Looking for a luxurious getaway in Coorg to celebrate a special occasion? I’ve got just the place for you.
Introducing my new favorite property in Coorg: Coorg Wilderness Resort. An expansive 5-star property steeped in all the luxury at the very doorstep of nature. Perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore.
Read on to find out what to expect in this European-style property in Coorg.
Prefer to watch a video instead? Well, here you go:
Rooms at Coorg Wilderness Resort
Of course, I did my research before visiting the property.
But the rush of wonder, when you enter your room in Coorg Wilderness Resort is something else altogether. I definitely wasn’t prepared for it.
The plush Victorian-style room makes you feel like you are living in a museum. At the same time, this property is surrounded by lush greenery, so it gives you the illusion of living in the woods as well. It’s like having the best of both worlds.
The rooms and the bathrooms are all quite spacious and the suites here are bigger than the 2bhks I’ve stayed at in Bangalore.
I’m not even kidding! The suites here are about 1300 sqft – so yes! Bigger than the average 2bhk in Bangalore.
Our room was a plush Victorian-styled studio room and I could see that each corner of the room was quite tastefully designed.
Also, who doesn’t love a bathtub with a view?
Large bay windows open into a balcony which presents the views of the surrounding lush greenery.
Like I said, best of both worlds – tasteful luxury nestled in nature!
Coorg Wilderness Resort Property
Ever heard of Kumarakom Lake Resort set by the banks of Vembanad Lake in Kerala? It’s one of the top 10 resorts in India by Paul John Group of Hotels. If that’s anything to go by, you know you can expect nothing short of excellence from their latest addition – Coorg Wilderness Resort.
An expansive resort with 104 rooms (52 studio rooms, 52 suite rooms) spread across 40 acres, Coorg Wilderness Resort, delivers and how!
The overarching theme of the resort is European-style interiors.
And a staff told me that replacing any of these items like the chandelier would take months as these are all custom designed and imported.
I was impressed by the attention to detail to every corner, to every single artifact here, especially the chandeliers. It’s not an easy feat to pull, far from it — but the end result is outstanding! At the same time, it all goes so harmoniously together, without any jarring clashing of colors — which happens more often than I care to admit.
I’m not sure if this comes across in the pictures, but they definitely have spared no expense!
After all, Paul John Group of Hotels is owned by the same brand that created Paul John Whiskey, an award-winning international whiskey brand. The chairman is a liquor baron after all!
Habba Restaurant
One of their iconic restaurants is Habba — a gigantic restaurant meant to serve people staying in 104 rooms in the resort.
This is where you’ll have the breakfast buffet.
I was quite impressed by how varied the breakfast spread was with Indian and continental cuisines.
There was also a live counter for dosa, waffles, pancakes, and omelets.
Ranging from poha, dhokla, to danish, and donuts, even cheese platter — there’s more food than you can possibly eat here!
Vembanad Restaurant
Remember we talked about how Kumarakom Lake Resort owned by the Paul John Group of Hotels is set by the banks of Vembanad Lake in Kerala. And that’s where the name of this restaurant comes from.
It serves Coorg, Kerala, and Mangalore specialty cuisines.
I tried a mixed veg curry here and it was quite decent, but I would say, this place is best for non-vegetarians as you’ll find plenty of local food options here.
If you are a non-vegetarian, don’t forget to try the emblematic dish of Coorg – Pandi curry – a dish made with pork in a pepper-based gravy.
Infinity Pool
One of the best features of this resort is the infinity pool overlooking the hills. While I didn’t have any plans to get into the pool, I knew I had to take a dip the moment I saw it. It’s such a spectacular view of the surrounding greenery from here.
Things to do at Coorg Wilderness Resort
There are just so many activities to keep you occupied when you are staying in this gorgeous property.
Sunset Hike
One of the first things you’ll probably end up doing here is the sunset hike.
A 5-minute walk to the topmost point of the resort will take you to a platform from where you can watch a 360-degree view of the surrounding lush greenery.
