Coorg

Having decided that a little indulgence can go a long way, we reserved 2 nights at the Windflower resort (near Kushalnagar, Coorg about 75 kms west of Mysore) to get some time off from our daily routine. Living a stone’s throw away from the lovely Coorg district – it was about time we planned a visit; been in Mysore 5 months now. Morning of the trip K, who is notorious for falling sick on our little getaways – decided to get a tummy ache and throw up. We stayed strong and decided to not let that nor the dripping wet monsoon weather dilute our plans/spirits and left for the resort several hours late – missing lunch and most of the day light. 

Children slept through the car ride, and the driver proposed that we stop at a Tibetan Monastery- called the Namdroling or Golden Temple at Bylakuppe en route to Kushalnagar. This town is a Tibetan settlement, evident from their houses, restaurants, incense in shops and the way streets are adorned. We spent a well worth hour in the monastery, watching a cultural programme/dances performed by the monks (they were incidentally having one that day) and walking into the temple to a 40 ft high golden Buddha. I must have seen atleast a 1000 monks that day in the monastery quadrangle, owing to the cultural event. Never seen so many of them together at one time before. A different experience. Kids enjoyed the colorful temple art and lush landscaping, and did not mind the constant drizzle.

After the brief Golden Temple visit, in about half an hour we were taking an off road towards the Windflower resort, a bumpy 1.5 km ride on dirt roads eroded by the rain. So glad we had a taxi and a driver. While the resort is built on a 30 acre coffee plantation, owing to the season of the year it felt like being in a tropical rain forest – the type and timing of the rain, the green everywhere including coffee beans, slight humidity, the moist dark soil and just a mild chill. And when it wasn’t raining, we witnessed the clouds kissing the mountains, especially at Madikeri from Raja’s seat. The fog added a fuzzy and warm feeling in absence of rain. Besides basking in the glory of this weather, the resort had much to offer to soothe a tired soul. Clean and well maintained, polished and perfect – in short. The common areas are built around the concept of open spaces, to make you one with the nature around. The restaurant/dining area, recreation center, reception – all have open windows to let in fresh air 24x7 and provide sublime views. The 120 staff are working hard sprucing up the space for guests, round the clock. I should admit we spent about 50% of our time in the dining area, overlooking the blue swimming pool – immersed in the peace and quiet, children running around and exploring, all of us slowly savoring the four course meals served by the awesome chef and his team. They are quite hospitable, courteous and welcoming. The girls who help at serving are pleasant, well dressed, smile well and talk just the right amount. The only dominating sound you would hear midst the silence was the forks and spoons working on the plates. All the intagibles offered at the resort matter to me, when the goal is to unwind with quiet time. The buffet is well done, with a choice for every palate and quite kid friendly. They are ready to whip up anything for children- kichidis, dosas, pastas, sandwiches et all. Cut fruits and salads should have been my reach for the day, but what I reach for…steaming hot halwas and payasams. Thank God for the bite sized pastry portions.  The sous chef is outside ready at the stove, making aapams and dosas and parathas with a smile on his face. I love it when someone else makes my omlettes and exploited the sous chef well enough for the same. Alright, enough rant about the food.

 

The premises was walk friendly with stone pavements, trimmed plants and blossoming bushes. They have good lighting at night as well to keep us safe and maintain the wow effect. Constant humming of the insects and sound of rain drops create this white noise effect bringing calm into the heads. People remark that Coorg equates to Scotland of India, while I have never seen or been in Scotland – I can now imagine what it must feel like. The studio room we stayed in had the perfect matress and sheets, S was given a sturdy crib to sleep in with a comfortable duvet. The furnishings and colors were elegant and simple – modern, contemporary style…perfectly suited my taste. The double door bay windows opened up to a spacious patio overlooking the plantation. Perfect sit out for a hot coffee. There is a spa which we were unable to visit. We did not quite care for the resort activities like games or socials. K is not feeling her best remember. We also missed the coffee plantation walk on both days, thanks to the rain and the pain of lugging umbrellas and toddlers amidst leeches. We invested that time in hot showers in the open roof rain shower room of our studio reveling in the crisp morning air, blue sky and tall green trees. K was sure disappointed to take bath after coming home. Besides hanging out at the resort, all we did was an hour trip to Madikeri and the Sunday morning church run.

Windflower resorts appear to carry a Zen theme across the board. Living and breathing and looking at Zen elements all day long amidst bountiful nature = soul satisfaction. Minutes after we returned home, Mysore welcomed us with strong showers reminding us to carry Coorg in our hearts for at least another day. Soul satisfaction lingers.