Hotel Reviews - Honey Pot Homes, Coorg, Karnataka

Hotel Reviews of Honey Pot Homes

6.78
Mini, Bangalore | 09^th July 2009
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
Comments: Honeypot Homes was exactly as promised and more. HolidayIQ helped us narrow down our options and the reviews helped us choose. We had a wonderful holiday and recommend a stay of at least two nights. Try to get there by lunch so that you can make the most of your stay.



Getting there: We took SH 17 from Bangalore towards Mysore: once out of the city limits the journey was a breeze; four lanes and a good surface. The stretch between Ramanagaram and Maddur has several places to stop for a quick breakfast: Barista, Café Coffee Day, Kamat, Kati Zone and a Mc Donald - the latter two attached to a petrol pump with clean loos. On our return we stopped at Kamat Loka Ruchi just short of Ramanagaram for an authentic Karnataka meal.

Just past Srirangapatanam we turned right at a traffic island marked for Ranganathittu Bird sanctuary – this short cut completely bypasses Mysore and joins the Madikeri highway (SH 88) at Elivala. It does not have a road surface as good as SH 17 & 88 but the scenery and kilometres saved make up for it. Incidentally, this short cut will also take you to KRS dam.

Just beyond Hunsur on SH88 is a Y fork – left leads to Siddapur and Virajpet and the main road carries on to Kushalnagar. Though more circuitous, the Siddapur route is more picturesque. Till Kushalnagar the road surface is very good, after that it can at best be described as ‘promising’ with several uprooted trees and other preparations to resurface and widen the road evident. As we started to climb up towards Madikeri, the bamboo groves along the road gave way to coffee plantations interspersed with pepper vines wrapped around tree trunks. We needed no sign boards to tell us that we were in Coorg.

Look left for the Honeypot Homes turnoff, which is exactly at the 7 km milestone to Madikeri. There is a cluster of three-four shops and houses at this point as well. Turn left into the gate marked Sandalkad Estate and drive along the hillside for about half a kilometre. The cottages come up on your right.

Accommodation: The entire plantation is set on a hillside. The main house is at the highest level, two service buildings at a lower level and the cottages below. All planned to offer great views of the plantation and complete privacy. We had barely switched off the car when we were greeted warmly by Janardhan, the man Friday, and escorted to our cottage.

The neat, smart and cozy cottages are very charming. There are just three of them at slightly different levels. Each cottage has its own sit out and there is a common, bigger sit-out for all the guests on the lowest level. From here one stepped off the tiled surface right into coffee bushes and onto a path leading to a tree house. This was another feature that we were immensely pleased with. The tree house is large enough to accommodate 5-6 adults and has gradually inclined steps leading to it: a perfect spot to curl up with a book or silently watch all the bird activity. Needless to say that we were torn whether to scoot up to the tree house or to explore the cottage… the bathroom beckoned and we were inside the cottage.


The cottage interiors were as nice as the exterior. The spacious room was very well furnished and fairly luxurious. It had a double bed, TV, mini fridge, hot water kettle and best of all - a mezzanine floor with two beds. The steps to the mezzanine were a little steep but that’s what kids love. The room had a little dressing area and a neat, clean bathroom attached. Hot water was piped into the bathroom from wood-fired boilers behind the cottage.

Food: All the food is delivered to the cottage. The proprietors very graciously offer several options: meals in your cottage, in the common area, packed meals, picnic hampers by the stream, and moonlit dinners in the tree house. In short one is spoiled for choice. They serve a good variety of home cooked food, all prepared in the family kitchen. It was tasty, different and in generous portions. There were four of us and we didn’t need to ask for seconds. Coffee and tea can be ordered from the main kitchen, else a kettle and tea/coffee sachets are provided in the cottage.

Activities: Basically one is left to amuse oneself. The only structured activity is a plantation tour every afternoon at 3:30. The tour takes approximately two hours and is very informative. For the rest of the time, guests are free to explore the plantation, which is quite vast and safe. Or spend time at the stream flowing within the plantation. Some guests like to visit other tourist spots during the day: Abbi Falls, Tal Cauvery, Raja’s seat etc and head back to the homestay by evening.

We didn’t stir from the plantation, just a quick drive to Raja’s Seat one evening, that’s all. It was wonderful just to lounge around in the tree house, chatting, sipping our coffee and when all conversation was exhausted watching the squirrels and birds flit about. Janardhan took us down to the stream in the Honeypot Bolero. My son and my husband sat in the open back, thoroughly enjoying the bumps and wind in their face. The jeep goes down to within 200 meters of the stream and from there one has to walk down to the water. Even though the water level was probably at its lowest at the height of summer we happily spent two hours there.

