special connect with mountains and jungles. We find solace, peace and mental rejuvenation each time we visit such destinations and that’s why any place location in such terrain is always close to our heart. This is what drove us to book our recent vacation in Kurumba Village Resort in Coonoor. Located outside the city, the resort is accessible through a fun and exciting off-road drive of about half a kilometer from the main road. It’s very easy to miss the turn, had it not been for a staff member waiting for us on the curb we would have trusted google and moved on ahead!

Kurumba Village Resort presents a luxury experience to its guests through it highly rated service, kosher food and fantastic location. It’s named after the Kurumbas, a local tribe from the Nilgiri region who were known to be excellent hunters/gatherers and lived in steep edges of the Nilgiri mountains. The resort, similar to characteristics of the tribe represents closeness to nature, artistic beauty, and focus on homegrown food.
After a 10 minute off-road drive, we lingered into the reception where the staff was waiting for us with garlands and a local herbal tea. As we were finishing the tea, we saw a golf buggy pulling up and we were wondering what it was for. The staff told us that since the property was spread across 17 across on the hilly slopes, the buggy would help us move around the vicinity. Super! Just the thought of roaming around in the buggy brought out the child within us as we hurriedly hopped on to it trying to occupy the best seats!The buggy took us through the winding roads full of Nutmeg trees, wild flowers and gigantic Bay Leaf trees. The property houses 3 kinds of room depending upon the view and the size of the bungalow – Kurumba Cottage, Kurumba Suite and the pampering Jacuzzi Room.
What we saw next, that moment was so beautiful and mesmerizing! Our room was located right next to a waterfall; so close that we could reach out of the balcony and touch the cold, clear, pristine waterfall flowing down from the massive mountains in front. We were booked into the Kurumba suite; a 2 floored luxury bungalow with a lovely view shown below.
The Infinity Pool

Kurumba Village’s infinity pool is not an accoutrement, but one of the main highlights of the property. The pool is more of a lounging area which juts out into the forest presenting a beautiful view of the valley in front.
Private BBQ in our room

This came highly recommended and we decided to take advantage of the starry night and have the BBQ in our balcony. Soon enough the staff walked in carrying all the ingredient and set up shop, ready to serve us some exotic looking preparations! We were  served with an aperitif and sat down to some tasty morsels, the sounds of the waterfall, Malabar Squirrels and chicken being cooked in ghee. The aroma flew across the balcony, a slow breeze carrying the flavours across to us. We were literally drooling looking at the ingredients and couldn’t wait to get a bite of all the dishes the chef had in store for us.

 

The BBQ preparation is made using home-grown spices and herbs by chef Bablu from West Bengal. He is from Digha and has been cooking for about 10 years. Started cleaning utensils then worked as a server and graduated to being a chef. He was kind enough to share his recipe for chicken kosha with us.

First up, was the tandoori chicken with spicy tomato chutney. It was a delicious combination of the chicken marinated for more a day in various spices all grown in the property. Visually it was striking and the taste of the chicken was an interesting contrast with the tangy chutney.

This was followed by Grilled chicken that brought with it heavenly taste of mustard oil and spices. Cooked to perfection and served piping hot, the chicken was a testament to the chef’s cooking skills. Finger licking good and dripping with juices, we hurriedly lapped up half a chicken in no time! The non veg was accompanied by grilled potatoes, mushrooms, pineapple and corn but we chose to write about the chicken since we are hard core non veggies. Nevertheless, every single tandoori dish was perfect and demanded as much attention as the previous one!

