I went on a Leisure Trip to Yercaud with my husband on May 3rd/4th 2008. We took a KPN Travels non-a/c semi-sleeper bus(Rs.200 per ticket) from Bangalore to Salem. The 4.5hr drive via Hosur-Krishnagiri-Dhramapuri was pleasant with no rough stretches. We reached Salem at 4.30am on May 3rd.
We had booking at Clifton Inn Resorts and have made booking through Yatra. Resort management seemed to have no clue about it when we called them up to arrange for transportation. However, they agreed to arrange for pick-up/drop-off from/to Salem and local site-seeing. The cab was waiting for us by the time we reached Salem.
The uphill drive from Salem to Yercaud was pleasant with good view during the wee hours and exciting with 20 hair-pin bends. We reached resort at around 6 am and room was clean and quite comfortable. We retired to our room for small nap. We asked for breakfast at 9 am and the same was served at 10 am. The food was very tasty.
We got ready within an hour and went for a walk. The weather was supposed to be pleasant but global warming is taking a toll on Yercaud. It was unusually hot for the two days I was there. We walked over to Hotel Shevroys for lunch. The food at Hotel Shevroys was too good. Do have a meal at this place particularly if you have active taste buds. We left for site-seeing at around 2pm.
The site-seeing takes exactly 4 hours including boating in Yercaud Lake. There are few good viewpoints – Lady’s Seat, Gent’s Seat, Children’s Seat, Arthur’s Seat, and Pagoda Point. The view from these points is breath-taking. There is Shervarayan Temple – a cave temple which is special in its own way. The drive to these places was pleasant barring the high temperatures. Boating in Yercaud Lake was the best moment for me as it was the first time I had a chance to peddle a boat. Minimum cost is Rs.140 for two people for an hour boating. Then we walked in Anna Park, which is similar to Lalbagh in Bangalore. We shopped for some pain-relieving herbal oils, herbal shampoo and Gulkand - a paste made of rose petals and honey, which is very good remedy for those terrible mouth ulcers. Apart from these, there is nothing to shop in Yercaud; this place is definitely not a shopper’s paradise.
We were back at our resort by 6.30 pm and spent the whole evening by just watching TV. The dinner was served at 9.30 pm, which was late and there were no varieties. But it tasted good. We spent the next morning just by sitting in balcony and enjoying the pleasant surroundings. The breakfast was served at 10am. The exorbitant delay caused a lot of inconvenience but once served, very much satisfied our appetite and taste buds. The atrocious delay caused in serving food might be a small mistake as resort staff had to cater to a large group of corporate visitors on the day we were there. The taste compensated for the delay. We checked-out from the hotel at 12 noon were dropped off at Salem bus-stand.
The very good aspect of Clifton Inn is that they do not charge you for early check-in. We have booked a Deluxe Room and I think they alloted a Standard room. They charged Rs.1500 in all for room and Rs.300 for food(which includes two breakfasts and a dinner for two people), which was very much OK. The charge for pick-up/drop-off from/to Salem and the site-seeing was Rs.1700, which could be arranged for Rs.1200 as well.
Overall, it was a good weekend getaway from the chaos and power-cuts of Bangalore. According to me, it is more of a picnic spot rather than a hill-station for people living in and around Bangalore and Salem. If you have your own vehicle, it is worth only a day’s visit. You can drive down in the morning and be back by night. If you like just sitting around and enjoying the pleasant surroundings, then weekend would be a good option. If you are looking for constant activity(like me) then Yercaud trip could be restricted for one day. Traveling from far off places to Yercaud is not worth the money and time spent.
I do not suggest anyone to visit to this place, if you cannot speak Tamil or do not have a Tamil speaking person in your group. The language problem is at its peak in this place as people cannot communicate in any other language other than Tamil. I was able to manage as my husband speaks Tamil. He spent most of his time translating what the guide-cum-cab driver had to say about the history and relevance of various palaces of interest. Communicating with the resort staff was also difficult. This would not have been a big problem if Yercaud was not being promoted as a tourist place.