Jan 05, 2010 10:21 AM
6548 Views
The party scene in Bangalore had palled and we wanted a quiet getaway. We ruined what was to have been a quiet New Year's Eve together in a half horse town and looked forward to just a quiet, comfortable stay, which unfortunately was not to be. What we encountered was a pig sty. Even making allowance for the fact that it is a leased property, it gives them no right to allot rooms which are so rudimentary you can call it a chawl room rather than a hotel room. No adequate furnishings, NO VENTILATION at all, airing the room is only through the door to the room which opens on to the corridor outside, dirty, filthy, no toiletries, filthy toilets, a threadbare towel, its more like a budget hostel than a resort. You are welcomed at a small table in the corridor which is what passes for the reception. Staff are surly, maybe too many people complaining incessantly(we heard someone complaining of water flooding his room)! Ridiculous. In fact there should be a law to ban unhygienic hovels which are passed off as resorts. Why can't they close their operations till their own resort is ready to operate? Please avoid this place.
We checked out immediately and checked in at Hotel Landmark, which is at least clean and supposedly the best in Yelagiri (though at Rs.2250/night - room only - it is a little pricey for the town). Yelagiri has no sight seeing worth mentioning, just a small man made lake which you can walk around, maybe reach a couple of vantage points / temples by trekking. A good place to relax, do nothing, maybe read.
Yelagiri is ok for a night. Next day, you can travel about 80 km to Sripuram, just before Vellore town, to have a look at the shimmering Golden Temple there and after a darshan which can be quick if you shell out Rs.250/head or about 3 hours long if you prefer to take the long winding queue, you can return to Bangalore after a weekend getaway with a difference.other than the Sterling fiasco, it was not a bad weekend actually. We clocked 472kms in all.
