I had been for 4 nights 5 day package [Rs. 28000/- incl. taxes, bf, lunch and dinner] to The Serai in the first week of July 2008 along with my wife and 3 year old son, and I must admit, it was one of the best holidays i’ve taken! I actually think it was as scenic as Scotland [Except for the road conditions!] The Serai, is just no competition for Taj Garden Retreat! Its way above! and the value and price for the stay, I would never stay at Taj Garden Retreat! To start with, it took us exactly 5 hours to reach The Serai from Bangalore.
Drive was good, Roads were okay! While we were on our way to the resort, we got a nice welcoming call from the resort, saying they were looking forward for us to get there! Which I think was nice of them! At the resort, we got a warm welcome from the front desk. We were shown our room and facilities there. We had confirmed our booking for the Pool Villa. The rooms were fantastic! The swimming pool was very clean. The room service was excellent. The room views were very good! They had "Forest Essentials" products on the toiletries in the room, which I think was just amazing! The bed in front of the swimming pool [apart from the lovely one in the room], was really cool! They had a electronic safe as well.
The mini-bar was not yet fully equipped, because they are still pending the liquor licence. Hence if u wanna drink, carry your own liquor and drink in de room! Which is not a bad idea at all .! The restaurant food and service was excellent. The spa there I think was average. They have a snooker table and soccer table! A small childrens play area! They are building a lake inside their property for use of guests for boating and fishing! A must to do there, is go to the Mullangari hills. Its a lovely drive and very scenic. The Hill top is just lovely! Do remember to carry warm clothes when u go to the hill! I however think, the food variety could be improved further! [People at Serai, I hope u are reading this!] If you do have any querries, post it on this review, and i’ll try to answer it! Enjoy!