Yagyaraman Mahadevan

We finalised our plan for vacation on the last day though we planned for it a month earlier. We wanted to stay in a Home Stay in Coorg as the Hotels are expensive and food might be an issue. The best place to look out for Home Stays in Coorg is http://www.homestaykodagu.com/home_stay.html. This lists all the Home Stays. Average rate of Home Stay would be around 1500 – 2000 per day for a Couple (with Break fast provided in some case). This is much cheaper when rate is compared with Coorg International or other good Hotels in Madikeri.

When I checked it out for our trip almost every Home Stya was full. Tried to reach out to a Hotel and they had accomodation for just one day (we needed two days). The Hotel Reception gave the contact number of a person and I though it was some Hotel Manager and contacted him immediately (all these happening on Saturday evening and our plan to reach Madikeri on Monday morning). It was Nitin Ganapathy and he was not directly related to the Hotel but a Home Stay agent who arranges Home Stays and Hotel Accomodation in Coorg. Spoke to him and he was an interesting and an amazing person. He said he can provide Home Stay accomodation in Madikeri town itself and said he has some properties tied up with him and can surely give us 2 days accomodation. I knew that rather than a Home Stay within the town, in an Estate Planatation would be awesome. He had a Home Stay option in an Estimate immediately. He said it is around 6 – 7 KMs from the Town, but really a great one. I have heard already that these people would need a day’s payment as advance (to be transferred to their Bank account and they take things as Confirmed only after that). He was very practical and said, you can no way transfer funds to us before you come here. So think it over and confirm me in an hour’s time and I shall block it. He went by the Word of Mouth and blocked it for us and gave the contact number of the Owner Lady of the Estate, Mrs. Prabhu. Deal was finalized for Rs. 3000/- for two night stay for both of us with Breakfast included (felt it was  a good deal). A room would be given to us in the Estate bungalow and she also stays in the same house.

We were completely skeptical of how the accomodation would be as it has been done at the last minute and we were thinking “is it 3000 as it was at last moment and they wanted to materialise on the rush” or would it really be a good. We even thought of coming back to Mysore in case we dont like the Estate Home Stay in Madikeri.

After reaching Madikeri town, called up Mrs. Prabhu and she gave us very clear direction to reach to a spot close to her Estate. For the next 7 KMs whatever Estate Bungalows we saw (however good or bad it was), we were discussing if our accomodation would be similar to that. The route to the Estate was good from the Town. Met her and she took us to the Estate. Wowwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was an amazing accomodation. Just inside the main entrance of the estate on both sides clearly laid gardens with flowers of many colors and in the middle is the pathway. After driving 100 meters parked the car and she took us to our room…… We were really surprised and felt it was really an excellent choice. A biggggggggg room with a dressing table, cup board, reading table, good bed and a hugeeeeeeeeeee bathroom (I have played cricket in young age in a place as big as that). Just outside the main building is an out house for the helper (she understood and spoke in Tamil). She stays in one other room, but for us it was completely Private experience. She does not speak much but only answers to our questions

The food that they prepared for extraordinarily good. We never thought we could have such tasty and good food in that place. Just superb!!!!. Different variery for every meal (we ended up having Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at that place). She charged just Rs. 400/- (Rs. 50 per meal for Lunch and Dinner per person) and food was great worth for the money we paid.

It is a Coffee Plantation and we would walk all the way till where we could find a path and it was their own Private property. She had a DOG to safeguard the house. It was actually almost a small calf size (Kadichha 4KG flesh gali).

The best part was during night when we hit the bed, it is completely SILENT and only sound we could hear is some birds chirpping in the nest. No other sound other than that. It was COLD in the nights and EARLY MORNINGS, but a good landscape and good view of entire place from her Estate.

On 31st December morning, we left the Estate bungalow but carried with us an amazing experience which we did not have till that time.