Sep 29, 2009 08:46 PM
10238 Views
(Updated Sep 29, 2009 08:48 PM)
We just came back from an amazing long weekend drive away stay at the WindFlower Spa & Resort in Coorg. This property is was launched hardly two months ago and it is already a great place to stay!
Property Location
WindFlower Spa & Resort is located at Shuntikoppa(10 kms before Madikeri town) and this 25 acres beauty overlooks beautiful woods and plantations. From the main road, you have to take a narrow un-tarred 2km road to reach the place. Once you are there it is utter serene environment that you would like to immerse into. It is a well planned and carefully developed natural looking resort with a lots of trees and plants around. You will hardly notice any harsh concrete. The highlights of the property are:
An artificial stream that runs all the way down to a man made lake with ducks and geese
Fishing area(not yet ready)
Large dining hall & buffet area
Well designed elevation and reception area
Poolside bonfire
Bar & club house(at the moment limited options like caroms, board games)
A great swimming pool
Well laid pathways connecting all facilities
Well equipped spa facilities with knowledgable staff
Room service
Pick up - drop to various units
Exceptionally well appointed rooms
The room
We stayed in a suite(850 sqft) thanks to a good offer from my friend Sharath of Les Concierges. We got this room for Rs.6500 per night(otherwise costing 8000/-) and I must say that it’s worth that price. The massive suite had a good living area, sit out, large bedroom with window opening to the woods, kitchenette and a huge bathroom with three different shower options(open air shower, Jacuzzi tub, and glass curtained shower) apart from the wash area and toilet. There is continuous hot water supply owing to big geysers that are installed in each room. There is an air conditioner and large LCD TV in the bedroom. The kitchenette is equipped with supplies, a minibar with fridge and a kettle. The wardrobe has a safe locker with digital key option. All furniture were in brand new condition. There is also big sofa/couch, center tables, revolving recliner, writing table and chairs available.
The resort offers three types of rooms - Studio rooms, Suites and Private Villas - with prices per night ranging from Rs. 4500 to 12000 - prices inclusive of all meals(American Plan)
Food & Service
The food was the best part of the package. There is a good number options available for North/South, Veg & Non-veg people when it comes to the food. The salad, starters, main course, bread types, dessert options were all available in the buffet food and the only thing thing missing was a non-veg soup.
However, the bar area needs a bit of improvement. There are not many options for cocktails. If you want plain drinks, beer or wine there are enough options though. During the dinner, they set the bonfire and you could enjoy your drink near the poolside.
The Spa
The spa(Emerge) at WindFlower needs special mention. I took an Abhyanga(whole body Ayurvedic massage+ steam+ herbal bath) at the spa and it was really good. They have a number of options(in Ayurvedic options and various beauty treatments) available in the spa menu but I should warn you that the pricing is on the higher side. It is better to stick to the basic Ayurvedic massages as the beauty treatments are damn expensive without yielding much value(The hair enhancement treatment that my wife took did not have any visible advantage)
Major positives & Improvement areas
We had an amazing weekend at this place and Coorg in general. If you want me to highlight the things that I liked the most, it includes the well-appointed suite, the swimming pool, food and service quality, open air shower and the Jacuzzi within the room.
The main improvement areas are the need to have a better bar(with menu card). Also, some of the supplies in the bathroom weren’t just there(e.g. moisturizer, shaving kit) and I thought a hair dryer would just make it the perfect bathroom!
The approach road is something that I would like to see maintained as well where two-way traffic was close to impossible.
Since it is a new resort, there was also the smell of polish on furniture which was unpleasant at times. Another improvement area I could think of is the spa pricing and the bonfire positioning which was causing smoke in the dining area.
Conclusion
Despite the minor issues, I would still go back and stay there again and would highly recommend this property to anyone driving down to Coorg for a weekend getaway!
