Great Places to Visit in Ooty and Coonoor

With the verdant rolling slopes of the southern highlands, glistening emerald green with the promise of tea yet to come, the hill-station of Ooty and its nearby brethren, Coonoor invite you to an enjoyable exploration in the Nilgiri Hills.

The Nilgiris, which form an integral part of the great plateau, standing at the junction of the Eastern and Western Ghats at an average height of 6,500 feet above sea level, are accessible by winding motorable roads from Coimbatore or unique toy train from Mettupalyam.

Places to visit in Ooty and Coonoor abound and they can best be enjoyed once you are comfortably ensconced within the welcoming interiors of Heritage Hotels in Coonoor.  With its  tastefully furnished spacious old-world rooms evocatively named after well-known trees like Gulmohar, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Camphor and Pine – this last one being a large room in the front garden with two large single beds joined together, a writing desk, a lounge chair and a TV. The room is spacious enough to take two extra beds if a family wants to share the room.

The famous Botanical Gardens with its profusion of exotic and ornamental plants, popular Avalanche with its interesting treks and streams rich in trout for anglers, Dodabetta, 2,623 metres high, offering fantastic panoramic views of the hill ranges, plateaus and plains around, the unique experimental fruit research Pomological Gardens, are some “must-sees”; Sim’s Park with over 1,000 plant species, picturesque Laws Falls, Dolphins Nose and Lady Canning’s Seat, encompass many of the other charming sights here.

Heritage Hotels in Coorg are Charming

For those wanting to experience a holiday with a difference, among the rich Coffee, cocoa and rubber plantations of Coorg, where the “wild and the wonderful” of flora, fauna and spices create an altogether different ambience, protectively encapsulating the hotel property within, Coorg in Karnataka state is the place to sojourn to.
Inhabited chiefly by the ancestor-worshipping ethnic Kodavas, Coorg or Kodagu as it is known in the native country, is situated on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, covering an area of 4,102 sq kms.

Heritage Hotels in Coorg, with their highly polished rich teak interiors and elegant furniture, include a stately mansion with suites named after prize-winning horses and full of silver trophies, photographs, books and memorabilia of the ancestor-worshiping family who stills inhabits the estate! The neighbouring Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary remains the best-preserved habitat of the Asian elephant, the tiger, the spotted deer and the bison.

This well-known Wildlife Sanctuary, which derives its name from the combination of two Kannada words. 'Nagar,' meaning snake, and 'hole,' meaning streams, has quite a few serpentine streams forking their way  through the rich tropical forests of the park. Set up in 1955, it has recently been renamed Rajiv Gandhi National Park.
Other important predators and carnivora include the leopard, wild dog, sloth bear and the hyena, while the herbivores are spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, four-horned antelope , gaur , wild boar etc.  With over 250 fascinating avian species including the blue-bearded bee-eater, scarlet minivet and Malabar whistling thrush, this animal kingdom enchants!

Ample Places To Visit in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu, literally meaning “Tamil Country” is one of the 28 states of India.With its capital in the sprawling city of Chennai,  Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.  Bound by the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Nilgiri, the Anamalai Hills, and Kerala on the west, by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait in the south east, and by the Indian Ocean in the south, it beckons to the culturally conscious, keen for a diverse experience!

With a melange of diverse places to visit in Tamil Nadu, you have but to ensconce yourself in one of the strikingly furnished rooms or suites done up in vivid shades, in Heritage Hotels Tamil Nadu with their all-encompassing infrastructure of culinary delights, leisure activities et al, before embarking on a delightful voyage of discovery!

Give yourself a rare treat at the Dansborg Archaeological Museum with its fascinating collection of curios and artefacts dating back to the Danes; fossils of early centuries, coins, fish bones, Chinese porcelain and weapons, rare paintings of Maratha kings and palm leaf manuscripts vie for attention.

