Apr 27, 2011 08:58 PM
3143 Views
We are members of Club Mahindra since 2006 (Membership no 256783) and had booked for our vacation in April 2011, as early as December 2010. We tried booking a single bedroom unit (as entitled to as per our membership) and ended up getting a studio unit (apparently there are only three single bedroom units in the entire inventory). The unit given to us was in a corner with no sit out or view.
Opening the front door would let us stare into the unit right in front of us. The property belonged to a hotel earlier and is currently under renovation – this is located right in the heart of the city, overlooking the race course (unlike other Club Mahindra resorts which are located outside the hustle and bustle of cities/towns). The property does not have the standard facilities one would associate with Club Mahindra resorts – like a swimming pool, Ayurvedic centre, etc. Even the children’s play area is quite small.
The check in process was smooth. The front office staff was not exactly courteous. The Holiday World folks had sent us emails two or three times asking us to upgrade our membership to a higher season prior to our arrival. However, when we went to the Holiday World, there was no one available who could answer basic questions. The housekeeping department is seriously under staffed – house keeping was done in the late evenings and on most days, we had to call the housekeeping service to get the sofa made into a bed in the evenings – unlike our experience in other properties of Club Mahindra. The so called ‘kitchen’ in the studio apartment is a joke – there is a wooden cupboard inside which is a microwave and a tea/coffee maker – there is no kitchen sink to wash the tea/coffee mugs.
The service in the restaurant is good. The day long picnic organized to Pykara dam and the sightseeing trip to Coonoor was good (one pays for this to Club Mahindra and rides the Swaraj Mazda to these places). It is better off to visit the local attractions in Ooty on one’s own – this will give the flexibility to spend as much time as one wishes at these places. The Botanical Garden, the Rose Garden and the Boathouse are worth visiting. Time permitting, once can visit the Dodabeda for a view (if there is no mist cover) and the Tea Museum and the Tea Factory en route.
A three/four day stay at the resort would be optimum. Anything longer would not be worth it – the resort is certainly a couple of notch below the rest of the properties of Club Mahindra. The property is undergoing renovation and hopefully should be spruced up in the near future. Unless there is some evidence of facilities being upgraded, this is not a property that would be worth visiting. Peak season to visit Ooty would be May – when the flower show happens and the gardens are in full bloom. The flip side to visiting during the peak season would be the crowd factor.
