I had a wonderful holiday at Kodai during the first week of Oct. I believe it was off season at this part of the year. Yes, no crowds, no pollution, crystal clear & fresh air, I felt that living was an enjoyment, rather than existance. The town was quite clean, though there were pockets ugliness cropping up in certain area(around the 7-road junction & the road leading down to the market). The old British area is still charming and beautiful and a reminder of "if only they were still here.". Being a vegetarian, I was impressed with a few veg resturaunts, like the Purohit and Tawa near 7-road junction. There was also the Annapurna, which was frightfully expensive(Rs. 25/= for a plain Dosa). At the heart of Kodai is Hotel Meenakshi, I would not recommend this to anyone wanting tasty and clean food.
Cycling is a great past-time in Kodai at an affordable cost of Rs. 10/- per hour. It would take about 40 mins to cycle around the lake at a leisure pace. A cup of hot special masala tea is a must, followed by freshly baked cakes available at Spensers. Don’t miss out on the home made ice-creams which come in a variety of flavours with real pieces of fresh fruits. Freshly made jams are worth a buy. Interesting thing at Spencers are non usage of plastic. You will get only paper covers to carry your purchases, so carry your own cloth bag if you are planning for a large purchase.
The down side is not really much, expect you need to be careful not to tread on horse dung. Horse riding is a vee bit expensive, The charges of Rs. 80 for a short trot, I felt was a bit too high. Boating is fun. There are two boat houses, one run by the Govt and the other by Kodai rowing club. If you want a self rowing boat, then you should go to Kodai Rowing Club.
Sight seeing around Kodai is not too great and often littered with too many shops. It makes it a bit sickening. The sight-seeing is mainly views from various points around the hill. A good pair of binoculors will be helpful. The drive to any of these spots is quite easy and comfortable. I would think that in two days the sight-seeing around Kodai can be completed.
Weekends can become crowded, with inflow of tourists and reckless drivers. Be careful with these cab drivers, they think they are Formula 1 drivers and it their god given right to be on the road and immune to any accidents. They owe nothing to society, except to their vehicle and are a breed apart. Their don’t care attitude is frightening, so it is wise to excercise extra caution while driving in Kodai during weekends.
October is the season for berrys & pears. These are local fruits and very tasty.
The drive up the hill is comfortable and being a gradual climb, there are no hairpin curves. The drive down hill can become a bit uncomfortable for passengers as it is nearly 40 kms of curves.
Not withstanding all the minuses, I think Kodai is a beautiful place, and if only the powers that be, can control the growth, it will remain a beautiful hill station.