Make your summer holiday interesting! Are you looking for an out-of-the-ordinary destination for your summer vacation? Check out few best summer holidays destinations in South India....
Masinagudi wildlife sanctuary & resorts
If jungle adventure is your idea of a holiday, there is no better place than Masinagudi, near the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary.
Start your day with bird watching (we mean the feathered variety!) in the sprawling gardens or take a trek through the sholas or forests. The leaf bird disguises itself as a leaf and is invariably hard to spot, while the orange-headed thrushes revel in preening and strutting.
The boisterous coppersmith with its red throat and forehead lets out a sound akin to a coppersmith hammering copper! The black-headed orioles, despite their vibrant plumage are more often heard than seen, letting out shrill whistling sounds.
Watch the overfed Malabar squirrels scampering around gathering nuts or set out for the forest lakes for a bit of fishing. Sign up for a jeep safari if game-spotting is your cup of tea. You could chance upon furry sloth bears, panthers, spotted deer, peacocks, jungle fowl, bison or wild boar.
You may even encounter tigers, hyenas, monitor lizards or leopards! Elephant tours are organized with a trained mahout by your side, as you plod through the jungle. Stop by the elephant camp and watch jumbos bathe, lounge, feast or cozy up to their young.
Several resorts and lodges have sprung up in the area to make your stay more comfortable. It is advisable to stay only in the government recognized resorts/lodges, for safety reasons.
Masinagudi makes for a great family holiday with kids. Masinagudi is 250km from Bangalore, the nearest airport is Coimbatore and Ooty is the nearest railway station. It is accessible all year round, but is best avoided in monsoon months.
Carlton Hotel in Kodaikanal
Seldom does one find a hotel which has become synonymous with the place. The Carlton Hotel in Kodaikanal is one such. It's hard to think of Kodai without thinking of the Carlton!
Colonial graciousness
Built in the colonial style, the Carlton is synonymous with hospitality and graciousness. Elegantly perched atop a hill, like an ageing dowager, the hotel meanders across over four acres of manicured sloping gardens.
This one and only five-star luxe hotel in Kodaikanal offers the most spectacular view of the distant hills, as it stands on a crest, overlooking the frosted, glassy lake. The architecture is in keeping with the landscape, with sloping roofs, colonial pillars and paned windows letting in streams of golden sunshine.
Early morning, the Carlton appears wrapped in a veil of mist, which nestles in pockets all along the hotel. One can almost see it waft past windows, and reach out and touch these ethereal handkerchiefs of morning mist.
Summer holiday home
For years, The Carlton remains a home away from home to many families, every summer. Babies clad in bonnets are wheeled in prams across the cobbled pathways, one can hear the frolicking kids squeal and shout as they run about, weaving their way through the landscaped gardens.
Lazy breakfasts on the terrace, soaking in the morning sun, are cherished memories for many. The blazing log fire in the lobby is an evening ritual, as young and old gather for a game of Tombola, as they toast their toes.
Evening tea with hot scones and jam out on the lawns, noisy lunches and dinners for holiday makers, in the restaurant or a refreshing pre-lunch gin and tonic on the verandah are all recollections of fun times at the Carlton.
Things to do€¦
Holidays at The Carlton are made up of doing exactly what you feel like doing. Wake up early for a brisk walk around the lake, burn some calories at their state-of-the-art gym. Enjoy a sauna, steam or lazing in the jacuzzi or settle for a leisurely stroll on the undulating gardens.
Go boating, fishing or riding, or perhaps you'd prefer skimming the waters of the lake in a romantic shikara, meant exclusively for Carlton guests. The hotel is so used to picnickers and trekkers that they think nothing of packing you a picnic lunch basket, at short notice.
With a well-equipped business centre, workaholics can catch up with things at the office. Enjoy a barbeque on the terrace, go sight-seeing, drop by the clubhouse and take in a round of billiards, pool, croquet and table tennis or perfect your golf at the putting green.
Unwind at the in-house discotheque or sip a Cognac in the bar. The choices are infinite.
