I am a Country club member for the last 6 years. We have visited many locations across India but this has been the WORST experience ever. Me, my wife and child had to rush to the local Devadoss KHMS hospital in the dead of the night as we were affected by severe diarrhoea and loose motions. We checked into the resort on 18th April 2019 and we checked out on 21st April 2019. As we had meal package for Country Club members, at no point in time did we consume any outside food or water during our stay in Kodai. On 20th morning, my wife was affected first followed by me and our child. The doctor at the hospital diagnosed it as food poisoning for all 3 of us. Before checking out on 21st April, I spoke to the Resort GM Mr. Gopi Vinod and narrated the ordeal. His defence was 2 pronged(1). Change of weather can cause diarrhoea and loose motions and doctors use the term Food Poisoning arbitarily.( So he basically over ruled the doctor's diagnosis. I am not sure if he is qualified to do so. Also, me and my family have been to places having diverse weather conditions like Shillong and Jaisalmer, and we never faced any health issues)
(2). No body in the resort has been affected by food poisoning( There is no way for me to verify the veracity of this claim. Moreover, not all the guests were Country club members, so not all the guests would have had food all the 3 times at the resort like we did)
While I am aware that Mr. Vinod needs to defend his team, I was appalled at his attempts to place the blame for the incident entirely on us. Over and above the physical discomfort, we spent Rs. 4000 as taxi fare, and medical bills.
My take for those who plan to visit Country Club Kodaikanal-(1) Please visit only in midst of peak season as the resort is very deep inside the valley and fresh produce might not be always available due to the remote location with difficult to maneuver approach roads. During peak season, the resort has to procure fresh produce more often to replenish their stock, so chances of using food items which are beyond use by date is considerably reduced.
(2) Carry a robust first aid kit as the resort is in a very remote location. The resort takes between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours to arrange for a vehicle, depending on availability, which again depends on the traffic. The nearest medical centre is 10 kilometers away and can take almost an hour to reach if traffic is bad. I was charged Rs. 1200 by the resort for the ride to the hospital.
On the positive side, the staff is warm and friendly and the resort offers great vistas of the valley.
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.