If you’re in or near Coonoor and have seen enough topographical high points, head to this 1894 bungalow on the Kotagiri road for a recreational high point. At Tranquilitea, said to be the first tea lounge in the Nilgiris, you can be initiated into the mysteries of silver tips, handmade teas, and other fine alternatives to milky chai. Almond cookies, brownies and quiches round out the haute tea drinking experience. Sip your brew in a garden with the hills as a backdrop or, if the day is misty, in the glassed-in verandah or in a snug room with a minuscule Gothic-arched fireplace.
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A little distance from the centre of the hilltop college town of Manipal, Karnataka is the campus of the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village. Its six acres house a little more than a dozen reconstructed vernacular structures from rural Karnataka, the brainchild of former banker Vijaynath Shenoy. His labour of love stands in stark contrast to the ugliness of the college buildings in the background.