The Carlton is perfectly child-friendly and great for a family holiday. Indeed, the crowning glory of the Queen of hill stations, Kodaikanal. Many summer holiday albums are made up of happy times spent at the Carlton, Kodaikanal€¦
Masinagudi wildlife sanctuary & resorts
If jungle adventure is your idea of a holiday, there is no better place than Masinagudi, near the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary.
Start your day with bird watching (we mean the feathered variety!) in the sprawling gardens or take a trek through the sholas or forests. The leaf bird disguises itself as a leaf and is invariably hard to spot, while the orange-headed thrushes revel in preening and strutting.
The boisterous coppersmith with its red throat and forehead lets out a sound akin to a coppersmith hammering copper! The black-headed orioles, despite their vibrant plumage are more often heard than seen, letting out shrill whistling sounds.
Watch the overfed Malabar squirrels scampering around gathering nuts or set out for the forest lakes for a bit of fishing. Sign up for a jeep safari if game-spotting is your cup of tea. You could chance upon furry sloth bears, panthers, spotted deer, peacocks, jungle fowl, bison or wild boar.
You may even encounter tigers, hyenas, monitor lizards or leopards! Elephant tours are organized with a trained mahout by your side, as you plod through the jungle. Stop by the elephant camp and watch jumbos bathe, lounge, feast or cozy up to their young.
Several resorts and lodges have sprung up in the area to make your stay more comfortable. It is advisable to stay only in the government recognized resorts/lodges, for safety reasons.
Masinagudi makes for a great family holiday with kids. Masinagudi is 250km from Bangalore, the nearest airport is Coimbatore and Ooty is the nearest railway station. It is accessible all year round, but is best avoided in monsoon months.
Carlton Hotel in Kodaikanal
Seldom does one find a hotel which has become synonymous with the place. The Carlton Hotel in Kodaikanal is one such. It's hard to think of Kodai without thinking of the Carlton!
Colonial graciousness
Built in the colonial style, the Carlton is synonymous with hospitality and graciousness. Elegantly perched atop a hill, like an ageing dowager, the hotel meanders across over four acres of manicured sloping gardens.
This one and only five-star luxe hotel in Kodaikanal offers the most spectacular view of the distant hills, as it stands on a crest, overlooking the frosted, glassy lake. The architecture is in keeping with the landscape, with sloping roofs, colonial pillars and paned windows letting in streams of golden sunshine.
Early morning, the Carlton appears wrapped in a veil of mist, which nestles in pockets all along the hotel. One can almost see it waft past windows, and reach out and touch these ethereal handkerchiefs of morning mist.
Summer holiday home
For years, The Carlton remains a home away from home to many families, every summer. Babies clad in bonnets are wheeled in prams across the cobbled pathways, one can hear the frolicking kids squeal and shout as they run about, weaving their way through the landscaped gardens.
Lazy breakfasts on the terrace, soaking in the morning sun, are cherished memories for many. The blazing log fire in the lobby is an evening ritual, as young and old gather for a game of Tombola, as they toast their toes.
Evening tea with hot scones and jam out on the lawns, noisy lunches and dinners for holiday makers, in the restaurant or a refreshing pre-lunch gin and tonic on the verandah are all recollections of fun times at the Carlton.
Things to do€¦
Holidays at The Carlton are made up of doing exactly what you feel like doing. Wake up early for a brisk walk around the lake, burn some calories at their state-of-the-art gym. Enjoy a sauna, steam or lazing in the jacuzzi or settle for a leisurely stroll on the undulating gardens.
Go boating, fishing or riding, or perhaps you'd prefer skimming the waters of the lake in a romantic shikara, meant exclusively for Carlton guests. The hotel is so used to picnickers and trekkers that they think nothing of packing you a picnic lunch basket, at short notice.
With a well-equipped business centre, workaholics can catch up with things at the office. Enjoy a barbeque on the terrace, go sight-seeing, drop by the clubhouse and take in a round of billiards, pool, croquet and table tennis or perfect your golf at the putting green.
Unwind at the in-house discotheque or sip a Cognac in the bar. The choices are infinite.
The Carlton is perfectly child-friendly and great for a family holiday. Indeed, the crowning glory of the Queen of hill stations, Kodaikanal. Many summer holiday albums are made up of happy times spent at the Carlton, Kodaikanal€¦
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