I am of the opinion that there is no one like Antilog Vacations in planning trips & customization.They are the best in India for rates & services. 5 of our colleagues have booked different packages of Manali, Kerala & international destinations from them & everyone had an excellent feedback.Few negative reviews abt the company initially preoccupied my mind but I am sure that Antilog is miles ahead of any Indian travel company.
Travelling and visiting new places has always been something high on my radar. Last September, I planned a short trip to Munnar with my family. Travelling from Kolkata, we did not find a direct flight to Kochi and had to settle for a 3 hour stopover in Bangalore. We sketched out our trip with the help of the Antilog Vacations and they arranged for our hotels in Munnar as well as the cabs for the intermittent travels. They booked the Abad group of hotels in Munnar for the same and a Qualis as a cab as we had 6 people in our travel party.
Booking through a travel agent is always a better option as one gets a discount on hotel, transportation and food.But choosing a good agent is a mind boggling task.We had discussed with as many as 7-8 tour operators but dint got the good response.Also, we dint wanted to choose a local kerala agent as they are not considered quality friendly and honest by few people.Anyways, our decision proved to be an good one & Antilog was a very good choice
So one early September morning we kicked off our trip from Kolkata and after our halt in Bangalore, we reached the Kochi Airport at around 2 pm. From the first look I could tell that the Kochi Airport was one of the most picturesque airports I had seen, small but very beautiful. We found the Qualis waiting for us at the airport and eagerly loaded our entire luggage in the car and started our onward journey.
Munnar is around 130 km from Kochi. We took the NH-49 and the road was generally good but it was filled with some twists, curves and blind turns. But the driver was a pro on this route and we sped along comfortably. I really enjoy these rides to the hill stations because, as you move up the altitude from the plains, the car windows gradually start rolling up, the woolens start coming out, the foogy mist starts dotting the roads; this déjà vu feeling kept me going in the uphill part of the journey. We crossed the sleepy towns of Kothamangalam and Adimali on the way. We reached Adimali in around 3 hours and crossed two gorgeous waterfalls on the way. We could tell that Adimali is famous for this particular waterfall seeing the hordes of people present there. We too got down and took some snaps there as the gushing sound of the waterfall enthralled us. The driver told us that Munnar was around 30 kms away and so we got back into the car for the final part of the journey. Further on our way, as we ascended the famous tea plantations of Munnar were distinctly visible on both sides along with a picturesque view of the Western Ghats.
We reached Munnar at around 6 pm in the evening. The first thing I felt was that the chill was not that spine-cracking compared to that in Kodaikanal or other higher hill stations that I had visited previously but this chill was pleasurable. Munnar has a varying altitude from around 1500 to 2700 metres, with the highest peak – Anaimudi being located here at around 2700 mtrs. The driver took us to the Abad Copper Castle Resort, the hotel booked for us by the Antilog Vacations. The hotel had an interesting entry as we had to take a sharp incline from the main road to reach the entrance of the Copper Castle. It was flanked by a car parking space and a viewing porch located by its side. The view from the porch was charming with lush green forests and pine trees dotting the hotel from the sides. This provided a nice backdrop to the resort as it was located along a valley.
The hotel had rooms in the basement, the ground floor and first floor. We had booked a family suite and a double bed room for us 6 people. I personally did not like the rooms very much as the rooms had an old feel and the plaster of the wall was peeling off at some places. There was a strange smell in the rooms too. The suite was large though, around 550 square feet and had 2 rooms – a dining cum drawing room and a bedroom. Electric kettle, a necessity in hill stations was present. The service of the waiters though left a lot to be desired as they took ages to bring the luggage to our rooms. We had dinner at the hotel and it was a nice combination of South Indian and north Indian delicacies.
Next morning we had a good look of the hotel and found out that the first floor had a games room consisting of table tennis and carom tables. The dining hall was located just beside the games room. After breakfast, we left for the local sightseeing in the Qualis. We were told that Munnar is the meeting point of 3 main rivers of the area – Madupetti, Nallathanni and Periavani. However the three rivers are not located in Munnar proper and hence it is not easily accessible. So, first we went to the Tata Tea Museum where the famous Kannan Devan Tea is made. We were shown a film about the history of the Kannan Devan which was followed by a tour of various tea artifacts and the actual tea processing centre, where in the green tea leaves is converted to the final packaged form. It was a great learning experience for all ‘urban’ people like us who usually take that cup of tea for granted, not worrying about all the efforts that go behind it.
The Kundala Lake was our next stopover. It is a beautiful lake nested amidst green hills on all sides. The Echo point is located nearby, but it was a disappointment as despite our best shouts the echo was not very clear! The Top Station is the highest point in Munnar and was around 1 hour drive from our hotel. The road is quite uneven to the top. The place though is quite picturesque and definitely worth a visit because of the view of the valleys and gorges. You can feel the clouds as they are at your level or even sometimes below you. After lunch on our way back to the hotel we saw various tea plantations, waterfalls and the Mattupetti Dam.
We would never forget our Munnar experience, it had been an excellent one with due credit to Antilog.