There is a serenity about this resort and spa which one is loath to disturb. So, we find ourselves instinctively speaking in hushed tones as we are ushered into the Windflower Spa and Resort in Coorg. The enormous marble-floored spa is located in the heart of the Coorg valley, surrounded by coffee and spice plantations, and its open spaces and pathways are punctuated with aesthetically landscaped patches. An enormous Buddha — a fixture in most Indian spas is the focal point in the lobby while the statue of a Balinese goddess looks on benignly from a corner. This spa is about world-class pampering. At 22,000 sq.ft, it is one of India’s largest and South India’s biggest. It encompasses 11 rooms with top class facilities, including Ayurvedic treatment rooms, hydrotherapy spaces, an open-air pedicure deck overlooking a scenic valley, and is hedged in by bamboo thickets. A large lobby, saunas, beauty rooms, and a spa-menu restaurant complete the set-up. The spa will soon launch medispa facilities such as micro-dermabrasion and oxygen facials. And the spa is green too, with eco-friendly features and offers a range of rejuvenation, ayurvedic detox, beauty and weight management packages, ranging from three to 21 days. I am recommended the Shirodhara. The two female masseurs massage and stretch my muscles gently, and relief surges through the body. Just when I think it can’t get better, the gently swaying, rhythmic oil-flow on my forehead leaves me drowsy. It is followed by the mandatory steam bath. Returning to the room after shaking off the urge to fall asleep takes some effort.
Windflower exudes a quiet elegance. The boundaries between the outdoors and indoors blur in this resort-spa that achieves a thematic connect and convergence with the lush greenery around. The resort and spa are swanky and classy, nothing is overdone or in-your-face. The approach road to the resort, however, is very bumpy; so, drive slowly.
How to get there
Windflower is approximately 250 km from Bangalore. Take a deviation at Srirangapatna, then drive to Hunsur, Periyapatna, Bylakuppe, Kushalnagar and Suntikoppa. Continue on the Suntikoppa-Mercara Road, and at the third km junction, take a left to enter the two-km-long private pathway to the resort.From Mysore, it is 105 km on the same route via Hunsur.
Things to do
-> Take a plantation tour that the resort arranges.
-> Go birdwatching.
-> Visit the Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe.
-> Go river-rafting at nearby Dubare.
-> Sample traditional dinner at a Coorgi home. Attend spa-cuisine demos at the resort.
Tariff
A studio costs Rs. 7,200, suite Rs. 9,000 and villa Rs. 12,600. Spa tariffs range from Rs. 900 to Rs. 3,600. Spa packages start from Rs. 25,000 (for three-day, two-night stay). Contact The Windflower Spa and Resorts, Survey No. 201/P1, Kedakal Village, Suntikoppa Hobli, Somwarpet Taluk, Mercara, Kodagu District, Karnataka or call 08276-262500. In Bangalore call (080) 4114 2408, 09 or email reservations@thewindflower.com
