Munnar - Thekkady

ramya

Iam planning for a trip to munnar-thekkady in the month of march.
Pls tell me on accomodation in thekkady in the budget of 700 - 1000 Rs and mode of transportation that i can take from Cochin-Munnar-Thekkay-Kottayam.

Thanks,
Ramya

Dr. Gajaprishthakara

Hi Ramya,

Try:
http://www.chrissies.in/

It is a hotel in Thekkady with great hosts and an even better italian restaurant (best in India?). I think that there rooms are between 1200 and 1500 but contact them and see.

Car is the less scary travel option. The mountains in the bus is for the brave ("I will lose my manhood if I use the brake, I will lose my manhood if I use the brake, I will lose my manhood if I use the brake").

aadil

That's some info I could use too, thanks for the web address. Seems like a nice place though the rates seem to be a bit on the higher side.

Cheers,
Aadil.

__________________
Climb high; climb far;
Your goal, the sky,
Your aim, the stars!!!

capt_mahajan

Well, if he doesn't use the brake, he will lose it all.

Scandojazzbuff

I stayed in a homestay called Wild View in Thekkady in December. I paid 1200RS but if you are Indian, I am sure you can do better than that. It is basic but each room has a lovely verandah with a beautiful view. Hot water only, but, you will probably be just sleeping there and not spending much time in the room. Contact Ravindran at 09447827279.

cristinb

I stayed at Green View in Thekkady last year, and it was really pleasant. They are very clean, have a nice garden area, hot water, TV, and good beds. The owner and his wife are very friendly too. I don't remember how much we paid for a double occupancy, but I doubt it was more than 1200 rs.

http://www.sureshgreenview.com/home.htm

pundabee

I live in the Thekkady area, and therefore won't recommend or advise against any particular accommodation (unless it is absolutely magnificent or appalling).

As a pointer though:

There are many homestays/hotels on Bypass Road and Thekkady Road which is a very short distance from the bus station. In March occupancy is low, which means that there is no reason to book in advance. You can walk from one homestay/hotel to the next, check rooms and prices and choose the one that fits your requirements.

Prices will range from Rs. 300 to 1500 on these two streets, and there won't be a problem negotiating a better rate in the more expensive. There tends to be no logic in the pricing: some Rs. 300 accommodations will be better than some Rs. 1500 accommodations.

Using a tour operator will increase the price or remove the possibility of price negotiations. Using one of the "guides" that hover around the bus station is similarly disadvantageous. My advice is to stay well away from these. Some of them are pretty dodgy.

Transport:

Kochi - Munnar: Bus, 5 hours, leave early from KSRTC bus stand in Ernakulam when more buses are available.

Munnar - Kumily: Bus, 4 hours, check the bus times the day before departure. Not that many are available.

Kumily - Kottayam: Bus, 3½ hours, many buses. State bus much preferred.

ipineindia

We stayed at 'The Whitehouse' in Kumily, less than 1km from the gates to Periyar reserve.

Rooms were nice and overlooking the reserve with a balcony and swinging baskey seat

Pricey @ 700rs but nice.

As for Chrissies, they do amazing pizza's there

ignatius riley

Have you ever heard of the Pepper County Homestay? Thoughts? I realize your post above states that you don't want to make any recs since you live there, so just a yay or nay will do.

Cheers and thanks!

pundabee

Must admit that I don't have any personal experience of this particular homestay. What I do know is that it is situated on a hill about 3 kilometres from Kumily and 6 kilometres from Thekkady. The location is quiet (most of the homestays in the area are located in Kumily, and this being an Indian town, can be quite noisy) and with very good views. Also, it should be easy to reach using public transport.

The homestay concept is well developed in Kerala. However, the ways in which owners implement the concept vary a lot. For instance, there are the classic homestays where you actually stay in the same house as the family, with only 1 or 2 rooms available, and meals are parts of the stay. Very close contact with the family. You won't find many of these.

There are the guest house style homestays where the guest rooms are separate from the main house, with a maximum of 6 rooms available, and with the possibility that some meals are available. Some contact with the family.

There are the hotel style homestays where the guest rooms are separate from the main house, where there are a large number of rooms available, and no food will be available. Little contact with the family; the homestay will often be run by staff.

Not all homestays will fit into these categories, but will have characteristics from two of them. I believe that Pepper County is mostly a guest house style homestay.

(the categories above are wholly homemade )

ignatius riley

We are looking forward to our trip! Thanks for the information!

wildlili

hi all!

my husband and i are looking for a 'home style' homestay in thekkady for one night in early march. as Pundabee mentioned, there doesn't seem to be many of these and i have been having trouble finding any!

if anyone could get me some references, i would truly appreciate it!

cheers,
lily

SitaParityaga

Hi Wildlili,

Check out this other thread for a budget style place in Thekaddy. At least its a start! Good luck!

Munnar - Thekkady