Come weekend and we Bangaloreans start looking for a city-escape. To be surrounded by nature. And spend a quiet and peaceful staycation from Bangalore somewhere in the greenery, with perfect views. Located at a short driving distance of just 4-5 hours from Bangalore, the district of Kodagu or Coorg has the best possible options. Whether you are planning a backpacking trip from Bangalore to Coorg or a weekend getaway to Coorg, you will find a suitable Coorg travel package for yourself. So far, we have made countless trips to Coorg. Every time, we choose a different area of Coorg to explore. And every time, it feels like we are exploring an altogether new destination.
Our first weekend in Coorg was in Virajpet district of Coorg. Very near to Nagarhole National Park, we enjoyed the warm and homely atmosphere of Casa Coorg Homestay. We still fondly remember the chats with the family, the evening walks around the nearby golf course, and the refreshing atmosphere of Coorg. It was also the trip on which we explored places in Coorg.
While on the next weekend in Coorg, we stayed quiet near the Bangalore – Coorg highway, at Capitol One Resort. It is a vast property, with a pond on the premises, a small but well stocked restaurants and beautiful mountain views from the balconies and verandahs. We totally enjoyed spending a weekend here with our family. Relaxing and mostly walking around the farm and the property.
Apart from this, we passed through Coorg on our Bangalore to Bekal Road Trip. Although on this trip, we also had plans to explore Coastal Karnataka, visiting Udupi, Mangalore and Murudeshwar. So, we didn’t stay in Coorg this time.
Finally, on our most recent weekend in Coorg, we decided on a staycation at Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg. And in this post, let me share with you how the experience went this time.
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About Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg
The Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg is a beautiful property built at a land surrounded by 100+ acres of lush greenery that makes for a perfect relaxing weekend in Coorg. There are two types of room options on the property – the Villas and the Rooms. While the rooms are located on the first and the second floor of the main property, the villas are wide spread around the property amidst greenery.
Each room has a balcony with a beautiful view of the mountains beyond. If you are visiting in the rainy season, you will be greeted with bunch of clouds traveling through these mountains. And there are high chances some of them can even enter your room!!
While the villas provide for more secluded kind of an experience surrounded by lush greenery all around and isolated from other villas through these natural screen.
Both the rooms and villas are a perfect oasis for spending a peaceful and luxurious weekend in Coorg. However, we opted for the rooms instead of the villas. As, we wanted that beautiful mountain views. And we were just back from our staycation in Thekkady a month back. Wherein we had stayed in the Elephant Court Thekkady Villa. And were sure, the experience of staying in the villa was going to be very similar to the one we had there, or, the one we had in Biera Mar Beach Resort Goa. So, we rather wanted to recreate our “interactions with clouds moment” that we had during our trip to Munnar as a part of our Kerala road trip.
Apart from the rooms, you can also sit at the library cum observation deck on the 2nd floor which gives an unobstructed view of the surrounding mountains.
Drive from Bangalore to Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg
There are two ways to drive from Bangalore to Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg. We took the first one while going and the second one while returning. Here’s a description of both the routes :
Route 1 taken while driving from Bangalore to Coorg:
Bangalore -> Neelamangala -> Channarayapatna -> Mudalahippe -> Sanivarsantane -> Montrose Golf Resort and Spa
While the first 100-120 km of this route is a proper 4 lane highway with divider in between, after that, it becomes a two lane highway. Although traffic is not very high on this route.
And the last 15 km to the resort is particularly very scenic, through winding roads, lush green valleys and beautiful hills. Although this is a narrow road, and it will be really challenging at times if you have another vehicle coming from the opposite side. But, luckily while we were on our way to the resort, we didn’t get into any such situation. In fact, we hardly found any other vehicle on this stretch. And it was the most beautiful part of the whole road trip.
Route 2 taken while driving from Coorg to Bangalore
Montrose Golf Resort and Spa -> Kushalnagar -> Mysore -> Bangalore-Mysore Highway -> Bangalore
While on our way back, we took the usual route via Kushalnagar & Mysore. It is the busiest of all the routes between Bangalore and Coorg. And hence, we couldn’t enjoy the drive so much. The only thing that I love about this route is that near Kushalnagar, you will find a lot of local handicraft shops and spice shops lining the highway. We often stop here to buy spices, wooden and cane items etc. It is a pleasure to explore around and do a little shopping in this area.
Other than that, both the routes have ample food and refreshment options on the way. For the pleasure of driving through really scenic route, I highly recommend Route 1 as compared to Route 2.
Time taken is also almost same either ways. It’s around 6 hours in total. We started around 5:00am from our home in Bangalore. And reached Montrose Golf Resort and Spa by 12:00pm. On the way, we took one break for breakfast. And a couple of few minutes pitstops. We had our lunch in the resort itself.
