The arrival
The sky, which had darkened ominously as we crossed Virajpet, opened up as our car hit the narrow road snaking up the hill side. As the wipers fought a losing battle against the water pouring down the windscreen, the driver cautiously negotiated the hair-pin bends. The pouring rain not only damped the verdant landscape but also my spirit. I had only a day to explore the much-acclaimed resort! Little did I know that the gods had other plans for me and were saving them as a surprise.
A pre-dawn drive to the Kolkata airport, then a flight to Bengaluru, followed by a seven-hour drive to Coorg, had taken up the greater part of the day and my body still seemed to be in motion as the car drew up at the reception counter of Tamara Resort. The staff came forward with a welcoming smile; one of them put a garland of flowers round my neck, another a tika on my forehead. And if they noticed me hurriedly removing the garland—I am allergic to pollens—they were polite enough not bat an eyelid. The paperwork was done in a jiffy. From a corner of my eye, I saw my luggage being unloaded from the car to a golf cart and taken away. But why weren’t they showing me to my room?
The answer came as a steaming cup of coffee. The first sip and I settled down in my chair. The aroma and the taste was not what I was used to. Jaggery coffee flavoured with cinnamon, came the reply. The brew was refreshing enough to make me take a second look at my surrounding. The rain, now reduced to a trickle, pattered on the wooden roof. A waterfalls gushed to the right of the reception building. And the cart—buggy as they call it—was waiting to take me up to the room.
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Located about 130km from Mysore, the Tamara Resort is located in the heart of Kodagu (Coorg) but far away from the din of any human settlement. As you drive up the 4km road to the resort, nature takes precedence. The resort sits in the middle of a sprawling coffee plantation (the former Kabbinakad estate) encircled by a dense forest. In Malayalam, Tamil and Telegu, ‘tamara’—pronounced something like ta-maw-raw—means lotus, a flower often associated with anything that is pure and pristine. The resort too aims to project it as such.
From the reception, the buggy drove uphill, following a well-paved path, and stopped at a wooden chalet-styled cottage.
A small porch led to two adjoining rooms, which can be converted into a suite, if required. The layout of the room was very interesting. The bedroom merged seamlessly with the sitting area that was a level below and reached by a couple of steps. The head of the bed was against a partition behind which lay the dressing area, which was, in turn, separated from the washroom and toilet, by a wee passage. At the foot of the bed, to the left, was the study table.
The sitting area had a comfortable settee fronted by a small table on which lay a chess board, a television on one side and the ubiquitous tea-coffee maker and the fridge on the other. But what really endeared me to the room was the deck at the end of the room. Even though I knew a few insects would find their way inside when I opened the door, it was too tempting not to step out to the deck. On both sides, I could make out the silhouettes of more cottages. Through slits in the all-pervading fog, I could see pin picks of lights in the distance. But otherwise it seemed like a mysterious world. Slowly, I realised the mystery lay not in the pallor of the mist but the silence. The sensation soothed my restlessness. As I dressed for dinner, I was no longer worrying that I had only a day to complete my assignment.
Reception had informed me that I could call a buggy whenever I wanted to. As the coffee plantation is spread across a steep hill, the resort’s cottages and other facilities are perched at various points across an elevation ranging from 3,500 feet to 3,900 feet. So depending on where your cottage is located, you will be required to negotiate a steep climb any one way. The resort is very keen to preserve its natural ambience. Hence they have introduced these battery-operated buggies for ease of movement, for both guests and their own staff. The pathways are dimly lit so that the creatures of the night are not unduly disturbed. Since the dining hall lay downhill for me, I chose to walk. They had thoughtfully provided an umbrella and a torch, and I made use of both.
Shining like a beacon in the darkness was a huge wooden structure connected by a wooden bridge. I could hear water gushing somewhere in the darkness beyond. Walking across the bridge, I could just about make out a hilly spring flowing out. Another round of hearty welcome and I entered the dining hall. Although I would only discover the next day why the dining hall was called The Falls and the bar, The Deck. The concept of timber structures prevailed right from the cottages to the dining hall to the other buildings in the resort.
The Tamara Coorg takes its culinary presentation very seriously. When the resort is crowded, meals are served buffet style. Otherwise, you can choose from the a-la-carte menu. The menu covers Indian, continental and Coorgi dishes. Coorgi cuisine is distinct from typical fare of Karnataka. Pork, game and meat are popular. Kodavas are essentially rice eaters. So your chapatti or the akki-otti will be made from rice flour and cooked rice. Not accustomed to the cuisine of Coorg, I sought the chef’s help. So dinner on both nights was more of a gastronomic adventure—paaputtu, kadambuttu, coorgi pandhi (pork curry), bamboo shoot curry, coorg-style mix vegetable curry to name a few. After the heavy meal, a buggy ride was in order. The buggy hardly took a couple of minutes to arrive but it did leave me wondering how long one is likely to wait when the resort is full. After all it is a 56-keys resort. Most of the staff members are trained (a stringent procedure as they have to learn to negotiate the bends and drive on a narrow road) to drive the buggy so that there is at least no shortage of drivers, I was told later. It is also mainly because of the terrain that the resort discourages visits with small children, below 12 years to be precise.
