[RaghavEvoX]

We planned this 5 day Chennai Coonoor trip a week in advance. We didn't want to stay in a commercial resort or in any place near to the town due to Covid fears.
So we chose a place on the outskirts of Coonoor (4-5 km from the Centre) nestled inside a tea estate which had very limited amount of rooms.
We wanted a digital break away from laptops / phones and were highly appreciative of some place without any mobile signal.
We had no sort of 'Places to visit' in the itinerary and just wanted to relax.

Wednesday morning 7:30AM - Started from Chennai
Wednesday evening 5 PM - Reached Coonoor
Thursday - Walk inside the tea estate & exploring nearby areas in Coonoor.
Friday - Drive to Ooty & exploring nearby areas in Ooty
Saturday - Relax day & enjoying the weather & view from Teanest
Sunday morning 11 AM - Started from Coonoor
Sunday evening 10 PM - Reached Chennai


We planned to start early morning 5am but as always, got late by a good 2 hours and started by around 7:30am.
Thanks to Covid, the traffic was quite less and we crossed Ford factory in Maraimalai Nagar less than an hour which normally takes around 2 hours in traffic conditions.
Throughout our journey, the roads were in pretty good condition apart from few places where some work was under progress.
We reached Mettupalayam by around 4 pm and could get the first glimpse of the hills.



The ride from Mettupalayam to Coonoor ghat section which took around an hour was heavenly, a combination of Mountains, greens and clouds.
Every 2-3 minutes the temperature would drop a degree and we went from 30 to 16 in an hour.



Coonoor is a small town in the Nilgiri hills famous for its tea estates, Sim's Park & cool weather throughout the year.
We stayed in a quiet, peaceful resort in the midst of a tea estate. This place is some 5km from the Coonoor railway station and the roads leading to them are so picturesque.





The small resort - Teanest is a must stay for someone loving a peaceful stay.
We stayed here for 5 days but still didn't get the heart to leave from here. Some pictures from there.









Next day we took a good morning walk inside the tea estate and explored some nearby areas in Coonoor, did a small trek and viewed the majestic Catherine falls.
Next time, will plan to go to the falls, which is via Kotagiri.

















Catherine falls



The next day we went to Ooty. Place was bit crowded, so we didn't go to commercial touristy spots.
Had good lunch in a nice restaurant named Earl's Secret. Ambience was great but food was really not worth the penny.





Next we visited a tea processing factory & a chocolate making unit.
It was good to learn some facts and being a household where we drink tea like water, we have decided not to buy mass market tea from now which uses heavy coloring & sweetening agents.
The tea from these factories are very light brown in colour and slightly bitter.

Tea leaves go through grinder and heavy temperature after which they turn into a brown powder.







Chocolates are a simpler procedure where they use only 2 machines. One for grinding the Cocoa beans and sweeteners.
Other for mixing them with dry fruits & placing in shaped containers for drying.
And these home made Ooty chocolates are quite famous and really tastes good.





Some more pictures from Nilgiris before we head towards chaotic city life.
These roads were on the way to Lovedale, a sleepy small village famous for its railway station and Lawrence Residential School.





On the way back, we visited Logan camp Ooty which we had shortlisted for our next stay. So just went to check in.
Beautiful place but strictly for larger groups.
And better to go here in a SUV as the road leading to this place is terrible and my Verna had a really bad time.



Bye Bye My Beautiful Friend




I sometimes feel, I should move in to a peaceful place like these given the current online situation might continue for me in the foreseeable future.

Thanks for reading.

[Raghu M]

Ah, such a cool relief. Those pics are lovely. A very well written and crisp travelogue. Thank you.

[balenoed_]

Nice one.

We too were at Coonoor during the last weekend and just returned yesterday. Teanest was sold out while I checking, else could have met up. . Came close by on Sunday morning while heading to Lambs rock.

[concorde24]

Wow - nice trip. This place looks very nice away from commercial Ooty!

How was the food in teanest (veg)? Any other food options nearby?