Things to do at Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg
There’s a plethora of things to do at Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg.
Coffee Museum
The first thing you will encounter in a trail of things is the small but interesting coffee museum. They have time slots for coffee tasting experience. But apart from that you can visit the museum anytime all through the day and walk through the “story of coffee” right from sowing seeds to brewing the prefect coffee. All narrated through pictures and writings. It involves an engaging narrative around the history of coffee, it’s origin in Coorg, and the farming and harvesting techniques employed for growing the best coffee of India in this region. At the end of the tour, you would be equipped to understand –
- How to differentiate between good, bad and excellent coffee
- Techniques to brew the perfect coffee at home without any sophisticated equipments
- The flavours and aromas of different types of coffees
- Lifecycle of coffee from the beans all the way to your cups 🙂
Kids Play Area
After crossing the coffee museum, there’s a small kids play area where the kids can swing , slide and do a few more activities.
Shooting House
There is a small but equipped shooting house right next to play area. Here, you can experience the thrill and excitement of shooting through a pistol. And improve upon your precision in this salon-styled shooting station! A perfect thing to try on your weekend in Coorg!!
Animals Encounter
Moving further, you will come across some caged rabbits. And a horse stable where are 6 different horses of different breeds. Further there are also lots of goats, some turkey and hens etc. The kids can feed the animals grass and leaves provided by the resort. The rabbits were an instant hit with my younger kid. And she fed them multiple times while we were at the resort !! While the elder one actually fed the horses!! She is a true animal lover. And she had several other animal interaction and feeding experiences including our visit to Mysore Zoo and her animal feeding session in Singapore Zoo.
Although I am not a fan of animals in cage, it would have been really lovely if these animals were left open in a secure area than inside a cage. Although I can imagine, it will be too much work to protect them from dogs and cats if left in the open. However, if I had time, I would have loved to take a short riding lesson, riding the horses here. The horse riding lesson includes –
- Learning the basics of riding a horse
- The right posture while climbing a horse and sitting on it
- Learning how to mount a horse
- Trotting
- Cantering (for advanced riders)
Indoor Play Area & Indoor games, and the Gym
On the first floor of the main building there is a kids play area. With soft mats, small slides, ball play zone and several other engaging games for kids and adults. These included table tennis, pool table, foosball, video games and board games like carom or chess here. This was another place my kids loved to spend quiet sometime. There is also a fully equipped Gym on the premises.
Experiencing Golf
Of course, the main attraction of the resort is the golf course. Although not very large, the golf course is lush green and surrounded by the mountains. Electric vehicles ply at regular interval from the reception to the golf course. You can enjoy a short golfing experience or even do a short term course with Montrose Golf Resort. We didn’t try our hands on golf as we were late for it 😛 But we did walk all the way to the golf course the next morning. And it was an experience in itself.
The Montrose Golf Academy has packages and lessons curated for visitors staying for a short duration. The packages include –
- 10 hours of Golfing lesson
- Flexible course duration – lesson can be completed within one year – even on your next visit in case you are short on time
- Covering driving, iron play, pitching, chipping, bunker play and putting techniques are covered
- 3 hours of “on the course” time – including strategy making, planning and shot selection
What’s more, there’s even a “junior golf academy” curated for kids aged 6-16 years to experience golf while on vacation in Coorg!!
Nature Walk & Bird Watching Tour
The resort also arranges for nature walk and bird watching in the morning hours. You need to inform them the night before by 7:30-8:00pm for your plans of the next morning if you intend to take one of these tours. They are definitely a wonderful experience. We skipped these this time. As we had several previous experiences of similar kid. Almost all the resorts in Coorg, Wayanad district, Kumarakom, Kabini and Chikmagalur offer similar experiences.
The guides on these tours will take you up in the mountains, closer to nature where you can experience the chirping of birds, the misty air and the solidarity that we all seek when driving away from the city life. Some of the amazing birds of the western ghat that you might sight on a bird watching tour include the Hornbill, Grey breasted laughing Thrushes, blue winged Parakeet, Grey Haired Bulbul, white bellied Treepie, Blue Flycatchers and Black Eagle.
Apart from these, you can enjoy reading a book from the library with the beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Take a self-walking tour around the property like we did. Enjoy a dip in the outdoor swimming pool. Or, enjoy a spa treatment. The resort also arranges for bonfire in the evening in it’s beautiful lawn. You can also do little souvenir shopping from their shop near the reception. We bought some home-grown coffee from here. And it was amazing. We also sat for hours at a stretch in the balcony and enjoyed the view of the mountains, looking at the clouds fly by us. And feeling the mist in our face.
Food options at Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg
Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg has 3 on premises restaurants and an in-room dining option as well available on the premises.
