Hotel anatomization : Fortune Suvillan by ITC, Ooty

Stay in Ooty was booked at Fortune Suvillan by ITC. 

The hotel is located right in the center of the city. Although it took us a bit of effort to locate the hotel. But with the help of the hotel staff over the phone - we were able to get to the place.

The hotel is located at a higher altitude and the view of the city from the rooms is stunning.

The hotel is a modern day tribute to John Suvillan who founded the scenic city of Ooty.

The hotel finds its proximity to the main city, bus stand and the railway station. The Rose Garden, Botanical Garden, Ooty lake and the tea factories are at a distance between 4-6 kms from here.

The architecture had a feel of the British era maybe more that of the colonial times. The vibrant colors of maroon and yellow added to the beauty of the place along with the lush greenery.

The hotel had a lovely garden right in front with benches and shades - where you could relax and enjoy your time with a hot chocolate or coffee or a desi chai! There were very vibrant colored flowers planted in the garden.

The hotel had quaint cottages nearby which served as the gyms, pool, spa and other recreation areas.

The interiors have been done well, was in aww with the spiral stairway.

The central view from the entrance was gorgeous - the see through lift running right at the center of the hall.

The welcome was warm and the staff was courteous. 

Facilities of the hotel:

• Conference room
• Gymnasium
• Restaurant
• Wi-Fi
• Games 
• Safe deposit vault

Facilities in the room:

• Tea/coffee maker
• Toiletries 
• Bottled water
• TV
• Phone

After finishing the initial formality, we headed towards our room. The guys from the hotel helped us with our luggage.

The room was good, albeit not spacious. 

The room was accommodated with the bed, sofa set and a small center table and the TV closely placed.

The view from our room was that of the city raised on the slopes of Ooty - beautiful houses in vibrant colors.

There provide with a complimentary fruit basket, which is available on request.

During the evening as we were stepping out for dinner, we noticed people enjoying live music. There was a piano being played by a fine gentleman - it was quite refreshing and soothing. 

Suddenly a lady, who was another guest at the hotel, started hymning beautiful songs as the man played the tune on the piano.

It was a musical mahool with the gana and piano playing.

It was one of the memorable moments from the trip!

There was complimentary breakfast for all the members. 

The food ranged from North Indian to South Indian to continental. They did serve a wide variety of items in the breakfast. And you could eat your heart's content! :)

They have ample parking space as well - so no worries on that.

The stay was nice and comfortable.

You indeed feel fresh taking a stroll within the premises itself.

Refreshingly awesome. For a lack of a better word in my dictionary - rejuvenating is befitting here ! :)

Here are some pictures from the stay:

View from the room

Cheers to life!!

~Journey  of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me. :D

Wanderlust Tales - Ooty sight seeing

For the sight seeing we booked through a travel agency - who arranged for a full day event to visit the nearby places in Ooty. 

It was one fun filled event. There were others along with us, who made the day even more enjoyable. The numerous jokes, fun filled comments, songs - a day well spent with total strangers!

I would like to mention about one incident that happened. Hope this would help us overcome our doubts and fear about people.

So, this trip was along with my parents. For seeing the Pykara falls, there was a walking distance of almost 1-2 kms. 

My mom and dad were too tired to cover the distance. And I was equally reluctant to go on my own. So there was one Muslim family with a year old kid. Seeing my reluctance to go alone, they insisted that I go along with them.

It was indeed a sweet gesture. In that 30-40 minutes with them, they literally took care of me like their own. Even at the entry there was a minimal fees that needed to be given. I was about to pay for my own, but they paid for me - saying all of us were together.

I was touched.It is not the money that matters, but the gesture. As they say "aaj kal ke zamane main koi apna kisi ke liye kuch nahin karta", but they were total strangers who we just met on the tour. I really appreciate their help and company.

I hope to find more such genuine, good and caring people through my life who would help me retain my belief on humanity. :)

One word to describe all the places would be enthralling and captivating!

Inside the city we used our car to go to nearby places. Actually, you can drive to all the places on your own too. We were little skeptical about the roads, so we opted for the tour.

Places we saw:

• Pykara boat house - is an added attraction  over the reservoir. You can have a ride on the motor boats or the speed boats available here.
• Pykara river
• Pykara falls - a walking distance of about 1-2 kms need to be covered before reaching the falls. It is a good place to relax. It is quite a small waterfall, as a matter of fact you can't see much of it - other than the flowing water.

Pykara, is the name of the village and river 19 kms from Ooty. The Pykara river is considered sacred by the Todas. It rises at Mukurthi peak, and flows northwards, and turns to west after reaching the edge of the plateau.

The others were:

• Tea plantation - you can find it in plentiful on the roads in Ooty. It is just pure bliss see acres and acres of land filled with the greenery of the tea plantation.
• Needle point - standing here you can view the beauty at its best.
• Coonoor
• Pine trees of Pykara - they are one of a kind. Towering trees with thorns on them, and they are spread across. It is fun catching glimpses of the sun through the trees. We got to walk across the trees, but one has to be extra careful - the trees were on a tilted land. It takes quite an effort to cross them.
• Kamaraj dam - a beautiful location with hills over looking it.
• Needle rock view point
• Shooting point

Here are few pictures from the sight seeing:

- Shooting point

- Pykara Falls



Pyakara falls



Pykara Lake

Pyakara Falls

- Coonoor

Toy train



Shooting point

Pykara Lake

The tea plantation on the way. It was just luscious green. Greenery and greenery! It absolutely feels heavenly to be here.

Tea plantation

Famous area where shooting of films is done

Way to needle point

Pine trees



Pykara Lake

Kamraj Dam

 Cheers to life!!

~Journey  of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me. :D