Tree Top Candlelit Dinner

A lavish 7 course dinner served atop a tree house. The walkway decorated with candles led us into the dining space with beautiful flowers on the table, antique lamps and the aroma of local spices. We were greeted by Mr. Murali, the head chef at Kurumba. He has even cooking since the last 20 years and just listening to him explain his preparations made us realise how passionate he is about this art.
The meal started off with a refreshing of mint & watermelon juice accompanies by Russian salad. The fruits and veggies, grown mostly at their property, tasted so fresh and tender and a far cry from the stale ones we get in the city. Next came Onion Rings and chicken fritters. I would have never imagined having these in the middle on a jungle in India and prepared just the way Americans would!
For main course. we had Bayleaf chicken. As we unwrapped the bay leaf, the aroma of authentic local spices filled the air and we could see the juices flowing into the plate. What we experience next was nothing short of an explosion of deliciousness in our palate! Nothing short of sheer brilliance, this chicken took just 30 mins for the Chef to prepare but has left a lifelong impact on us. We hadn’t even heard of such a preparation before let alone taste any chicken as succulent as this.
Our entire dining experience was surreal due to the food and the environment. Nothing can get more romantic for a couple than dining on a rooftop with fireflies all over the place! Thumbs up to the entire Kurumba team for giving us such a stupendous experience!

To sum it up, its a place so heavenly that even the clouds stop by. We watched the clouds, as still as a child in deep sleep, hugging the trees. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Kurumba Village Resort and would definitely return. The hotel ticked off the boxes for us in location, service and amenities. Obviously, most people visit Kurumba for the seclusion but I think their greatest asset is their staff. They were all genuinely friendly and helpful and made our stay very comfortable!

A Fairy Tale Homestay

As kids, many of us have watched fairytales on TV every Sunday morning, but in real life how many of us have got a chance to live or even be at a place like that? Well I have!! A place which is far from the maddening crowd and amidst a huge coffee plantation. Where Drongo’s make such cute yet unusual sounds that it blows your mind away. A place where huge mammals are welcome as well as cute little pups..a place which I call “LALALAND”For those who believe that fairytales exist and childhood dreams do come true then this place is definitely for you. Nestled in COORG-KUTTA, the unique cottages and their architecture is enough to remind you of your fairytales. No wonders its owners-Mrs Meena and Mr Ravi fell in love with this property the very first time they saw it, and decided to sell their house in Gurgaon in order to buy this plantation which they now call Turtlepond.
At the beginning, the huts were just shells and it was with the help of an Estonian traveller and his girlfriend who were on a cycling tour of Coorg and fell in love with the region. They stayed at Turtle Pond for many months and decided to design the shells and turn them into cottages. Later the cottages were also painted by them. The most amazing part about these wooden cottages is that every single bit of it is handbuilt and they typically look like cottages that are found in rural Estonia and Northern Russia.
The rooms of the cottages are cute, quaint, spacious and very comfortable. Apart from the beds, there is an almirah, a cooler, a dressing table and a big washroom.  Every cottage has a small and cute deck outside, where one can listen to the birds; their early morning chatter, or sip a cup of coffee, or even watch some wildlife pass through the property.  Moreover Coorg, that has a cool temperature throughout the year, makes this homestay an ideal place for you to relax and lose yourself in nature.
The owners/ host (I like to call them Uncle and Aunty) are an absolute pleasure to be with. They take such good care of you and ensure you are at your utmost comfort during your stay in Turtlepond. The food served is just delicious. Girish, their cook cum helper, prepares it all along with aunty. I still cannot forget the taste of that yummy chicken gravy which was served to us for dinner that night.
We had an absolutely wonderful experience at Turtlepond. The stay, the place , the room, the food, the gossips, the campfire and the warm hosts  were all just perfect. Exactly what you want when you are on a vacation. Oh and not to forget the thrilling discussions we had about their working days and Masai Mara!!
The owners of Turtlepond  are trying their best to restore the pristine beauty of their property and the plantation. They  are putting in all their efforts to turn their plantation into an organic one.  

Although our first visit to this place was planned for 1N2D,  I am coming back soon and given a chance I would spend days staying in this place. The homestay is so serene, beautiful and has a perfect blend of wild outdoors, coffee plantations, nature trails and beautiful scenic views. A perfect destination for us to be !

Green Eyes, Dark Jungle!

