My first trip as a member of Club Mahindra was to their retreat at Ooty. The acco itself was impressive - a converted danish villa. An uncluttered colonial decor makes this property of theirs an interesting place to stay in. We stayed for a week and couldn’t get enough of marvellous Ooty.
From our verandah at the hotel we looked out to mountains in the distance and a gently sloping valley - all misted over as in a postcard. if I were a poet I could perhaps do it some justice. As it is, all I can say is that it made me wish I were a poet. the most memorable thing about ooty is the misty greenness that you see everywhere. Large, lord-of-the-rings trees, painted fences, lush flowers in every home, beautiful homes, small neat roads......
We ate almost all our meals at the hotel which was very healthy - so I couldn’t comment on the food factor. however we did buy a lot of homemade chocolates from the local shops - they were delicious. another thing tourists inevitably buy is tea of course. I am no chai expert but the few flavours I did buy were worth it.
Pony rides for my six-year-old son became something of a routine. the antiques available here are pretty neat and I picked up a round woodnbronze clock with roman numerals and london written in the centre.
Ooty is a walker’s paradise. The sights are definitely going to be missed if you simply zip by in a vehicle. Walk along the roads and stop and stare at nature’s bounty. The best thing is plastic is banned here. All your purchases will be wrapped in old newspapers and given to you. The scenery is never botched by ugly garbage. you should also stop by at a tea factory - some of them organise guided tours. The rose garden did not make so much of an impression on me as I visited in november. but during may-june it is supposed to be amazing.
The Cafe Coffeday hangout we stopped at was lovely too - with a fireplace and all. Almost every place in ooty is worth pointing a camera at. It is no wonder that the place is a bollywood favourite. The guides or cab drivers will tell you all about where Roja (shot here, not Kashmir) and srk movies have been shot.
The climate is wonderfully cool, especially for someone like me who absolutely hates the heat. Stroll about and take Ooty easy.