Paying obeisance at the 700 year old unique Pandyan Masilamani Nathar Temple combining Chinese architecture with Tamil architectural techniques, swimming, boating along coastal villages, bird-watching, or celebrating the congregation of humanity near the 400-year old Danish Fort, with ice-cream vendors, balloon-sellers and snack stalls, augur an auspicious stay.

Staying in Romantic Hotels Cochin

The major maritime gateway to peninsular India, picturesque Cochin or Kochi as it is now known, is a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea and is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala.

With its multi-colonial influences, Romantic Hotels in Cochin are not hard to find! Evoking the grandeur and largesse of bygone times is the palatial Jan Van Spall room. Named after the last Dutch Governor who lived in the house, this is a vast room with a private verandah and two king size beds for larger-than-life dreams under a raftered roof!    With a luxurious wood-paneled bathroom to match and elegantly crafted furniture, it epitomizes high-class living!

Or treat yourself to a different ambience, ensconced in the Major Petrie room.  Such rooms in Hotels in Cochin, named after famous cosmopolitan personalities whose empires played a pivotal role in India, offer a high, four-poster bed with teak steps to mount, a striped-white rafter roof and windows pierced in thick walls overlooking the St. Francis church.   A gallery of etchings and gravures on the walls and the ambience of art, adorn this welcoming accommodation.

With an inner patio and garden pool, delectable Oriental and Continental cuisine with succulent seafood fresh from the sea and delicious meat dishes, as well as flavoursome Italian and Chinese cuisine often added to enrich the range of buffet spreads, robust South-Indian fare, a wide range of tastes and palates are catered for – to feast in splendour and recollect at leisure!

Entrancing Golden Triangle Tour Package

Marrying the romance of the Mughal heritage of Agra with the colossal colonial charm of the Indian capital city of New Delhi and the proud Rajput stronghold of Jaipur, the bastion of the brave, is not only an awesome task but also a pleasurable one.
The Golden Triangle Tour Package which unites these three colossus’ of culture and architectural magnificence with the tensile cord of travel, is for those with a penchant for perfection and with a heart large enough to absorb  images and experiences which are as massive as they are munificent in the scope of their execution and conception!
Resplendent Hotels in Jaipur, fit for feasts, celebrations and conferences spread over seven palace wings built over 12 layers tiered into a hill across 6 acres of garden-palace, allow you to feel like royalty in this capital city of Rajasthan – Jaipur.
Hanging gardens, two pools to swim out to the horizon, an Ayurvedic spa with an ambient atmosphere of relaxation and rejuvenation under the skilled ministrations of motivated masseuses and trained health experts imparting healing beauty and wellness treatments culled from India’s rich ancient heritage of Ayurveda and beauty secrets, invite you to luxuriate in pleasure and be pampered at leisure!
The excitement of India’s first zip-line is what the world comes to experience, along with a staying experience which accommodates your every whim in luxurious and spacious fully air-conditioned rooms and suites, munificently equipped with global amenities.   Amply satiated with a gourmet experience which spans many flavors with culinary finesse, you experience ”class” constantly!

Hotels in Nainital India Promise Pleasurable Holidays

The popular hill-station of Nainital, situated at an altitude of 2,084 metres above sea level, in a picturesque valley containing a pear-shaped lake, and surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains, lies in the sprawling state of Uttarakhand with enchanting topography.

A plethora of Hotels  in Uttaraknand  extend hospitality to the melange of diverse holiday-makers who sojourn here for their private equation with nature in salubrious climes, be they happy honeymooners, creative scribes, entire families or cosmopolitan travellers in pursuit of Nirvana!

