Silver Stone estate in Bellikal is an extremely unspoilt and undisturbed location barely 18 odd kms from the hustling bustling Ooty. It will be an ideal weekend getaway if what you are looking at is complete relaxation. The place has three rooms and can cater to a max of around 10-12 people at a time.
The rooms have a tin and clay tiled roof and have neat and clean toilettes and that is almost all that they have in terms of amenities! There is no electricity either, but then you are provided with kerosene lanterns at night.
Mr Pannalaal, who hosts the guests most often at the estate is a well read and well behaved person and he knows the place well. However, most of the stories that he recounts about his encounters with wild animals seem just that.’stories’! He does add a personal touch to your stay but does not offer you any privacy at all. You are not allowed to go on a treks or walks in the forest unless he accompanies you.
The views of the Mudumalai forest from the hilltop are beautiful although probabilities of spotting animals in the wild there are rare. However, you are bound to hear story of a bear/bison/barking dear coming right up to the stay place only the previous morning or the night before! What you can see quite frequently in your treks, is elephant/dear droppings strewn all around to prove that the animals had visited the place sometime in the past.
I would recommend this Rs. 1250 per person per night place for a getaway only for people whose only exposure to nature is national geographic and who would feel excited, amused and challenged by the absence of city life comforts like electricity, fan, A.C, fridge, heater, TV, geyser etc.Food served is veg and Shanti Sagar mini meals type, but for the claim that most of the things used to prepare it are’farm-fresh’. Alcohol is not served(of-course), and is also discouraged.
The place is completely an outdoor place as you would hardly want to spend time in the servant-quarter like rooms. The tragedy, however, is that there is nothing much you can do outdoors but for bonfire in the night and the treks in the’wild’ which get repetitive almost right after the first trek.
I would not recommend the trip at all if you are looking for even a bit of privacy as Mr Pannalaal is almost always with you.
While sitting atop the hill, and, with a beautiful view of the sprawl below and in front, you would have loved to have some idle or even serious chat with your beau/friend/family etc…but all that is rendered impossible with the presence of Mr Pannalaal around you!
Also, it’s a tad too heavy on the pocket and you are left with the feeling of being burdened by an over-expensive guide trying desperately to make things sound and seem exciting and interesting with his stories.
The surroundings and ecology of the place are eco-fragile and If the intention of your group is some boisterous merry making you are better off staying away from this place.
The access roads to the estate are pathetic to tackle with a small car and require a vehicle with decent ground clearance. If you are a good driver, you can manage with a small car as well, but you are almost sure to take a few blows on the under-side of the car. However, Mr Pannalal is helpful enough and can pick you up in his jeep while your car is parked safely somewhere in the village that you are required to pass to reach the estate.
To sum-up, I would say you can visit this place if:
1)You are looking at lazy-ing around doing nothing or maybe reading a book while sitting in the sun
2) You want to breathe some un-polluted air
3)Your want to give your’city-bred’ kids some first-hand experience of a’forest’ or closeness to nature.