Let’s not call Coorg the Scotland of India; climate and landscape have aged since the British left (and the locals remind you it’s now Kodagu). Silver oaks pull up their woolly pepper socks, fireflies sympathise with problems of power outages and hills exit quietly into the fallen light. Make sketches from the verandah of your homestay. What began as a service to a few travellers has, over the last six years, become Coorg’s dominant industry, with approximately 550 homestays rumoured to make the last count. Many are fugacious attempts that buckle under the pressure of the hospitality business; after all, water and electricity are not easy coming, although IT weekenders from Bangalore are. Every homestay is individual—the singularity could be in the location, the architecture, or, naturally, the family. We did the round of Coorg: dining at different tables, gauging the comfort of several beds, squinting for the best views and assessing the reception of a number of families, to list five homestays that make the grade.
Rainforest Retreat
On the first evening God sent hail. It came on the heels of the rain and sent Anurag Goel’s stories of upright King Cobras packing. A tree frog croaked, cueing the resident scientist and proprietor of Rainforest Retreat to discourse on their habits of reproduction. Not your idle Coorg holiday—but plant molecular biologists are not your everyday proprietors. The couple, Sujata and Anurag, parked their jeep in this southern district 14 years ago, after scouring the country for tractable land to cultivate. The four valleys of this 25-acre plot made promises, and after fixing up a bio-diverse ecosystem, they raised the roofs of their rented lodgings. While the rest of Coorg vaunts its hilltop vantage points, the evergreen canopy here dwarfs you. Spend the mornings pollinating vanilla and taking notes on organic farming and the evenings warming in front of a wood fire.
Accommodation: Two deluxe cottages with two bedrooms in each, and a living room in one. The plantation cottage (also two bedrooms) is 200m into the plantation. A Swiss tent was recently erected. Service: Warm and obliging. Food: Good organic meals, especially the homemade bread and cheese. Tariff: Rs 3,500 for the deluxe rooms (Rs 3,000 for the room without a bathtub) and Rs 2,500 for the tent and plantation rooms. Rates include all meals on double occupancy. Contact: P.O. Box 101, Madikeri; 08272-265636/8, www.rainforestours.com
The Palace Estate
Had the urgency to locate a restroom not arisen, this home-stay would have remained marooned on Coorg’s tallest hill, Thadiandamol. We drove past coffee plants to the steps of a single-storey wooden lodge set in landscaped luxury. The view was spectacular—vast fields of air closing in distant hills, with birds and winged insects making adventitious crossings. The rooms were woody comfort, but it was the corridor, with chests of mixed literature and deckchairs, that was fitted for solitary pleasures. The owners’ house next door, in whose dining room we took our meals, was fronted by unusual ornamentation—around 300 cannon balls, said to have been retrieved from a Portuguese armoury. If you’re partial to history, amble down to Nalknad Palace, the hunting lodge of King Doddaveerarajendra, or ask the the owners to let you have a look at their ain mane, an ancestral Kodava home.
Accommodation: Seven rooms: two deluxe with private verandahs, three standard, and two small cubbyholes with outdoor WCs. Service: In homestay style, the family is attentive and solicitous. Food: Excellent South Indian. Tariff: Rs 1,500 for the deluxe rooms; Rs 1,200 for the standard ones; Rs 300 for the singles. Rates include only accommodation on double occupancy. Contact: Apparanda Prakash Poovana, Palace Estate, Kakkabe; 08272-238446/346, www.palaceestate.co.in
Serenity Homestay
Said to be 150 years old, with British bearings, this beautiful house roosted on the side of a hill in Madikeri, the capital of Coorg. What appeared to be a charming whitewashed villa was, on the inside, a polychromatic tableau—handiwork of Monique Somaya, the proprietress with J.J. School of Arts credentials. None of the four rooms looked kindred. The largest had a fireplace guarded by a pantheistic crew of Mary, Jesus, Buddha, Shiva and Parvati. There was a private patio, a dressing room and accommodation for a nanny (which the homestay provides for a fee). At the back, the erstwhile pantry and other architectural minions were transformed into cosy rooms with books, candlestands and incense sticks; one bathroom was a Japanese stone garden. Two rooms backended in a lawn, beyond which was a stunning view.