The Pantheon is the main restaurant where we had our meals. It has both indoor and outdoor sitting. While the indoor ambience is great, nothing can beat the outdoor seating experience. Wherein, sitting near the glass door you can enjoy your meals with beautiful views of the lawn and the majestic backdrop of the mountains beyond. The relaxed and elegant dining experience definitely uplifts the mood. The Verandah offers a variety of cuisines, including Indian, Continental, and local Coorgi dishes.
The restaurant is particularly known for its use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Signature dishes often feature flavours unique to the Coorg region, such as Pandi Curry (Coorg-style pork curry) and other traditional Kodava cuisine.
The Blue Rose is another multicuisine restaurant. Which can tailor make a 7 course menu just for you and your family.
The third dining option is Golfers’ Lounge which offers light cuisines like snack and refreshment. It is casual setting ideal for golfers to relax after a game, with comfortable seating and a view of the golf course.. Here you can enjoy a freshly brewed coffee – something Coorg is best known for.
Poolside Barbecue is yet another dining experience which is especially arranged for you at special request. As the name suggests, it is arranged as an outdoor dining experience on the side of the swimming pool. The cuisines offered here include freshly grilled barbecue items, with a selection of marinades and sauces to complement the dishes.
Apart from these, the resort arranges for a hi-tea session around 5:00pm in the evening. Wherein tea, coffee and some snacks are available at a cart on the side of the building, near the swimming pool area. The range was nothing compared to what we had enjoyed at resorts like Taj Fishermans Cove in Chennai. But the experience of having steaming hot coffee with pakodas sitting on the grass in the lawn of the resort was a memorable one.
Overall Experience at Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg
We had a wonderful experience with our staycation at Montrose Golf Resort and Spa Coorg. The check-in was swift. While one room was already available, another one got ready while we had our lunch. And the manager came over to the restaurant and handed us the keys. Anything else that we asked for was swiftly arranged and delivered. The service was totally top notch. And whenever we needed any help or information, we could easily approach any staff on the premises. All of them were so helping.
There was so much to do and at the same time it was a perfect place to do nothing and relax. Although we stayed here for only 2 days 1 night of the weekend, I highly recommend staying here for at least 2 nights. So that you can do justice to all the activities as well as find ample time to relax during your stay here. Here’s the link to book a stay here for yourself. You can book a package with breakfast and dinner both included, like we did. The food in their in-house restaurant is very tasty. And there are plenty of options in the buffet spread.
Last but not the least, the resort has a lot to offer to families. I would rate it as one of the best family resorts in Coorg.
What to pack for a weekend in Coorg
Coorg is a year round destination. Depending on the month in which you are traveling to Coorg, you can pack your things accordingly. Winters are mildly cold in morning and evening. While peak summer days in March – April can be really hot. Do carry an umbrella and a light jacket, irrespective of the timing of your weekend in Coorg. And hiking / walking shoes as well depending on the kind of activities that you plan to do while spending your weekend in Coorg.
What are the places to visit in Coorg while spending a weekend in Coorg
Coorg is full of beautiful waterfalls, trekking pathways, hidden natural pools, wildlife sanctuaries and riverside farms. Some of the most famous places to visit in Coorg include :
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Raja’s Seat: A garden with a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and valleys. It is especially popular for its sunset views.
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Madikeri Fort: An ancient fort with a palace, museum, and a chapel. It offers a glimpse into the history and culture of the region.
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Omkareshwara Temple: A beautiful temple in Madikeri, known for its unique blend of Islamic and Gothic architectural styles.
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Abbey Falls: A beautiful waterfall surrounded by coffee plantations and spice estates. It’s a popular spot for photography and picnics.
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Iruppu Falls: A scenic waterfall located in the Brahmagiri Range, which is also a pilgrimage spot associated with the Rameshwara Temple.
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Dubare Elephant Camp: A wildlife camp on the banks of the River Kaveri where visitors can interact with elephants, including bathing and feeding them.
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Bylakuppe: A Tibetan settlement near Kushalnagar, famous for its Golden Temple (Namdroling Monastery). It is one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India.
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Talakaveri and Bhagamandala: Talakaveri is the source of the River Kaveri, located on the Brahmagiri hill. Nearby Bhagamandala is a pilgrimage site with a confluence of three rivers.
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Nagarhole National Park: A wildlife sanctuary that is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is home to a variety of wildlife, including tigers, elephants, and leopards.
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Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary: Another wildlife sanctuary known for its rich biodiversity and trekking trails.
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Coffee Plantations: Coorg is known for its coffee plantations. Many estates offer tours where you can learn about coffee cultivation and enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
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Tadiandamol Peak: The highest peak in Coorg, ideal for trekking and offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape.