Only bitter oranges in this County . Review on Coorg

Orange County Resort, Coorg, Karnataka (260 kms from Bangalore City)

Mode of Transport: Train till Mysore and cab from there on.

Having made our booking in this resort 6 months back, my excitement knew no bounds when I actually set off for the place.

As I entered the resort, I could see the serene cottages and imagined them to be luxurious in every aspect.

Unfortunately reality hit me hard on entering it. The cottage is no doubt cool and comfortable, having built in the British Tudor style, but is it worth the money is a debatable question. The studio also had a small kitchenette, which is very useful if you want to conjure something quick to eat/drink.

Sightseeing:

Coorg has some beautiful places to offer - The Abbey Falls in Medikeri (capital of the District of Coorg) is awesome and the best attraction of the place.

Rock slowly to sleep on a long boat ride on the Cauvery River.Do not forget to pack a picnic basket because this river has so many small islands in the middle and is good fun to halt on any of them.

Another place of interest is the Elephant Camp at Dubare ? a small round boat takes you across the river to this Camp.Watch the mahoot give the elephants a bath, feed the elephants and enjoy a joy ride on them.

A little further from the Elephant camp is the Buddhist monastry at Nisargadhama.This is called the Golden Temple and houses 3 large statues of Buddha- the paintings in the monastry are intricate and colorful.

Resort Specialities (!!!):

About the resort the less said the better. The buffet spread for breakfast, lunch and dinner is mediocre and service pathetic. It took us about 40 minutes just to get some bread and butter. Don?t ever do the mistake of ordering room service since this would cost you not only a few hours but also 50% extra on your bill.

Having said that, the only good place there is the recreation room aptly called the ?Pulper?. The décor of this place is beautiful with wall paintings, bamboo furniture and tables made of wooden logs. The games ?TT, carroms can keep you occupied if you have nothing better to kill time. An added plus is an Ayurvedic centre where you can have a rejuvenating body massage.

The resort is in a secluded place in the village of Siddapur (about 30 kms from Medikeri) It might be tolerable for a two-day visit but not longer than that.

Makes a lot of sense for people from Bangalore to drive down but not for people from other places who do not have a vehicle of their own and would definetly get fleeced by the resort for using their age old Ambassador cars.

Please visit Coorg but stay away from Orange County????.

Cost: Rs.5500 /day for a simple studio type of cottage and food would be 150+300+300 for breakfast+lunch+dinner so a trip for two costs 7000 bucks for a day and hence it is not worth it.