Travelogue: Coonoor

The (third) in a series of side trips we've taken. Eventually, I'll go back and fix up a Varanasi and Agra summary.

First, the low down:
Where we went: Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, in the Nilgiri Mountains (Western Ghats)
Why we went: Elevation 1600 meters - a relief from the Hyderabad hot. Tea estates to see.
How we got there: One hour flight to Coimbatore, two hour drive to hotel (up a mountain on switchback roads)
Where we stayed: The Gateway Hotel (part of the Taj Group)
What we paid: 7000 Rs / night ($140) for a two room suite, all meals included (excl. tax)
And the extra charges: occasional snack/room service (50 Rs for tea, 300 Rs for a meal), car rental (to/from airport 2200 Rs each way, 1/2 day car rental with driver 800 Rs, jeep rental with guide for a hike 1800 Rs)

And for the details:
Pam's favorite food at the hotel: a crudite and pineapple salad with mustard-tamarind dressing and the "Mexican Brownies." I'm not sure what made them "Mexican," but the fudginess was to rival any brownie in the U.S. and totally unlike the dry brownies common in India.
Greg's favorite food: dosa and the variety of Indian curries
William's favorite food: chocolate muffins and penne pasta with fresh tomato sauce

William's favorite activity: digging in the sand at the kid's play ground. The hotel had four different lawn areas which were great for William to run around in. We'd generally do some activity in the morning (a little sightseeing or a hike), put William down for a nap back at the hotel, and then just play around on the hotel grounds in the afternoon/evening until William went to bed.

The biggest disappointment: having our hike cut short the last day because of a wild bison (Gaur, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaur) on the path. He wouldn't move, and at our guide's recommendation, we aborted the hike. Apparently, these bison can trample people if the people get too close. Greg didn't even get to see the gaur, which made the failed hike even worse for him.

Best part of the hotel: friendly dining hall and housekeeping staff who enjoyed playing with William when they weren't working.
Where the hotel needs improvement: the front desk / concierge staff. Get a few management consultants in there for a week or two and whip them into shape! Really, the improvements to make the service comperable to a nice Western-style resort hotel would not be large - just take some training in communication, planning and initiative.

Overall recommendation: it was a great place for a weekend trip to get away from the heat of Hyderabad and to let William just pack around outside. It's not a place for someone looking for an "active" vacation - there should be some good hikes there through tea plantations, but we're not 100% sure how to find a guide who knows them (it took us some asking just to go on the two half-day hikes we went (and try to go) on). If William hadn't been having so much fun playing outside, four days would have been a little too long.