We read good and bad reviews about this place on the web, and let the good ones influence our judgment to spend 2 nights at the resort during the recent Good Friday weekend, with our 2 little boys aged 5 yrs and 21 months respectively, and had to suffer a dog bite and passive smoking!
On arrival, we were ‘informed’ of the x number of friendly cats, x number of not-so-friendly dogs and x number of goats on the property, but nothing prepared us for what we were about to experience. The dogs and cats – the friendly ones and the grumpy ones lay around on the sofas, the bar counter and on the narrow floor space available to walk around the dining area even during meal-times when guests were around. So much for the telephone call from the resort on the morning of our arrival checking if we had any food allergies! How about pet allergies….both our sons are prone to respiratory infections and have been advised controlled exposure to pets.
Our meal-times at the resort were mostly spent restraining our 2 little boys from running after the cats and dogs to pet them, and us tip-toeing around the dogs snoozing on the floor. Rather than keep the common area free of cats and dogs at least during meal times, the staff seemed more worried about the children disturbing the dogs, and creating space for a sickly and snappy old Alsatian in the dining area.
Eventually on the second night when waiting for dinner to be served, we missed seeing our 21-month old approaching the old Alsatian lying right at the foot of the buffet table, and the dog bit our baby on his right thigh. What followed was absurd. The owner Smriti Rana approached us, enquired about the bite and asked us if the child had touched the dog. When we answered in the affirmative, she just said, that’s why he got bitten. No apologies tendered. We then had to tell her that a child cannot be ‘tied-up’ because a sick and grumpy Alsatian needs to be dangerously let loose to lounge in a crowded guest area. We did not see her for the rest of the evening and she did not approach us during our rest of our stay at the resort.
One of the staff offered Savlon to clean the baby’s wounds. We then had to take the baby to a doctor at Masinagudi for an anti-rabies injection in the dark of the rainy night, and the child needs to undergo the trauma of two more rounds of vaccination. On our return from the doctor’s, the Alsatian was not to be seen, but the other dogs and cats were still around and the kids running after the animals and us running after the kids continued, with a stern remark from one of the staff – ‘don’t touch them please’, like what had happened was entirely our fault and we had infringed on their space!
The disclaimers on their various notice boards disowning responsibility for any accidents or injuries caused on their property probably include injuries caused by biting pet dogs on the loose among guests.
The other extremely disconcerting factor is their policy for smoking or the lack of it! The bar forms the center of the rather small dining area with tables and chairs around the area. We are very careful about the exposure our children receive when it comes to vices such as smoking. At lunch on the first day, we specifically asked about their smoking policies, and the hostess, Karen, guided us to one side of the bar area. A person at the next table who appeared to be either a staff or an acquaintance lit a cigarette and on speaking to Karen, she requested the person to stop doing so and we were truly impressed! We realized thereafter that the place had no smoking policy in place. The staff, including the hostess who had impressed us earlier on, the owner, her acquaintances/guests were on a smoking relay at the bar area whenever we visited the common area during meal-times, with no concern for other guests dining around them. We were at a loss to explain the scene when our older son asked us why all the men and women were smoking when it could hurt others around! And because meals aren’t served in the rooms, we had no choice but to hold our breathe when approaching the buffet counter, change tables or take the children out of the dining area to feed them, which also was not an option when it rained. Having escaped the polluted city atmosphere, we landed up in a place that served-up a heavy dose of second-hand nicotine fumes!
The resort appears to run summer camps for children as there were large groups of children on campus. The parents of these children may not be aware of the generous nicotine exposure that their children receive at this place from callous adults who exercise no restraint when lighting a cigarette around children.
If the resort does not want families with children to visit or stay with them, that should be clearly stated on their website, rather than behave inappropriately after collecting money to let families stay on their property.
Other uncomfortable aspects – after a tiring 6.5 hour drive from Bangalore, instead of escorting us to our rooms, one of the two hostesses insisted on briefing us about the place at the dining area. We were also told that all staff was at lunch so we had to wait till one of them finished, to show us to our rooms! The hostess’ brief covered instructions such as, do not store food in your room to avoid attracting rodents, ants and in-turn snakes, do not go unescorted to your room after 6 pm, the pool will be closed after 6 pm for your own safety, the property has an electric fence but we still have an occasional Leopard straying in etc. For all the hype around their safety measures, our baby was bitten by their pet dog! We also had to sign a declaration that covered ‘we will not store food in our rooms’ among 2 other things on the list that we don’t remember now. The need to put tired guests with empty stomachs and full bladders through this ritual, right on arrival instead of ushering them to their rooms or offering them lunch, reeks of paranoia.
Guest notices around the property and in the rooms, talk down with statements such as ‘Respect our meal timings’, and other statements with a similar tone. A casual attempt to show my son the pool table and handling the cue stick had one of the staff, Robin, rushing to point out an already torn carpet on the table saying we could further damage the carpet, and he stood there till I put the cue stick back in its place. The staff immediately covered the pool table thereafter. Again, lacking in basic etiquette.
I had no reasonable answer when my son asked me why we were asked not to use the game.
The people running the place need a lesson or two on discreet guest interaction and gracious hospitality.
After these experiences, the idyllic scenery and the rich bird life did not matter anymore, and the resort’s tall claims of conservation rang a resounding hollow. We rue the negative exposure and experiences that our children had at this place. Going by our experiences at this resort, the place seems to prefer hosting certain kinds of guests only – what kind, they should specify on their website and before accepting bookings!
Take your children here at their peril!