It was time I had a break form our regular going to work schedule and have some time off for ourselves and with family and friends. Gladly things fell in place when I took couple of days off and had a looooong LEAVE of 9 days during Diwali .. (luxury !! )
After continued efforts on planning a trip to Chikmangalur, and then to Kumarakom we were finally on our way to Yercaud, the jewel of the South (It truly was, and I didn't know it until we were there .. ). Part of the Sheavroy hill range in the Eastern Ghats, Yercaud is at an altitude of around 1500 m from the sea level and 20 hair pin bends to reach the hill town of Yercaud.
It was a 6 hour drive through a picturesque highway from Chennai along NH 45 and NH68.
We had a stop over in Salem for lunch and co-incidentally we stopped to lunch at GRT Grand Estancia, Salem. Co-incidentally because we had planned our stay in Yercaud at GRT Nature Trails.
It looked like GRT Grand Estancia was a relatively new property and they had only one restaurant functioning at that point. After a sumptuous lunch and with less than an hour long trip, we saw the majestic mountains that we our home for the next couple of days.
We were received with heavy rains as we reached our hotel in Yercaud at the 20th hair pin bend. The rains gave us sometime to settle down and enjoy the coziness of our rooms before we could make further plans.
After about an hour of exploring our room and enjoying the endless view from our balcony, my friends D, H and me went around the resort, through the gardens, coffee plantations, guava plantations and walking over a glass floor over a valley on a rainy day made the walk more slippery. It was a very beautiful place with very friendly service. Since the rain played spoilt sport, we did not make any further plans for the day and spent the rest of the evening playing Snooker and foosball.
The best part of the entire trip was there was no internet connectivity and mobile connectivity was very low and was subjective to where we were. We finally decided to go outdoors when time came calling for dinner. We decided to visit the Lake Forest resort for dinner, as suggested by a colleague who loved his stay and experience at Lake Forest.
This place was around 3 kms from GRT Nature trails. However, travelling in the hills after dusk seemed quite a bit of a challenge especially while it was raining. Lake Forest looked beautiful, the place was antique and very interesting with its history and the history of things that gave the place the antique look. It was one of a kind place and I totally loved the look and feel of the restaurant in Lake Forest. We reached the place much before the dinner time, which gave us some time to go around the place.
The rooms in Lake forest were quiet spacious with its antique look. However, I liked the rooms in GRT Nature trail a lot better. After clicking some funny pics around the place, we settled in for dinner. The buffet spread was simple and neat and the food tasted yummy.
After a day of long road trip .. games .. good food .. beautiful views and fun times. It was time for us to hit the neatly made up bed in our rooms and get ready for an activity packed tomorrow ..
A quick peek from our balcony..
Yercaud is one of the most beautiful hill stations I have been to, with pristine nature that is unspoiled and not flooded with tourists. It was a great beginning to a good holiday !
After continued efforts on planning a trip to Chikmangalur, and then to Kumarakom we were finally on our way to Yercaud, the jewel of the South (It truly was, and I didn't know it until we were there .. ). Part of the Sheavroy hill range in the Eastern Ghats, Yercaud is at an altitude of around 1500 m from the sea level and 20 hair pin bends to reach the hill town of Yercaud.
It was a 6 hour drive through a picturesque highway from Chennai along NH 45 and NH68.
We had a stop over in Salem for lunch and co-incidentally we stopped to lunch at GRT Grand Estancia, Salem. Co-incidentally because we had planned our stay in Yercaud at GRT Nature Trails.
It looked like GRT Grand Estancia was a relatively new property and they had only one restaurant functioning at that point. After a sumptuous lunch and with less than an hour long trip, we saw the majestic mountains that we our home for the next couple of days.
We were received with heavy rains as we reached our hotel in Yercaud at the 20th hair pin bend. The rains gave us sometime to settle down and enjoy the coziness of our rooms before we could make further plans.
After about an hour of exploring our room and enjoying the endless view from our balcony, my friends D, H and me went around the resort, through the gardens, coffee plantations, guava plantations and walking over a glass floor over a valley on a rainy day made the walk more slippery. It was a very beautiful place with very friendly service. Since the rain played spoilt sport, we did not make any further plans for the day and spent the rest of the evening playing Snooker and foosball.
The best part of the entire trip was there was no internet connectivity and mobile connectivity was very low and was subjective to where we were. We finally decided to go outdoors when time came calling for dinner. We decided to visit the Lake Forest resort for dinner, as suggested by a colleague who loved his stay and experience at Lake Forest.
This place was around 3 kms from GRT Nature trails. However, travelling in the hills after dusk seemed quite a bit of a challenge especially while it was raining. Lake Forest looked beautiful, the place was antique and very interesting with its history and the history of things that gave the place the antique look. It was one of a kind place and I totally loved the look and feel of the restaurant in Lake Forest. We reached the place much before the dinner time, which gave us some time to go around the place.
The rooms in Lake forest were quiet spacious with its antique look. However, I liked the rooms in GRT Nature trail a lot better. After clicking some funny pics around the place, we settled in for dinner. The buffet spread was simple and neat and the food tasted yummy.
After a day of long road trip .. games .. good food .. beautiful views and fun times. It was time for us to hit the neatly made up bed in our rooms and get ready for an activity packed tomorrow ..
A quick peek from our balcony..
 |
| Twinkling lights of Salem |
 |
| View from our balcony on a bright evening |
Yercaud is one of the most beautiful hill stations I have been to, with pristine nature that is unspoiled and not flooded with tourists. It was a great beginning to a good holiday !
14 comments:
Yercaud is indeed a pristine unspoiled hillstation in south india, also the place where i spent the best part of my childhood so always have nostalgic memories whenever it's mentioned :)
btw... I have a story to tell for each of the 20 hairpin bends :) :)
@Sheila
I heard from amma, that you didyour schooling there. However, we couldn't visit the schools there because of the rains.
I would love to hear the hair pin bend story :)
don't want to embarrass myself by narrating the story in public...will save it for when we meet :)
Good travelogue..
What was the cost of dinner at Club Mahindra lake forest? It was 200+ tax during early 2009
the best thing about your blogs, not only your travelogue but all your blogs in general is how the pictures blend in seamlessly with the text. sometimes, pictures can be a hindrance in a post, stopping the flow. but it never happens in your posts. amazing talent. a big thumbs up on that. :)
wonderful photographs and well narrated
Yecaud is beautiful. we had been there some years back & loved it.
check out my post @
http://sujathasathya.blogspot.com/2010/06/yercaud.html
your pic of the twinkling salem brought back memories
lovely pics & write-up
@sheila
okay. Will remember to hear it form you when we meet next :)
@Shrinidhi
Thanks a lot :)
It costs 350 bucks now, all inclusive. Is it Club Mahindra's ?? I didn't know that..
@Karthik
Thank you very much :) You made my day ! :)
@magiceye
Thanks a lot:) Glad you like them :) :)
@Sujatha Sathya
Thank you very much :) :)
Will visit your blog soon .. Thanks for dropping by my blog. Do stay in touch! :)
;)
good place...
ahmedabadonnet.com
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