Of Oranges and Coffee... Review on Coorg

It all started when I got a call from the Times of India informing me I had won a contest that had figured in their Financial Times Supplement. The prize was a 4 Day, 3 Night stay at Orange County Resorts in Coorg (Kodagu) for the family. The timing was just right as our wedding anniversary was coming up and I was between jobs.

So off we went - driving down from Bangalore to Coorg via Mysore. A halt at Mysore to stretch our limbs and then we were off to Orange County Resorts. This is a 2 hour drive from Mysore on the road to Madikeri. The roads are OK, but get quite narrow as you near the resort - but a very interesting journey nevertheless, as you drive through Dubare forest reserve and estates full of orange, coffee and pepper plantations.

The resort is in the middle of a 300 acre coffee plantation, and the Cauvery flows calmly by the resort. Owned and managed by the Ramapuram family, this resort started off modestly as a 10 cottage venture and has now grown to include 45 cottages, an ayurvedic retreat, a lake with boating facilities and an anthurium nursery.

The first thing that struck us was the huge Alsatian lying at the entrance to the lobby of the resort. Bruno did not budge an inch but watched us placidly as we walked around him into the reception area. Our one-year-old daughter instantly fell in love with him. The other aspect of the resort that appealed immediately was that every group of cottages was placed in a cluster of trees / bushes and appropriately named. We were to stay in Coffee Cluster and our cottage was in the midst of coffee bushes, some of them bearing bright red berries. The cottage was roomy, comfortable and had nice interiors.

Each tree in the resort is labeled with its botanical name and local name. The birds that nest in the tree are also listed. Our son got his first few lessons in botany during our stay here.

The restaurant is by the side of the pool and you could enjoy your breakfast out in the open, under the colorful table umbrellas, and with the river flowing by; or settle down at a table within the restaurant and enjoy the company of like-minded nature lovers, who visit the resort to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I have met quite a few people who seem to go there every year. Our daughter enjoyed sitting all by herself in a high Infants Chair, thoughtfully provided by the restaurant staff.

The food, served buffet style, is bound to appeal to a whole lot of people, even if they have different tastes. For e.g, there are South and North Indian, Chinese and Italian dishes at every meal. The staff is extremely courteous and friendly. A wedding anniversary cake that I asked for was promptly made available along with a complimentary gift from the resort.

Activities within the Resort : You could play table tennis or carrom indoors and borrow shuttle badminton rackets or a ball to play outside. You could go boating in the lake, go swimming in the pool or just stroll thru the plantation. A must visit is the anthurium nursery where several varieties of this beautiful plant are grown. Every evening, the resort staff organizes entertainment and games, with prizes thrown in for good measure.

Take a nature walk by the side of the river and if you are feeling adventurous, cross the river by coracle. The interesting part is that there are no oars used for this journey. Instead, the boatman (if I may call him that) pulls the coracle across the river by means of an overhead cable between the two shores.

Places to visit nearby : Madikeri (Mercera), the capital of Coorg, has several places of tourist interest. The birthplace of the Cauvery (Talakaveri) is nearby and so are the Abbey Falls. The waterfalls are an astounding spectacle and located inside a private estate that involves a trek from the road thru thick vegetation. In the town itself, there is the Madikeri fort and a small museum. Other places close to the resort include an elephant training camp (we could not visit as it was off-season), the Harangi dam and the man made forest called Nisargadhama.

Things to buy in Coorg : Coffee, Honey and Spices

On your way back to Mysore, do not forget to visit the Tibetian Settlement at Bylakuppe. There are huge Buddhist monasteries and temples here that leave you wondering if you have crossed the border into Tibet. The Golden Temple has some very impressive 10 foot high (or more !) paintings. Their prayer sessions are a sight to behold too, as more than 200 monks chant in unison. There are also a few Tibetian handicraft shops selling shawls, artifacts and souvenir items.

The resort has thoughtfully included 2 T Shirts, a colourful resort umbrella and 2 caps in their 4 days, 3 nights package which costs approx Rs. 5000 per person and includes bed coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner and a guided tour through their plantations and a forest trek. (These are monsoon - read off-season - prices, and the rates during the non-monsoon season are likely to be different.)

Incidentally, Orange County Resorts is a 5-time winner of the resort of International Distinction award from RCI.

Needless to say, the coffee served here tastes great !

Check out https://bangalorenet.com/orange/ for further information and some pictures.