It is from our office OBL trip (Out Bound Learning) happened in mid September this year. Local experts from our team selected “The Serai” resort in Chikmagalur district as the place for real unwinding. Chikmagalur is around 250km away from Bangalore on the National Highway NH 47 between Bangalore and Mangalore, I believe on the same latitude as well. Our stay was planned for 2 nights and almost 2 days. Outdoor, indoor activities, eating, drinking , volley ball, cricket, swimming pool, tracking/walking to “Mullayanagiri” peak highest of Karnataka , coffee resort visit & photography off course, everything was in our itinerary.
 |
| the blue sky |
So the day came as a clear Thursday morning, at around 8:00 AM we all left for Chikmaglur from the office. We had booked an AC bus for around 45 people, others decided to come by their own vehicles. Bus was not bad, but the conductor wasn’t very good though, he kept switching off the AC in between. Bus had a nice DVD player with a good flat screen TV , okay speaker system and I was carrying “Andaz Apna Apna” movie DVD with me. This movie, dumbshellarts , antakshri and introduction by almost everyone (tenured , freshers ) kept the whole bus awake, loud and laughing.
After some 90km from Bangalore we stopped for a 30 minutes Tea break at “Mayura” restaurant. The place was fairly clean and big enough to accommodate all of us. The service was quick, everyone ordered idli-vada & tea and they served it in 5-10 minutes. Here and there a few camera clicks happened, group photographs from different angles and we started again.
 |
| bus@entrance |
 |
| entrance |
 |
| @entrance |
 |
| reception |
 |
| beauty |
 |
| rain |
 |
| side view |
In almost six hours we reached “The Serai” at around 2 PM. The resort’s entrance is phenomenal; the big tall trees at the main gate give it a perfect forest reserve look. It felt as we were entering into Jurassic park movie ;). It started drizzling as we reached the resort gate, which added glamor to our arrival. So from our bus to reception(roughly 20 feet), we were escorted by the hotel staff under the big brown/white umbrellas. Individual cottages were planned for a group of three people. Resort staff carefully handled luggage and sent them to our allocated cottages meanwhile most of us went to the dining hall for lunch and some were already in the swimming pool. We had a pretty decent lunch, north Indian, south Indian, veg , non veg , desserts with light English instrumental music in the background. As the resort is a coffee plantation, through the dining hall’s big glass panes you can see, coffee plantation, trees, and greenery everywhere. Really you can feel great about your relaxed eyes, far away from your computer screens.
Into the cottage
 |
| towards cottages |
After the lunch many of us went to our cottages and some went to the swimming pool , while it kept raining. Every cottage has a separate entrance which has a nice wooden gate. You enter your cottage and get your own personal 10feet X 18feet X 5 feet deep swimming pool, which has a porch, where you can relax on that big mattress lying there after your swim.
 |
| the big pool |
The room in the cottage was a big enough place for three, had a big cozy bed for two and an extra bed for the third person. The front and side walls of room had two big glass panes fitted windows , had curtains for sure, and can get to see the rising morning sun from your bed. One 40” LCD TV, DVD player one mini bar an electric kettle and other stuff for coffee and tea. Two big wooden cupboards, an electronic safe for valuables. Now comes the grand part, the bathroom. It was big place, had big mirrors all over, one open bathtub, one toilet and a shower room with no walls in between, only glass partitions and no curtains, please don’t mind. The bath tub and the shower area had no concrete/opaque walls from outside too, so you get to take help of plastic curtains over the glass. Don’t worry each cottage is surrounded by high walls; the bath area was neat perfectly well illuminated by sunlight and artificial lights. You will really enjoy your time there. One of our roommates called his stay in the hot water in that bath tub as bath of his life.(please see the photographs at the end)
 |
| cottage for three |
 |
| inside |
 |
| bathtub & glass walls |
 |
| your own pool side |
Day1: Evening
We rested in cottage for few hours; every stupid talk in that serene silence appeared as some sacred poetry. In the evening some of us played volley ball while it was still drizzling, few were busy in indoor games room, some jumped into the pool , few went for cricket, rest either enjoyed their drinks, beers till dinner or slept in their cottages. An enjoyable place seriously , has lots of activities for everyone to do indoor outdoor, around the resort, kitchen garden walk, you can do cycling on the track around all the cottages ,you can enjoy in the kids play area , has some small rides for kids too. The place can keep you busy for a week I bet.
 |
| pool@every cottage |
 |
| cottage view |
 |
| volleyball & cycling |
 |
| drizzling it was |
 |
| that's me in the big pool |
 |
| pool in day light |
If you really prefer fresh air walk there is a lot of walking involved, the whole coffee plantations is in around 80 acres, carry a pair of sports shoes, socks, waterproof jacket, cap etc, it rains frequently during August and September so you need more dry shoes and socks .
 |
| open air gym |
 |
| open recreation room |
 |
| kids play area |
 |
| carom @Indore |
 |
| Foosball table @recreation room |
Late in the evening we had some common team activities, interactive introductions by new employees, musical chair followed by crazy indoor kabbadi in that games room. Few people were still having their drink sessions going on while rest finished dinner.Some of us again had TT matches late night. Back in the cottage it went till late night, playing cards and gossiping. So we spent our first day with in the resort nicely , turned out to be a very memorable and exciting experience.
 |
| coffee beans |
 |
| tiger spider |
 |
| and beautiful sunset |
We had to wake up and got ready by 8 AM by next morning for the “Mullayanagiri” peak tracking.
I hope next time I go there I will spend a bit more time around the cottage, lying idly in that silence, very relaxing for body and soul...to be continued.(
Day2)
regards,
bhupendra
Please leave a comment if you liked the post.
