The Wild Rock Country House
Athoor, Dindigul District
USP: Commune with Nature
Imagine your private room, done in a combination of rugged rocks, granite and marble, nestling comfortably on the emerald slopes of the Western Ghats. And, looking out to a well-manicured garden. Beyond the trees and colourful blooms are the vistas of distant mountains. Somewhere in-between is a verdant valley surrounding the placid waters of a beautiful lake. All this in the middle of rugged rocks in a quaint little village called Athoor.
The charming view makes you forget the rickety ride through potholes on pebble-strewn muddy tracks. But the experience that unfurls later, makes up for it.
The Wild Rock Country House is a mansion spread over 25 acres and has a swimming pool. The floors are tiled, the tables are walnut or granite-topped. The ceilings have Kerala-style wooden beams. Old prints of English towns and fields, Harley-Davidson bikes and giant-sized gherkins hang on the walls. Antique and stylish leather furniture adorn the dining hall, verandah and sit-outs. No space is cramped and that includes the mini-library and the small book shelf where visitors leave behind their best picks.
The orchestration of the wild avifauna draws me to spend most of my time outside. All you need to do is zoom into the abundance of Nature in one of the most bio-rich regions in the world. Simply feast on the panoramic shades of green and drink in the fresh-mountain. Commune with Nature. The perennially-salubrious climate at an elevation of 1,000-odd metres, the cool-breeze, the mild drizzle and the smell of wet earth, combine to relax your mind and body.
The chef whips up a platter of soft and hot chapattis with yellow dal or steaming hot rasam rice with your favourite poriyal or the cheesy, creamy and saucy pasta or spaghetti, with garden fresh bowl of salad and fruits.
How to get there
Sempatti is the closest bus station to the property. You will pass by the Sadayandi temple and the bungalows of Lake Side, Double Dutch and Cardamom House resorts. There are signposts en route to the five-km stretch.
Tariff
The Family Suite costs Rs. 4,500 per person per night;
a Deluxe Twin Bed Cottage costs Rs. 4,000; and a Deluxe Double Rs. 3,500.
Tariff includes breakfast. Taxes Extra. For details, call 0451-2471572, 2470454
Things to do
Go rock climbing, river-crossing, cycling, mountaineering, trekking and horse riding.
A great place for ornithologists, wild-life photographers and tent campers.
Visit the village, fields, farms, coconut groves and mango orchards.
Try your hand at angling.
Or simply head for an Ayurvedic massage, yoga or swim.
Visit the Sadayandi temple situated in the hill caves or the beautiful old Catholic church in the village.
