OOTY'S LUXURIOUS OFFERINGS

Long weekends are the most anticipated time for people working in the IT sector. People plan months in advance to make the best out of the vacation. I generally love to stay in, spend some laid back time, and watch time pass slowly which is rare in our fast-moving lives.

I moved back to Bengaluru after 19 months and it was time to pack our rucksacks to do a bachelor's trip. One of the best things to happen in the first job was that I met some great people and some people with great amenities. Nikhil is one of them. He had a lifetime membership of club Mahindra and we were fortunate to experience the luxury even when we can definitely not afford it. The plan for this Ooty trip was simple, "Club Jayenge, Chil Karenge, aa Jayenge" but Ooty had more to offer.

My first trip to Ooty was back in 2019 December with my family, This time it was more chill and relaxed because none of us (me, Biki,  Nikhil) is really fond of visiting all the tourist sights. Our journey started with Nikhil figuring out last minute that he booked the bus for the wrong date ( the next date from when we were supposed to travel), so we boarded a local bus (not the kind which is prefered for long/hill station journey). By the time we reached Mysuru, 3 of us were hit multiple times from head to toe due to the bus jerking. Luckily we got the last 3 seats for Airavat ( KSRTC premium bus service) from Mysuru to Ooty. 

We reached Ooty around 9 am the next day and went straight to club Mahindra. The Check-in time was 2 pm but the hotel staff told us that they will arrange the room by 12. We had to do something in the next 3 hours so we decided to go explore breakfast options. Generally, I am good with finding less known breakfast stalls which offer great fresh food and this time was no different. This stall was a typical South-Indian breakfast place run by a family. We ordered some dosa and tea. The onion masala dosa was one of the best that I had had in a long time. This is the kind of place where if we ask for more sambhar, they will keep the entire bucket of sambhar on our table to re-fill. 

Finally, after the awesome breakfast, we came back to the resort and got our rooms. The room was spacious where at least 4 people can fit in. Club Mahindra Derby Green Ooty offers one of the best panoramic views just overlooking the polo ground. They offer a lovely outdoor setting with lush green grass where it's definitely a crime if you don't remove your shoes and feel the texture of the grass, It was slightly drizzling as well so that added to the charm as well.

 The day was spent exploring the 5.5 acres of property and in the evening we decided to visit Earl's secret cafe (the top-rated cafe in Ooty). The drive to the cafe was really soothing as we crossed many posh mansions and farmhouses. 

It was really scenic and beautiful, the cafe was overbooked for the day so we came to the next best cafe (Le cafe). I have never been to Europe but this place definitely gave the vibe of a chill European cafe. It was an outdoor cafe with beautiful big yellow umbrellas to protect from the sun and rain. The menu was limited to pizzas,  burgers and sandwiches. We ordered one of each followed by blueberry cheesecake and chocolate truffle ice cream. Must say that the food matched the good vibe of the place and offered a great experience. There is also a small grocery store there with a bakery that offers the best chocolate fudges that I ever had (Totally unexpected). 

We returned back to the resort, enjoyed a calm evening and got ourselves ready for the great buffet dinner. we had paid rs 3600 for 2 meals and Nikhil's plan as always was to eat at least double that amount. By the end of it, I am sure we were full to our mouths. The food was really good.

The next day, we booked a cab and went for a sightseeing visit to Coonor, it is a beautiful town with an abundance of nature views. It was almost 7 by the time we completed the tour and decided to visit the periodic table restaurant for dinner. I have never been to any posh restaurant where I felt things are out of my range but the periodic table gave me that experience. I simply couldn't comprehend the fact that they were charging 900 rs for a plate of momo. We decided to try and figure out why some gourmet restaurant charges 5x the actual amount. We tried Baos and Smoky prawns, the food was good but I will not want to visit it again. Little earth grocery store offers one of the best fudges in Ooty, must try that if you are visiting. We then came to the resort and watched IPL with wine.

The next morning, it was time to go back but before that, I decided to go for a small hike in the mountains, The very first day I figured that Ramakrishna mission Ooty is located on the top of the same hill where our resort was. I checked maps and it showed that it was just 2 kms away. The thing with google maps especially in mountains is that it underestimates the elevation effort to cover 2 km.

 By the time I reached the top, I was sweating and was about to faint but then saw the beautiful mission along with the panoramic view of the entire Nilgiris. 

The hike was completely worth it. Spoke with a swami Ji who was present at that time and the conversation bought a sense of calm to my mind. The return hike was relatively easier. we had the buffet breakfast being a little conscious this time as we had to travel the entire day. We then boarded the bus back to Bengaluru.

This trip was really relaxing and helped to slow down from everyday hustle. It's necessary from time to time to rejuvenate and remove the unnecessary stress from your lives.

Happy ;)