India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [254]
The Tall Trees Located 8km (5 miles) outside of scruffy Munnar town, this aptly named miniresort consists of pale-gray clapboard-style bungalows, many of them on stilts and arranged so that none of the 561 trees in the 26-hectare (66-acre) woodlands had to be felled. Of the three cottage categories, the standard—spacious, with a balcony—should suffice; the two-bedroom luxury cottages will suit families. Interiors, with bland, minimal furnishings (some badly frayed), lack the character promised by the scintillating setting, but this needn’t detract too seriously from the peaceful environment, with great bird-watching from your veranda (although some of the architectural design hampers the view). It can be a long walk uphill to the restaurant, so request a cottage close by if you’re not that fit. Then again, the food isn’t great, and service is patchy, so if you’re inclined to be demanding, you’re in for a bit of a struggle. Steel your nerves by preparing for claustrophobic bathrooms and ask for extra blankets when you check in.
Bison Valley Rd., Munnar 685 618. 04865/23-0641 or -0331. www.ttr.in. 19 units. Rs 8,000–Rs 10,500 standard cottage; Rs 12,000–Rs 14,500 deluxe cottage; Rs 20,000–Rs 22,500 2-bedroom luxury cottage; Rs 2,500 extra bed. Rates include all meals; 15% tax extra. 2-night minimum stay in peak season. MC, V. Amenities: 2 restaurants; Ayurvedic spa; bicycles; children’s park; Internet (broadband in shop; Rs 50/hr.); mountaineering; recreation center; golf and aquatic pursuits by prior arrangement.
It’s a Planter’s Life
For a time trip back to the days when lily-white Raj-era plantation bosses would gather to discuss the grade of their latest tea leaf harvest, and extol upon the virtues of life in the hills, stop by the old-world-style High Range Club (www.highrangeclubmunnar.com)—founded in 1905 as The Gymkhana Club. Do so if only to see where retired planters have literally hung up their hats (in the Men’s Lounge), or to shoot the breeze (or a few rounds of snooker) with the gentrified folk who still drift through these sanctified, but now slightly worn, rooms straight out of another era. You could even end up staying the night—there are decent rooms and cottages (built in 1935 and modified back in the ’70s with enclosed verandas, glazed windows, and mosaic tiles) for Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per night, and meals are very well priced, too.
However, if you really want to get out and stay amid the verdant tea-covered hills, nothing could be more authentic than a night in one of the five former planter’s bungalows constituting The Tea Sanctuary . With panoramic views of the vast tea and eucalyptus plantations, these sturdy (and, for a change, rather intelligently restored) cottages don’t offer a heck of a lot to do indoors (except lounge by the fireplace) but you have access to a sprawling terrain, with tennis, golf, fishing, sightseeing, and trekking easily arranged. A private staff of two (including a personal chef) do much to make your stay pleasurable, and because they’re owned by one of the major tea companies hereabouts—Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP House, Munnar; 04865/23-0141;www.theteasanctuary.com; tourism.munnar@kdhptea.co.in)—you’ll have hassle-free access to huge areas of tea country. Count on spending Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,500 double, with breakfast and dinner and all taxes included.
Windermere Estate Also located just outside Munnar, on a 24-hectare (60-acre) cardamom estate, this is one of the finest places to stay in the region. Accommodations are bright and clean, with wooden ceilings and floors and dark cane furniture. Best value are the simple valley-view rooms with stunning vistas of the surrounding tea-clad hills and forests; if you’re staying more than 1 night and like your space, there are six very spacious “cottages” (big enough to take another person), and the spanking new 93 sq. m (1,000-square-ft.) Planter’s Villas, which offer