Accommodation: A villa (four rooms, maximum of 15 guests), a cottage (maximum seven guests), and a bungalow (two rooms, maximum four). Service: Willing but not always prompt. They can mail you an e-itinerary, taxi you from Bangalore to Coorg, and even admit your pet dog (for a fee). Food: A bit iffy, but served in tiffins so you can eat when you please. The homemade chiroti (flaky biscuits) were a treat; the jackfruit and bamboo pickles a revelation. Tariff: From Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000, rates on single occupancy. Contact: M.A. Somaya, Serenity Homestay, Madikeri; 08272-224976, 9845724885, www.serenityhomestay.com
Ramcad Estate
It was the log cabin I fell for. In the eclipsing light, it edged into the shadow of the Brahmagiri hills. What smelled and looked like shrubs of jasmine (coffee in disguise) leaned against the wooden rubicon that separated the cabin from the hill. The solar panels could have done with a wider surface area, if that would have helped light the Franciscan cabins better. But in the day, nothing mattered. Not even lovebirds by the swing, who were given notice by a crescent serpent eagle, a hoopoe and a Racquet Tail Drongo. Coorg’s famous Irpu Falls and Shri Rameshwara temple were in the vicinity, but arecanut trees and crumpled coffee leaves scaling the estate hid devotees from sight.
Accommodation: Two attic rooms lodging eight, two cottages, a cabin and a regular room. Service: The domestic help, Manju, is a quick-footed comic. Food: Excellent Coorgi stuff. The akki (rice) roti, coconut gravy and pandi curry (Coorg’s lauded pork recipe) came up tops. Tariff: Rs 300 per head for the attic; Rs 1,100 a couple for the twin cottage; Rs 1,600 for the four-bed cottage; Rs 850 per couple for the cabin and regular room. Contact: Nitin or Vipin Devaiah, Ramcad Estate, Irpu; 08272-2201228/ 244982, 9448144982, www.homestayincoorg.com
Alath-Cad Estate
Alath Cad is quite a pleasant place, laid out in large, neat rooms across wide terraces. Although you’re at a homestay, there is none of the grubbiness of home; it’s very near a domesticated resort. The coffee-drying ground turns basketball court; there is a children’s playpen, a conference hall and cycles in a shed. For those who want to do idle, there are provisions for that as well. Or you can uncover family history: traditional utensils make a mini-museum, and sketches of Coorg’s peculiarities and trophies orient you about the culture.
Accommodation: Eleven rooms: five standard, four deluxe, a suite and a cottage. Service: Friendly. Food: The best on the trip. The popattu (sweetened rice and coconut cakes) and Mangalore cucumber sambar were our favourites. Tariff: Rs 1,700 for standard rooms; Rs 1,900 for deluxe rooms; Rs 1,975 for suite and cottage. Rates on double occupancy, breakfast included. Contact: K.P. Muddaiah, Alath Cad Estate, Ammathi No. 7; 08274-252589/252190, 944961665, alathcadcoorg.com
The best of the rest
> Cilligere Estate, P.O. Box 167, Manchally Village & Post, Kutta; 08274-244265, 9448582496; Rs 750 per person with all meals
> Cicada Trails, Nalvathokulu, Chokandali Village, Virajpet; 08274-296026, 9448354826, 9448108283; Rs 1,600 for a couple, with breakfast
> Garden Villa Homestay, Gouri Land, Abyathmangala Village, Siddapur; 08274-258339, 9880740769; Rs 1,500 for a couple, with breakfast; only vegetarian food provided
> Eshwari Cottage,Thalathmane, Mangalore Rd, Madikeri; 08272-221015, 9448381015; Rs 2,500 for a three-bedroom cottage
> Forest Flower, Nani Estate, Horoor Post, Sunticoppa; 08272-200451, 9448433128, www.forest-flower.com; Rs 1,800 for a couple, with breakfast
> Halli Mane, Koodlur, Kushalanagar, Somwarpet Taluk; 08276-320617, 9449078126; Rs 1,500 (without meals) and Rs 2,000 (with meals) for a couple
> Honey Valley, Yavakapady Post, Kodagu; 08272-238339/200325; Rs 200-900 for double rooms, Rs 600-1,500 for dormitories (rates depending on facilities)
> Jade Hills, Kaloor Road, Galibeedu Village, Madikeri; 08025-262304, 9880076737; Rs 2,500 for a couple, with breakfast
> Maryland Estate, Kutta; 08274-244438, 9880658176; Rs 1,500 for a couple
> Misty Woods, Kakkabe, near Nalaknad Palace; 08272-238561, 09448406405; Rs 4,000 for a couple, for one-bedroom cottage with meals
> Pompei Valley Resorts, Thalathamane, via Madikeri; 08272-222909, 9448352909, www.pompeivalley.com; from Rs 1,500 for a couple, Rs 500 per head for a group, includes breakfast
> The Ramble, Craigmore Estate, P.O. Box 10, Pollibetta Post; 9886117919, 9480057461; Rs 2,800 for a couple, with breakfast
> Wild Cat Ranch, Biligeri Village and Post, Madikeri; 08272-227260/320344, 9448422442; Rs 1,500 for a couple, with breakfast