Review: Coorg Wilderness Resort - Luxury in sync with nature!

Coorg Wilderness Resort is a luxurious resort located in a forest just outside Madikeri in Coorg district. This is my review of the property on my recent stay there and covers all details like rooms, food, activities and more.

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As I drove out of the Bengaluru Airport towards Southern Karnataka, the temperature dropped and my sense of excitement grew. I was visiting the heart of coffee plantation in India (Coorg grows almost 40% of India’s coffee) and despite the late night drive, I didn’t sleep even for a minute.

Coorg Wilderness Resort

Reception at the resort

Reception at the resort 

About the Resort

Coorg Wilderness Resort started in 2019, and in just the last two years it has made a name for itself as one of the most luxurious places one could stay in Coorg, and that too in sync with nature - luxury with conscience.

The resort has more than a hundred rooms which are divided into three categories - Grove View studio & Grove view Suites which looks into the forest and Hill View Suites which look into the valley and hill in the front. There are multiple restaurants and also a bar with good collection.

My room at the resort

My room at the resort was certainly the highlight of the trip and even though I am back now, I can't still stop thinning about it. I stayed at their top of the line and premium Hill View Suite. The suite is absolutely huge, and the bathroom is even more impressive. 

My room from top

View from my balcony

Wow! Look at that tub :)

View from my bed!

My favourite part of the room was the balcony which overlooked the valley and the hills ahead, and this is where I had my morning tea and where I sat to read my book. It's quite rare to be in a place where you have all the luxuries of life, yet you don't hear the sound of any vehicle around. It was blissful.

Activities at the Resort

My original plan at the property was to simply relax, read and spend my time gazing at the forest, but eventually I got templed and tried out all the activities at the resort. 

Bird Watching Walk

A great way to start your day would be go to for the bird watching walk with the expert naturalist at 7am. I know it’s a little early especially if you are on a vacation, but the walk is totally worth it. The Coorg region has more than 200 varieties of birds and many of these can be see at the resort, which itself is 40 acres big. The walk is just an hour long activity and I would recommend asking a lot of questions and learn as much as you can - if you have kids, they will absolutely love it. Don’t forget to take the binoculars from the reception at the start of the walk.

Action and Adventure

Take rest after breakfast and relax because the next activity is action filled. There are three must-to-do action activities and I recommend doing them all - Charlie Chaplin line, Zip line and rock climbing. Well, these aren’t exactly easy but also not quite tough. Kids can do some of these too. The rock climbing one was fun and I absolutely loved it, but also needs good upper body strength to do it well.

What really impressed me was the professionalism of the staff and the fact that they always made sure that safety equipment was placed correctly. I felt quite safe doing it all and that makes a huge difference when you take up something new for the first time.

Nature Walk

Another activity that you can do in the morning is Nature Walk. When I heard about it, I wasn’t so keen but after doing it I changed my mind completely. Our naturalist was excellent and I learnt so much about the flora and fauna of the region and also saw quite a bit of it there. Our walk ended at a small stream which had mostly dried up but I can imagine how mesmerising it would be during the monsoons. In fact, during the monsoon the entire resort will turn magical.

My naturalist was Prashanth and by the time the walk ended, we had become friends. Not only did we walk, he also helped identify some berries that I could eat, and also a wild edible flower - it was sweet like nectar. The most interesting bit was eating wild figs straight from the tree. Absolutely delicious. 

Swimming Pool

Of course, if you prefer to relax, skip the activities and instead relax at the infinity pool overlooking the forest. Since I love swimming I went there twice, once just to lie down, relax and enjoy the view. It's not a deep pool and is a perfect place to enjoy with your family.

Close to the pool is an indoor activity room where you can play board games, table tennis and more. Alternatively you can also just head over to one of the lounging areas and just relax. 

I did it all, action with a good dose of relaxation. It’s all about managing time and I was happy to be able to do it all.

Coffee Experience 

I absolutely love coffee and since Coorg is where India produces most of it's coffee, this experience was special. The resort isn't located in a coffee plantation but you'll find plenty of coffee trees during the Nature Walk. Drinking a cup of coffee shot at the end of the activity is the highlight, but do ask as many questions as you can. You can also buy coffee after the session.

Nikaay Spa

Keep the afternoon or evening for the spa. The spa has a large variety of Western and Asian spa therapies and each therapy lasts upto an hour. I tried out the Balinese massage and it was so good that I slept off on the table itself. Do make sure that you book your therapy in advance as the spa is quite a popular place and can get full fast.

Sunset Spot

The best way to catch the sunset is to hike to the highest point at the resort - Sunset Spot. It's a short ten minute hike from the rooms and absolutely worth it. I spent all my evenings up there and it was just gorgeous to see the beauty of nature from so high up.

Sunset from sunset point 

Though it's called sunset spot, I also went there early in the morning and trust me its even better then. There's no one at the point and you can lie down and enjoy the view all by yourself. 

Restaurants at Coorg Wilderness Resort

There are two main options for meals - Habba and Vembanad. Habba is where you will eat your breakfast and most of your meals. The buffet spread here is quite a good one with a balanced mix of South Indian, North Indian and Continental cuisines. The dessert spread is excellent. 

MY favourite walkway at the resort

Vembanad is a speciality restaurant which serves local delicacies. Most of the local delicacies are non-vegetarian but if you are vegetarian like me, do ask for bamboo shoot curry and eat that with red rice. 

Veg cutlets at Vembanad

If you are fond of drinking, there’s a pub at the property as well called Tipsy Bar. You can try any of your favourite cocktails or ask the bartender to surprise you as well.

Getting around in the resort

The resort is spread over 40 acres and based on how far your room is from the reception and dining area, you can either walk or take the electric carts to move around. You can simply call the reception whenever you need it and it'll come to pick you up in minutes.

Evening view at the resort

Making reservations

To make a reservation for your stay, you can check out the availability and rates on their website. The property is typically full during the main season for the region - December and also during the April May months due to vacations of school kids.

More details here.

Home sweet home!

How to reach

It’s easiest to reach Coorg from Bangalore in a taxi. I came directly from the airport and you can travel using Ola or Uber Outstation also. The journey can take 6-7 hours based on when you start from Bengaluru. 

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Disclaimer: I visited the property on invitation of the Coorg Wilderness Resort. All views and opinions shared above are based on my personal experiences.