Hotels in Nainital, located in the Kumaon belt and adjacent to luscious fruit orchards rich with apricots, plums, peaches, pears and apples through the summer, offer historic bungalows with such evocative names as Vista Villas with its Iris and Fuschia rooms, the charming Rose Cottage with its deluxe suite in deep carmine shades, terraced at two levels, with its one spacious double bed and three single beds, inviting you to congenial comfort and charm; the delightful Old Bungalow with its cheerful accommodation in oranges, creams and chintzy prints coalescing in the Kashmir Suite; the Cliff House with its spacious room strikingly enlivened by rich royal blue furnishings and pictures of mountain scenery,  Ashok Vatika, perched on a hilltop with a commanding panoramic view and so on and so forth.

To tempt you with delicious cuisine from the hot and spicy Indian food, including Bhat ki Chukrani, Aloo ki Gutli  to the subtly flavoured Peach Pie,Chocolate Mousse and ice cream to warmly nourishing Pasta in White Sauce and Baked Spinach, whetting your appetite for other fulsome flavours!

Highly Hospitable Heritage Hotels in Coonoor

Coonoor, the second largest hill-station in the Nilgiris, with its cultural conundrums of ancient tribes such as the the Todas, the Kotas, the Kurumbas, the Panias and the Irulas and unique Mund-Toda hamlets, its picture-perfect natural surroundings  and its abundant coffee and tea plantations, is connected by a metre gauge railway line in the world famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) with Mettupalyam (28km) and Ooty (17 km).

The town of Coonoor, situated at a height of  1,850 meters above sea level, hosts hospitable Heritage Hotels in Coonoor set amidst sylvan surroundings, offering  the inveterate traveler, the comforts of home and delectable cuisine. Furnished elegantly in vivid shades of rose, ochre, saffron and gold , with spacious and airy rooms bright with natural light and highly polished wooden furniture and inviting double beds, it issues an invitation to unwind amidst the pleasing ambience of ambient natural beauty.

Things to do in Coonoor are plenty and one is spoilt for choice!   The decorative Botanical Gardens, established by the Marquis of Tweedale in 1847, with its 20 million year fossil tree trunk, mini lake, many old rare trees like the Rudraksh, Paperwood, Elephant Leg, and the Strawberry tree urge you to combine a picnic lunch or tea with luxuriating amidst its ornamental and verdant surroundings! It hosts the Annual Flower Show and Dog Show of the South India Kennel Club.

Rallian Dam, Kallar and Nurliar Agricultural Farms, Catherine’s Falls, Wenlock Downs and Dolphin’s Nose and Ketti Valley View offer picturesque and panoramic  visual delights!

Delightful India Holiday Package

To explore the potpourri of charms characterizing the vast and wonderful heritage of India and offering individual choices to each traveller in accordance with his or her particular propensities for enjoyment, there is ample choice from the more rustic to highly sophisticated getaways showcasing India’s multi-faceted options for enjoyment and her diverse attractions.

An innovative India Holiday Package, variously crafted to suit your need for adventure, romance, a “walk on the wild side”, a communion with nature, beach holidays, hill sojourns et al, offers the inveterate traveller many exciting options!
Weekend Getaway in India beguiles you into making the choice most suited to you, depending upon location, budget and your particular blueprint for a rejuvenating week-end break!

Perched on the Western Ghats, Matheran is Asia’s only pedestrian hill-station! This makes it the most romantic weekend getaway from Mumbai – just 2 hours of driving – and then a forest walk, exciting Valley Crossing et al!   Hammocks await you, just as a long, candle-lit fine-dining table sets the tone for an unforgettable interlude; its tree house, its lake and clouds remains in your memory as the most romantic weekend getaway you ever had !  Or luxuriate in the ambient comfort of a palatal Portuguese-colonial house in inviting Goa, undertaking moonlit cruises, visiting the colorful weekly market, shopping for designer wear and feasting on delectable cuisine.

From Chennai, experiencing awesome French flavors at Pondicherry, breathing lungfuls of deeply-oxygenated air at Tranquebar beach and bird-watching or musing in monastic splendor at Alwar or “zipping” across exciting spaces near Jaipur – these are dream destinations!