Really a great place to watch the sun disappear into the horizon.
Nikaay Spa
The Nikaay spa experience was quite an elaborate process from start to finish.
From a welcome drink, hot war foot dip, relaxing massage, followed by delicious fruits, and a refreshing steam bath — it was a proper 5-star spa experience.
The massage itself was for about an hour, and with the whole experience, it took about 1.5 hours here.
We opted for a couple’s Balinese massage and the director of Nikaay spa Ms. Lanu told me that a typical Balinese massage involves dry massage and oily massage components. A dry massage helps warm up the body for the oily massage – so the process is gradual as opposed to a Swedish massage, for instance.
Nikaay Spa – is it worth it?
After the massage, it felt like all the knots in my body were released. It definitely was one of my best spa experiences.
I would totally recommend this when you are here!
Candlelight dinner
It wasn’t an easy decision to pull myself together after that relaxing spa session. But I’m so glad that I did as it was quite a magical night!
Having a scrumptious dinner beneath the canopy of stars while being surrounded by dense greenery with my loving husband, was quite a memorable experience.
They do have a special candlelight dinner menu including amouse-bouche, soup, appetizers, main course, and dessert.
The staff was also quite helpful and friendly here.
Bird Watching
One of the most enchanting, but less talked about things concerning Coorg is the bird-watching experience here. Coorg is home to over 350 species of birds out of the 1000+ birds available in India. That makes Coorg a bird watcher’s paradise.
And guess what? Coorg Wilderness Resort is home to over 60 species of birds which was quite impressive in itself!
I had no idea how special this bird-watching experience was until I found myself up at 7 am taking a stroll inside the resort with binoculars in hand.
Mr. Amjith, our in-house naturalist, explained to us in great detail about the endemic birds of this region.
And we did spot about 20 birds in the 1-hour bird watching session.
It was quite a special moment for me to watch the endemic Malabar grey hornbill nesting which happens once a year. I also came across a beautiful bird – an Asian fairy-bluebird. And, chanced upon the smallest bird of India – the Nilgiri flowerpecker.
Whether you are an avid birder or a nature enthusiast, bird watching is a must experience when you visit Coorg Wilderness Resort.
Rope Course
If you fancy getting your adrenaline pumped, you don’t even have to step outside the resort.
You’ll find Rope courses, zip-lining right inside the property.
I did try a level 1 rope course for the first time.
Level 1 rope course involved 5 steps:
- Commando Net
- Burma Bridge
- Swinging Bridge
- True Travelling
- Floating Wood
This was my first time trying a rope course, and it was so uncomfortable and quite thrilling!
Floral bath
After successfully finishing the rope course, I decided to indulge in another pampering session.
This time with a floral bath. Because who doesn’t like a bath with a view!
It took about half an hour to set up the flower bath and I have to say, the staff at Coorg Wilderness Resort did a fantastic job.
Honestly, I had half a mind to not touch it as it looked quite pristine and I wanted to let it be undisturbed.
Coffee Experience
Is a trip to the ‘Coffee cup of India’ even complete without learning more about this emblematic crop?
And that’s where the coffee experience in CWR comes in.
From how the stolen coffee beans reached India and started growing in Coorg to the different varieties of coffee and how it’s made I learned so much about this fascinating beverage that has spanned across many centuries all over the world.
Nature Walk
Have you even visited Coorg if you didn’t walk inside the lush coffee plantations?
You’ll find plenty of interesting plants along the walk. It can be quite an eye-opening experience, especially in this modern world where we can spend our whole life without knowing how and where our food comes from.
Parting Thoughts
To sum it up, I had a wide variety of experiences at Coorg Wilderness Resort. I absolutely loved the bird-watching experience here and of course, the relaxing and rejuvenating spa. European style interiors were quite tasteful while enjoying the seclusion of being surrounded by lush greenery. And the staff here are so friendly, and the absolute best. They made sure that we had a comfortable stay here and were quite accommodating.
If you want to have all the luxury while being nestled in nature — Coorg Wilderness Resort is for you.