One day in Tamara
What was that? Where am I? I fumbled for my torch, my wristwatch. When the bird whistled again. A sharp clear note. And I was fully awake. The night before, I had drawn the mesh-door and left the glass door open. Only the wire-mesh stood between me and the natural world outside. Wrapped in a shawl—yes, it was cold—I stepped on to the deck again. All the cottages in the resort are east-facing. So, on a clear day, you can catch the sun rise over the distant hills. But I was not lucky. The sun was up but hiding behind the clouds. As I returned to the deck with a hot cup of tea, the fog had vanished enough to reveal my surroundings. All the cottages were located on stilts, partly hidden by trees and shrubs that covered the hillside. Immediately below was the snaking road leading to the dining hall. In the distance, the greenery-clad hills spread out to the horizon. The forest was so thick that it was impossible to guess what lay beneath. But the green-view was like a balm to the tired eyes. As the warmth of the sun seeped over the hill side, birds began to chirp. A few small birds flitted in the tree above me, unafraid of my presence.
The resort does not have room service. And from my cottage, it was hardly five minutes to the dining hall. But it took me half an hour. The sun had come out. A clear blue sky greeted me. The path was bordered by the hill on one side and rows of flowering plants or shrubs on the other. Butterflies of varied hues fluttered among the plants. Camera in hand, I ran after them. I backtracked to discover a small waterfall flowing down the hill. Finally, the hunger pangs grew stronger and I made my way to The Falls.
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Open decks ran along both sides of the dining hall. The deck on the far end jutted on the hill side, now lush with vegetation. And within the greenery flew a gorgeous mountain stream. It was the beginning of November and usually the water flow recedes. But the downpour of the previous day had boosted its volume. The water came down the hill side and flew out in rivulets. One passed beneath the dining hall and flowed out from the other side. The area was landscaped to look a Balinese rainforest. The Indonesian feel was woven into the architecture and the general landscaping too.
By day, I could see the ferns and other plants clinging to the rocks through the transparent glass of the dance floor. I opted for continental breakfast as the resort has an in-house bakery. By the way, the resort has a separate storage and kitchen area for vegetarian cooking.
The resort offers a slew of activities should you want to spend your day in a gainful manner. The coffee plantation is spread over the east-facing slope of the Balliyatre-Karadimula ridge, close to Tadiandamol—the highest peak in this area. You can go on guided treks and birding, join a yoga session or indulge in a rejuvenating spa session.
I chose one of the most interesting trails, called Blossoms to Brew.
We started from the recreation hut next to the dining hall and followed the paved path for a while before hitting the dirt trail. Before that we stopped to see the enclosure where all the food waste is recycled to make fertilisers. The resort follows a waste management policy that reduces the use of plastic. Garbage is disposed of in a responsible manner.
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It is said that a Muslim pilgrim, Baba Budan, in 1670, smuggled a few coffee seeds from Mecca and planted them in the Chikmagalur region (in Karnataka). That was how coffee travelled to India. It is said that Coorg now has 80,000 hectares of land under shade-grown coffee. The area is also known for its spice cultivation. You will also find cardamom and pepper plants interspersed with coffee in Tamara. When the white coffee flowers bloom, the place looks like a jasmine garden. When the berries turn red, they are harvested. By this time, we had reached the hut called The Verandah.
A heritage building, part of the old coffee estate, it is now a mix of several things—a souvenir shop selling the Tamara’s signature coffee, cardamom and pepper, honey, a host of organic products, etc. There is a small library and a coffee bar. It was here that we were handed two varieties of coffee seeds—Arabica and Robusta. We were taken through the basic processes of measuring, roasting, winnowing, and grinding the seeds to obtain our version of blended coffee. We were offered a cup of the coffee that we had blended ourselves and then the remaining was packed and sealed and given to us to be taken home. It was much appreciated gesture.
After an elaborate lunch, it was again time to explore. We visited the spa, also housed in a heritage building, and had a peek at the sporting area and the small dairy. A special request was met (as the cottages were not booked that day) and I got a chance to see a Suite Cottage and one of the exclusive Eden Lotus suite. These cottages are located on the higher reaches and offer a panoramic view of the hills and valleys. The Eden Suite has its own private open-air Jacuzzi, just the thing for a romantic couple holiday or a honeymoon. A tranquil environment with adequate privacy has already endeared the Tamara to honeymooners.
Back in my room, I watched the gloaming retreat over the ridge and treetops and the stars slowly cover the inky blue sky. The birds had retired and silence enveloped the hills. A look at the brochure kept in the room revealed that the Tamara has already won a slew of awards as one of the top honeymoon destinations, a romantic getaway and others. In the middle of the night I woke up to hear the breeze whispering through the trees. But the cosy bed did not allow me to stay awake for long—until the birds chirped the arrival of another day.
The information:
How to reach: The Tamara Coorg resort is at a distance of 270km from Bengaluru, 133km from Mysore, 164km from Mangalore and 187km from Kozhikode, which also happen to be the nearest airport and railway stations. The resort is located at the end of a 4km road that branches off from the Virajpet-Talacavery Road at the Kabinakkad junction.
Best time: The resort can be visited round the year. Temperature can soar during summer but the surrounding greenery and the elevation keep the rising mercury at bay. Monsoon is the time to see the natural springs awaken.
Contact: The Tamara Coorg, Kabbinakad Estate, Napoklu Nad, Yavakapadi Village, Madikeri Taluk, Kodagu District, Pin code- 571212, Karnataka.
For reservations: call +91 80 7107 7700 or email to coorg@thetamara.com.