Off to a forest retreat! #DestinationSkip

Tripoto
24th Dec 2020

Itching for a vacation to take a break from the monotony of Zoom calls and presentations, we were looking for a budget getaway place. But we also wanted something unique, something different from any place we have been to so far. . .

That's where we heard of this place, tucked away in a secluded corner in Kerala - The Great Hornbill Resort in Nilambur, Kerala. This resort is just adjacent to the Nilgiris forest, spread across a vast area and with just 8 rooms and seemed to be a perfect place to take a well deserved break :)

We were travelling from Chennai. It is a 13hour ish ride from Chennai, so we left quite early in the morning around 4am and reached around 5pm at Nilambur. The Tamil Nadu part of the drive was all highway with 4 lanes, amazing roads and a relaxing drive. The Kerala part of the drive is scenic, taking us through typical winding Kerala roads with a view (although not exactly hairpin kind of roads)

The resort is just adjacent to the Nilgiris forest. As soon as we stepped there we could feel the difference - clean air, absolutely no outside noise, just the chirping of birds and the gushing of water nearby from a stream.

Photo of Great Hornbill Resorts, Amarambalam, Pookkottumpadom, Nilambur, Kerala, India by Anu Anand

View from the room. All of their rooms are positioned to provide forest views

Photo of Great Hornbill Resorts, Amarambalam, Pookkottumpadom, Nilambur, Kerala, India by Anu Anand

View from the room

Photo of Great Hornbill Resorts, Amarambalam, Pookkottumpadom, Nilambur, Kerala, India by Anu Anand

Here is why I realised this is such an ideal place for a complete detox getaway and a recommended #DestinationSkip from the usual touristy spots

1) In the midst of nature, just surrounded by forests. In fact the resort is kind of located in the valley surrounded by mountains. You can hear the constant chirping of birds, which is a welcome change when coming from the city

2) Amazing Food - They pretty much grow everything within the premises (barring a few items) and the food prepared is finger licking delicious. It is all traditional Kerala Cuisine, prepared by some really amazing chefs.

3) Activities - Plenty. Badminton, Table tennis, etc etc - Plenty of activities to engage in and if you do want more adventure they would arrange for trekking the nearby mountains as well

4) Disconnect - Simple, hardly any network / range around. They do provide wifi, but it was pretty weak. I just saw that as an opportunity to just disconnect :)

5) This is the highlight of this entire resort experience - They have a private river stream access . This was just mind blowing! As I said, this resort is just nestled in a forest area, but not just that - they have a river stream gushing in the nearby forest area. When we went there was not a single soul around and we had it all to ourselves and it was the first time ever that I could take bath in a natural river stream. The river is crystal clear, you can literally see the bottom, the water is said to have medicinal properties and you can drink straight from the river and it isn't too deep and is structured such that there are boulders around so its safe enough to take a dip or just lie there even if you don't know swimming (like me!)

6) The service - Just Amazing! I felt like I stayed at home. The elderly couple who run the resort were so friendly, they sit and spend time with you and ensure you get an absolute homely feel :)

Just loved this very unique experience in the edge of a forest and the very special bath in the river stream. Definitely memories to stay forever and a highly recommended #DestinationSkip ❤️

River stream where we can take a dip! Such crystal clean water

Photo of Off to a forest retreat! #DestinationSkip by Anu Anand
Photo of Off to a forest retreat! #DestinationSkip by Anu Anand
Photo of Off to a forest retreat! #DestinationSkip by Anu Anand
Photo of Off to a forest retreat! #DestinationSkip by Anu Anand