We are wildlife lovers and always jump at the opportunity to spot some in the jungles of Bandipur or Masinagudi. Recently during one such experience we were headed to a homestay near Masinagudi. The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary also a declared tiger reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains), in Nilgiri District, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-west of Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu. It shares its boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala. The sanctuary is divided into five ranges – Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.Situated around the sanctuary is a small homestay. It looks quiant and secluded but as we soon found out, its anything but. This homestay has a lot to offer in terms of nature, wildlife, treks, adventure or even food – this place has it all. Around 260 kms from Bangalore is this homestay where Man meets Wild. While going towards the stay you feel you are going towards a big hill from far, but this hill turns out into a thick wild forest when you enter it.
We reached there on a Saturday noon and the one thing that captured my eyes was the thick forest in front of us. I look around and the only thing I could see is trees & bushes…At this point I knew I was amidst the wild. The rooms here are like those that we saw in the movie “CROODS” …They are stoneage style. A bed, a small table and an attached bathroom is what you will find here. Take a small hike uphill and you will find more rooms that look like caves. They look dark and dingy and we opt to take the ones with better lighting!
After resting for sometime a satisfying lunch awaited us. Rice, rotis, dal, chicken..there was everything ..everything that is least expected in a place like this. While we were enjoying our food someone screamed “Look Up!!…..our heads turned…It was a giant squirrel playing around in the trees- It was my first encounter with such an animal. A treat to our eyes 🙂
Post lunch as we decided to take a short nap while enjoying the whistle of a bird called the Schoolboy; yes it whistles like a kid and its as melodious as a song. Out of the blue, we are disturbed by the howling of monkeys…dozens of them sitting on tall trees going berserk. We wondered what was wrong and then our guide told us that there is a PREDATOR nearby. The monkeys are warning the jungle!!
Since  the howling of these monkeys was a familiar noise for us we too started paying attention. And then we heard it…the footsteps of something heavy….walking in the bushes. Our guide picks up a long dagger and ushers us to move towards an observation deck. We walk inside to get a panoramic view on the ravine. Nothing! No movement or sound. Our guide decides to go down into the ravine; he says the predator won’t attack with so many people around. We somehow muster enough courage, pick up some sticks and cautiously walk behind him. We hear footsteps on top of the ravine and suddenly there is silence.

We wander around hoping to get a glimpse of the animal but instead come across a carcass of a Bison. It was recently attacked by a tiger a week ago. The sight of bones and dried up skin is a little disturbing and frightening. We quickly get out of the ditch and move towards our room.
By now it was evening and we were waiting for our tea to be served we were shocked to see a huge tusker just meters away from where we were standing. There was panic amongst everyone. We watched the mammal closely, hoping that it keeps its peace. He looks weak, there is dearth of water and food in this jungle. Rainfall has been below average and animals don’t have much food. The elephant lingers on slowly, disappearing into the bushes.
It was night by now..pitch dark and the only light we had was that from our bonfire. Soon we were discussing on how interesting the day had been for us  and how close we came to spotting a predator. I had too many drinks and I head towards the washroom. Its a little far away from the campfire so I grab a torchlight; just in case. I shine it around the area where we heard the footsteps. I see Green Eyes….lurking under a tree. I am scared, too scared to move or call out to my friends. I stand there absolutely still….those eyes focussed on me, not moving.

My friends saw me and they grabbed their torch lights and pointed it towards the jungle in front of us. It looks like a big cat and I am quite sure its a leopard. Our guide comes running down from the pantry and confirms our fears. What separates us from the leopard is about 20 ft of bushes. He slowly moves towards us and disappears. We frantically point the lights around..desperately trying to spot him. We are quickly pushed into one of the rooms by the staff and ordered not to come outside. This is scary…we can hear each others heart beating faster and faster. This is no longer fun; a leopard is quick and agile and can easily overpower us.

Its been two hours since we have been holed up in our rooms. The staff finally comes over and ask us to join them for dinner. Dinner is fast…we gulp it down in a hurry to get back into our rooms! We move in groups, holding hands, and shining the light near the trees. We spot it again; perches this time on top of the tree. On a branch right opposite our room. Its looking at us with those shining big green eyes. It doesn’t even blink once. We all huddle into our beds and soon we have slept!

The next morning is spent talking about our experience and how scared we all were. Our only regret is that we couldn’t capture anything on film; no one thought of getting the camera!!! Since then we have returned to this place every 3 months and spotted a plethora of wildlife; from giant squirrels, to black monkeys, bisons, elephants, hornbills. But the leopard hasn’t come back. But we hope someday it does!