It was a long weekend on 5th, 6th & 7th April 2008 and the thought of driving to Coorg after 3 years was exciting.
Well equipped with
google maps, yahoo directions and the likes, my only task
pending was
to book a hotel room.
Since Coorg has now become a hot spot for weekenders, I decided to book
my room 2 weeks in advance. To my surprise, this time again, I managed to
get disappointed. With all private hotels and home-stays running full.
I then came across
KSTDC Hotel Mayura Valley View on one of the blogs
and was bent of trying it out as a last resort. I was overwhelmed to
hear a
warm & polite voice at the other end saying, "We do have
rooms
available", but the booking had to be done from the central booking
office in Bangalore.
I was desperate on not wasting another long weekend and booked a room,
the same day from the
KSTDC central booking office in Bangalore at
Badami-House Nr. Corporation. The staff at the booking centre was
equally polite and helpful.
As a matter of fact there are only 2 impressions people have about KSTDC.
1. They
are either too expensive as in for ’Jungle Lodges & Resorts’
or
2. They are badly maintained like the ’Mayura
Group’ (This segment has been overshadowed by the Premium Jungle Lodges on their website too)
Somehow, I had mixed opinions on state tourism department owned hotels.
Having experienced MTDC (Maharashtra), GTDC (Goa), and a number of
private hotels all the way up to 5 Star, I knew what exactly to expect
from a govt. run hotel and did not completely agree with people who
always criticized them.
This stance of mine got a boost when I actually arrived at Hotel Mayura Valley View. I was completely taken by surprise!
The
reception, lobby, and the overall ambience of the hotel would have given many a
private guys run for their money.
The Manager himself received every guest at the reception and guided
them with all possible information about the Hotel & surroundings.
The service was very professional and down to earth. Obviously not the
plastic coated customer service dramas I find at star hotels. Not even
the slimy look on the escort’s face waiting for the tip.
The Hotel is located on the edge of an incline adjoining the Raja’s
Seat and has a beautiful view of the valley at the back. All rooms in
this hotel face in the same direction and have a big French-window
(glass wall as people might call it) overlooking the valley. The view is unimaginable.
It seems the hotel was renovated in 2006 and the other 2 blocks (there
are 3 blocks in all with some 20 odd rooms in each) are under
renovation this year.
The room was spacious & tidy, bed & sheets were clean and the
furniture was new & of decent quality.
There is officially no room
service and you have to go to the in-house restaurant for food &
booze. But, the staff did go over the board and delivered food to rooms
on request. Extended Hospitality!
By the way, the restaurant too is well maintained and the ambience is
good with one side open towards the valley with an open air extension.
The food is not bad, but is limited in variety and they prepare it
after you place the order. At least you know it’s fresh. Getting good food in Madikeri is anyways a known problem.
Would like to make a special mention about the manager Mr. Ramesh who
has been passionately managing this hotel and hence gets the credit for
the hospitality. I could see him constantly train & correct his
staff with some tips and etiquette when attending to guests. I later
learned from him that his awareness & enthu was due to his stint
with the Taj group of hotels some 20 years ago as an apprentice.
Overall, this place had everything (other than a pool) one would expect on a budget leisure trip
and I would recommend this place to couples & families for it’s excellent value for money and peaceful surroundings. And of course the Valley View!!!
Disclaimer: The views & opinions expressed above are based on my
personal experience at KSTDC Hotel Mayura Valley View, Madikeri and may
not apply to all or any other KSTDC hotel.
Details:
Room Type: Double Room (you don’t need an AC in Coorg)
Tariff: Rs. 1000/- per day (including taxes & complimentary breakfast)
Location: Raja’s seat, Next to All India Radio Transmission Station.
Distance: 2 Kms from Madikeri Bus Stand
Website: http://www.karnatakatourism.com/kstdc/index.htm
(not update for years :-) but the telephone no.s are functional
### Updated on 11-Apr-2008 ###
Address:
Hotel Mayura Valley View
Raja’s Seat, Mercara (Madikeri) - 571 201 Kodagu Distt. Karnataka,India.
Tel : 08272 - 228387
No. of Rooms: 25
Contact for Booking:
KSTDC Central Reservation Counter,
Badami House, N.R.Square, (Near Corporation)
Bangalore - 560 002.KARNATAKA, INDIA.
Tel: +91-80-64539756
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