I have been absconding for a long long time ! Well, there are umpteen reasons for this. One - I got busy with the mad CAT race, two - I got busy with the mad GMAT race, three - I got engaged, four - I got married, and now, five - I realized the first two were a bad excuse, and next two lame excuses. :-) . Nevertheless, I am back, and let me warn you, I might abscond again :D. But I'll definitely come back !
Well, so around Christmas, Sivaram and me had a great idea to venture out on a road trip around Bangalore. Christmas is a bad time to plan on-the-fly trips, especially if you're looking for a decent place to stay. But boy, we were lucky!
One of my colleagues sent me a link to Ammadi Home Stay. I searched on the net for some reviews, but didn't find many, as the HomeStay opened for outsiders in August 2009. My colleague however, was full of accolades for the family (apparently related to Kuvempu's mother). And, we ventured out (Not like we had any other option) on a holiday to Ammadi.
Situated in Koppa, around 90 kms from Chikmaglur, the drive to this place was amazing ! Winding roads, greenery all around and the traffic-less drive made our day ! And, when we reached the house, voila ! It was an amazing view. There was a nice traditional Malnad house, with paddy fields in the front, and plantations surrounding it. We got one of the best rooms there (Facing the paddy fields - If anyone wants to go there, please ask for these rooms). The house itself was worth seeing. It had amazing traditional furnitures made of wood, an open space in between, with rooms in the front and back, and long corridors joining them. (Looked like a traditional "naalu kettu" house, as is called in Malayalam).
Here are some pictures:
Road from Chikmaglur to Koppa (Taken through the car shield, lacks clarity)
View from our room at Ammadi:
Food - Unlike most homestays, the food here comes from a caterer, (as the lady of the house is no more, and it is run by a single person, Mr. Srinivasan, whose sons help him on weekends). I wouldn't rate the food excellent, but it definitely was just a notch below being excellent :-).
I loved the coffee here. It's available anytime you ask for it :-)
Hospitality - Excellent. Hosts were very helpful. Infact, Ashwin (who is the owner's son) called us a couple of times when we were enroute, to ensure that we were on the right track. They also took note of our food preferences. They would sit along with the guests to make conversations, and we even watched a cricket match together. However, they didnt cross the thin line between hospitality and intrusiveness.
Location - Koppa is a small village, which is close to Agumbe, Sringeri, Kundadri, Kuppali (Noted poet, Kuvempu's place) and Thirtahalli. During our 3 day stay in Koppa, we visited all these places. We also went on a drive across the Kudremukh national park (This was the best part of the trip, and I'll leave it to a separate blog).
Price - We paid 1250 per day per head, and this included Breakfast, lunch and dinner (not to forget the "any time coffee" service :-) ). The hosts are accomodative, and they gave us discounts when we skipped meals on any day.
To conclude, Overall I would rate this homestay a 4 on 5 :-) .
Well, so around Christmas, Sivaram and me had a great idea to venture out on a road trip around Bangalore. Christmas is a bad time to plan on-the-fly trips, especially if you're looking for a decent place to stay. But boy, we were lucky!
One of my colleagues sent me a link to Ammadi Home Stay. I searched on the net for some reviews, but didn't find many, as the HomeStay opened for outsiders in August 2009. My colleague however, was full of accolades for the family (apparently related to Kuvempu's mother). And, we ventured out (Not like we had any other option) on a holiday to Ammadi.
Situated in Koppa, around 90 kms from Chikmaglur, the drive to this place was amazing ! Winding roads, greenery all around and the traffic-less drive made our day ! And, when we reached the house, voila ! It was an amazing view. There was a nice traditional Malnad house, with paddy fields in the front, and plantations surrounding it. We got one of the best rooms there (Facing the paddy fields - If anyone wants to go there, please ask for these rooms). The house itself was worth seeing. It had amazing traditional furnitures made of wood, an open space in between, with rooms in the front and back, and long corridors joining them. (Looked like a traditional "naalu kettu" house, as is called in Malayalam).
Here are some pictures:
Road from Chikmaglur to Koppa (Taken through the car shield, lacks clarity)
View from our room at Ammadi:
Food - Unlike most homestays, the food here comes from a caterer, (as the lady of the house is no more, and it is run by a single person, Mr. Srinivasan, whose sons help him on weekends). I wouldn't rate the food excellent, but it definitely was just a notch below being excellent :-).
I loved the coffee here. It's available anytime you ask for it :-)
Hospitality - Excellent. Hosts were very helpful. Infact, Ashwin (who is the owner's son) called us a couple of times when we were enroute, to ensure that we were on the right track. They also took note of our food preferences. They would sit along with the guests to make conversations, and we even watched a cricket match together. However, they didnt cross the thin line between hospitality and intrusiveness.
Location - Koppa is a small village, which is close to Agumbe, Sringeri, Kundadri, Kuppali (Noted poet, Kuvempu's place) and Thirtahalli. During our 3 day stay in Koppa, we visited all these places. We also went on a drive across the Kudremukh national park (This was the best part of the trip, and I'll leave it to a separate blog).
Price - We paid 1250 per day per head, and this included Breakfast, lunch and dinner (not to forget the "any time coffee" service :-) ). The hosts are accomodative, and they gave us discounts when we skipped meals on any day.
To conclude, Overall I would rate this homestay a 4 on 5 :-) .
