| Colourful birds, fluffy clouds, silvery waterways and fragrant spices make the resort an idyllic holiday spot. SUBHA J Rao and Pankaja Srinivasan pay a visit |
FOR AN IDYLLIC HOLIDAY The Kurumba Valley Resort PHOTOS: K. ANANTHAN
With Kenny Rogers and Don Williams serenading you, a view that is spellbinding, comfortable armchairs and a bookcase where John Grisham and Joseph Heller mingle easily with Enid Blyton and Archie — this could be heaven. And this is only the reception area of Kurumba Village Resort.
It only gets better from there.
At first glance it seems spartan. Everything has a reason to be there — be it the long-handled umbrellas just waiting to be grabbed and taken out for a walk in the rain or the blackboard — you fight the urge to grab the chalk and scribble. "You are welcome to write on it," smiles the attendant. Leaning against the balcony, in one corner is a mortar and pestle, and in the other is a chakki, both carved by local tribals — the Kurumbas.
This is, in fact, Kurumba territory called Kurumbadi, where they have lived for hundreds of years. A guided tour by the tribals is a rare treat. Each tree, shrub, creeper and bush is introduced to you like a personal friend and leaves, fruits, buds and bark are gently removed and shown off lovingly. It is during one such a spice tour that you get to know more about the golden yellow fruit of the nutmeg tree, the blood-red outer covering of the nut (mace) and the shiny, grainy skinned nutmeg. Nothing in the fruit goes waste. Even the fleshy outer shell goes to make jams and pickles.
The architect who has designed the place has built the resort on various levels, taking care not to cut down trees. Where there were trees, they have just built around them. There are trees laden with nutmeg, clusters of green cloves, fragrant bay leaves and creepers bursting with green pepper. It is a revelation for us who have only seen these spices sold in sachets.
All that green around acts as a soothing balm to your eyes and the gurgle of a mountain stream and the chirping of birds are music to your ears. The fragrance of the spices has you feeling almost drunk, the cloves leave a pleasant tingling on your tongue and the various shrubs and bark of the trees are welcoming to your touch.
When it all gets too overwhelming, just head for your room and the balcony attached to it that overlooks a deep valley. Sink into a chair, rest your weary feet on the footstool , grab a book and escape into your private paradise.
If activity is your thing, there is scrabble, table tennis or the pool table to engage you. A drop-dead gorgeous swimming pool with jacuzzi is irresistible. From one end of the pool it looks as if the water is tumbling over into nothingness.
Invigorating
The invigorating mountain air whets one's appetite and Bevina (loosely translated, means from neem), the multi-cuisine restaurant, comes to your rescue. Overlooking the stream that babbles merrily by, the view is awesome. The grey green slopes of the Nilgiris smile down on you as you slurp on healthy soups and bite into crunchy salads. The menu is varied. So, steamed, buttered vegetables fidget for space with fresh vegetables, buttery, flaky Ceylon parotta, ginger-spiced dal, paneer butter masala, fried rice with crisp vegetables and wholesome sambar. Local delicacies like raw jackfruit poriyal, cooked with coconut oil and finely shredded onion, are served, much to the delight of city slickers.
Breakfast begins with a plateful of delicious papaya followed by cornflakes, toast and eggs for those who feel so inclined and fluffy idlis and aromatic oothappam for those who like their breakfast more traditional.
A one-night, two-day package (for two) costs Rs. 3,500 for a cottage and Rs 4, 500 for a suite. This includes lunch, dinner and a breakfast the following morning. A spice tour is part of some packages. A trek to the Hill Grove station to greet the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) train that steams in from Mettupalayam and a visit to a Kurumba settlement are also arranged. The resort has 12 well-appointed cottages redolent of the scent of wood and three expansive suites built on two levels. The bathtubs are placed right next to the sheer plate glass windows, the thick canopy of nutmeg trees acting as a natural curtain.
The flowering Jacaranda and Spathodia trees add a bit more of magic. The owners have taken care to provide local Kurumba lads an opportunity to earn doing what they love best — climbing trees, harvesting spice, picking jackfruit and coconut and showing off their land to eager outsiders.
The place is ideal to visit through the year with the temperature ranging from a comfortable 11 degrees C to 20 degrees C.
How to go there
The resort lies off the main Coimbatore-Coonoor Road, between the fourth and the fifth hairpin bends in Upper Burliar. The resort is hidden from view. Drive down about five minutes through a steep pebbled road, atop a bridge and a pathway carved inside the plantation to reach Kurumba Village.
Drive up 56 kilometres from Coimbatore. You can also take the NMR till Coonoor and travel 12 km down from there.
For details, call 0423-2004850/1, e- mail nilgiris@kurumbavillageresort.com or visit website kurumbavillageresort.com
Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/02/11/stories/2006021101900200.htm
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