Cocooned by Nature!
No matter, how many times I visit the Western Ghats, I could go again and again and again. The entire area is so vast and there are so many places in it and I've been there several times and still I'm yet to see Mudumalai, Periyar, Srivilliputhur, Sahyadri and more!!! Kabini is just at the edge of Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks, which belongs to the Nilgiri Sub Cluster of Western Ghats, UNESCO World Heritage Sites! And at Kabini, at the banks of the Kabini reservoir is the Orange County Resorts!
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The whole look & feel of the entire resort is so entangled with the nature & culture around it! The architecture & masonry is almost true to the local village style but with all modern amenities.
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The best example I could give is, all the lighting here are hurricane oil lamps & candle lamps, altered to fit electric bulbs inside! No disposable waterbottles or plates are used and the masonry looks more like local huts with wooden structure & thatched roof etc.
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Spread in an area covering 18 acres, this just has 37 rooms! 8 are Pool Huts and 29 are Jacuzzi Huts! Unlike its counterpart in Hampi, the entire space is more like a community living than a hotel! It absolutely doesn't have a hotel feel to it and its one of the best hotels I've stayed so far! The huts are spaced away from each other. All the buildings have only the ground floor and no terrace as well.
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Even the newspaper socket at the doors of the rooms is a hollow bamboo piece (didn't I say we're cocooned by nature?)! The switches are retro, very similar to its counterpart in Hampi! The doors are made of wood with bamboo/cane reinforcement. All the furniture inside are also made of bamboo & wood. The lampshade are handmade with local material. The blinds are Kora grass mats! Drinking water is via RO tap just like in Hampi.
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Sized at 2400 sq.ft, the Pool Huts are the epitome of luxury! As the name says, it has a private swimming pool in it! As soon as you enter, there's a 21sq.m sized swimming pool, complete with 4 lounge chairs (yes, the first pic of the post is also this pool)! Since all buildings have only the ground floor, and since the pool huts have a high compound wall around the open to sky pool, there is complete privacy!!! That's a luxury that I can't have in my own house. The sky lit areas in my own house can be seen from the neighbour's terrace, but not here!!!!!
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The interior of the hut has 2 rooms in it - the living room and the bedroom. Both the room have river facing French windows that brings in enough of day light! The bathroom, attached to the bedroom has a bathtub, a shower, 2 sinks and a door that directly leads to swimming pool again!!! The living room has a backdoor as well, complete with a portico with lounge chairs, that has a view of the Kabini River! I spent an entire evening sitting here, watching the river over sunset, and continued much after sunset, in pitch dark atmosphere!
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The living room is equipped with a cafe, mini bar, TV, seating arrangements & dining table as well! The bedroom is a huge king sized bed, with an AC, Fan, bedside tablelamp etc. The best part is, you could choose the pillow filling that you want! They give you 4 options!!! That's called literally spoiling the guest!
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The Jacuzzi Hut (sized 1200 sq.ft) on the other hand is almost like a typical village home. All the facilities are almost like Pool Hut, but this doesn't have a river view and instead of a huge pool, here's a small open air jacuzzi!
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The wall hangings and table decor all over the hotel are also made of wood, jute, seeds etc. As I said when you're in the midst of nature, you're practically renting a space that belongs to wildlife, from the wildlife, for a few days! So, if you leave your room windows open, you might get to some insects & birds are visitors! The restaurant is always filled with sparrows and some even live in the thatched roof over your head!!!
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That's going really long. Let me break here and continue the review in the next post!
To get there:
P.S: I was invited by Orange County Resorts, Kabini to stay and experience the hotel for review purpose, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
To get there:
On Google Maps: Orange County Kabini
From Mysuru Jn: 80 km
From Bangalore Airport & City Station: 250 km
Transport is arranged by the resort from nearest airport / railway station on prior request.
Room tariff begins at Rs.33000/-
To Book: Orange County Kabini
Resort Ph no: +91 (0)8228 269 100 – 7
P.S: I was invited by Orange County Resorts, Kabini to stay and experience the hotel for review purpose, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.