[RaghavEvoX]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Ah, such a cool relief. Those pics are lovely. A very well written and crisp travelogue. Thank you.

Thank you !!

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Nice one.

We too were at Coonoor during the last weekend and just returned yesterday. Teanest was sold out while I checking, else could have met up. . Came close by on Sunday morning while heading to Lambs rock.

Yeah !! It's always good to meet like minded people

Originally Posted by concorde24

Wow - nice trip. This place looks very nice away from commercial Ooty!

How was the food in teanest (veg)? Any other food options nearby?

Food was quite good. They have variety but we have to pre-order few hours in advance for lunch and dinner.
There are lot of exotic continental restaurants & cafes in drivable distance.

[loki]

Thanks for the short Travelogue Raghav!. I'm hitting TeaNest this weekend but only for a shorter 2-day stay though. Wish it could be longer like yours

Originally Posted by RaghavEvoX

These roads were on the way to Lovedale, a sleepy small village famous for its railway station and Lawrence Residential School.
Attachment 2229673

Very Scenic ! Where exactly is this location? On the Ooty to Lovedale road? Or the Coonoor to Lovedale road?

[kunalghogle]

Beautiful experience and well written. I am planning a trip myself early next year.

[roadlover1705]

Very well-written travelogue. The pictures are a breath of fresh air in the middle of a working week.

[Artyom]

Folks any suggestions for accommodation in Conoor with good to exceptional food.Appreciate the response.

[RaghavEvoX]

Originally Posted by loki

Very Scenic ! Where exactly is this location? On the Ooty to Lovedale road? Or the Coonoor to Lovedale road?

Whichever way you come, you have to cross this place on the way to Lovedale. It is somewhere near Ketti Valley.

Originally Posted by kunalghogle

Beautiful experience and well written.

Thank you !!

Originally Posted by roadlover1705

Very well-written travelogue. The pictures are a breath of fresh air in the middle of a working week.

Thank you !!

Originally Posted by Artyom

Folks any suggestions for accommodation in Coonoor with good to exceptional food. Appreciate the response.

Apart from Teanest (who offer good food), we considered below options in Coonoor, which might be helpful for you.

• Neemrana Wallwood garden- Heritage building converted to a resort. Good place but very near to Sim's park, so might be a bit crowded. Also, too many rooms, so might not give a good privacy.

• Gateway Coonoor - Great place and hardly 2 km from Teanest but comes at a cost.

• Sunvalley homestay - This had got very good reviews but good we didn't book here. The location of this place is terrible and people might regret after visiting.

• Kurumba Village Resort - This is lovely nature resort but currently under renovation. This is run by the same group that runs Teanest. So I am sure, it will be great.

[ampere]

Very nice pictures. Each one of them say a story and make a memory!

[Avikbrio]

Excellent travelogue. Can you let me know the chocolate factory tour location?

Originally Posted by RaghavEvoX

Sunvalley homestay - This had got very good reviews but good we didn't book here. The location of this place is terrible and people might regret after visiting.

I am going with my parents on 13th of November and have booked at Sunvalley. Can you let me know why the location of the place is terrible? Also I will be driving down in a Polo.

[RaghavEvoX]

Originally Posted by ampere

Very nice pictures. Each one of them say a story and make a memory!

Thank you !!

Originally Posted by Avikbrio

Excellent travelogue. Can you let me know the chocolate factory tour location?

There are multiple chocolate factories in Ooty if you search in google. The one we went was just next to Eagle Dare adventures.

Originally Posted by Avikbrio

I am going with my parents on 13th of November and have booked at Sunvalley. Can you let me know why the location of the place is terrible? Also I will be driving down in a Polo.

This place is some 3-4 km from Coonoor town centre and only the last 1 km leading to the resort is quite bad.
As such the resort is good and has nice rooms with a valley view.
Your Polo will be able to reach the place without much fuss.
But the location of the resort is bit interior and you have to cross a slum like area to reach the place.
No offense to people who stay there !!