The plantation tour was an eye opener, what seemed like a mass of different shades of green could now be identified. It also made us appreciate the intricate eco balance that has to be engineered into a healthy coffee estate. I can only imagine how much more interesting the tour will be when the coffee blooms and during harvesting.



Must buys: Sandalkad spices and vanilla. Apple wine and passion fruit squash from Madikeri.

We left for Dubare Elephant Camp via the shortcut through the plantation to get to the Madikeri-Siddapur road. The shortcut is a public road but isn’t marked on the map. The road is quite picturesque and worth exploring during your stay. In case you are taking the Siddapur-Madikeri route to get to Honeypot Homes, remember to ask the owners for specific directions as the turn off is not marked. The road to Siddapur offers lovely sights and is a gentler slope


7.00
Sudhir, Secunderabad | 27^th June 2009|
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
Reaching the place is very easy. It's on the highway from Kushalnagar to Madikeri. Once after reaching the the place, the greenery and flowers that greet you, particularly after a few showers (the time that we went) gives a refreshing feel after the journey, unlike a hotel where you will be surrounded by the concrete walls. The hosts Shamveel and Faisal are very friendly and make the stay even more easy. The guest houses- cottages ( 3 in number )...

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5.89
M R KAVINA, bharuch | 15^th June 2009|
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
We stayed at Honey Pot Homes for three days three nights. Our stay was comfortable and enjoyable.The walk around the coffee plantation was interesting.The cottages are well maintained with all modern amenities and power back up. Food was simple like home made. Service was prompt....

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7.00
Asha, Mumbai | 09^th June 2009|
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
Our stay at Honey Pot Homes in the first week of June 09 was truly out of this world. A home away from home in so many ways. The atmosphere, the surroundings and the experience was fantastic - the week seems to have just whizzed past! Honey Pot Homes is really aptly named - any visitor to the place is really like a bee to the honey pot..bzzzzz!...

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5.89
ajay, Chandigarh | 29^th May 2009|
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
Honeypot homes was the first hotel i have located through holidayiq and in retrospect it turned out to be a good decision.the cottages are designed and furnished with good taste.great feel of nature all around.birdsounds,mist,gentle rain and silence.discreet and efficient service.good simple home food.great shopping for coffee,white pepper,cardamom and vanilla.thank you mr.shamveel ,mr.janardan and holidayiq! The road leading through the estate and heading up for sidhapur and the cofee estates is beautiful!one can drive up and picnic everyday of the holiday! As...

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6.56
RR, Hyderabad | 28^th May 2009
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
Overall it was an excellent experience staying with Honey Pot Homes. All the three cottages, are well planned and maintained. The cottages provide an independent home atmosphere in the midst of a jungle, but with all the facilities. I have really enjoyed the service provided at the home stay. The management and staff were extremely cordial. This is a place where we would go visit again without a hesitation...

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6.89
Rajesh, Bangalore | 20^th May 2009
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
It was a great experience for all of us (3 families) in Sandalcad Estate (Honey Pot Homes). Coffe, Orange, Pepper (Name of the 3 cottages) are located in the midst of the coffee,pepper, cardamom and Orange plantations. The view is awesome. The tree house next to the cottage in midst of plantation is lovely!!! The cottages are designed, built and maintained very well. the concept of mezanine is too good. The hospitality is excellent. Food was very good. Overall a...

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6.22
Atulastra, Bangalore | 09^th February 2009
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
It was a refreshing experiance. It was our first experiance of the home stay and contrary to feeling strangers in some one's else home we enjoyed the complete privacy of the hotel room in addition to the hospitality of the owners. The room service was a bit slow but the food was a tasty home cook meal, customised as per our taste as opposed to what one would expect when visiting a tourist place....

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6.33
Darshini, Bangalore | 19^th January 2009
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
Honeypot Homes in my opinion is the best option if u r looking for a homestay in coorg. The cottages are bulit recently and cater to the needs of today's generation; decent and neat bathroom, a well furnished living room with a tv (equipped with TATA SKY), a fridge, and good furnitures. The cottages are located in an estate which has a private stream. The hosts (Mr. Faisal & Mr. Shameel) are extremely friendly. The food is great as well....

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5.67
KK, Bangalore | 25^th December 2008
Hotel Review of Honey Pot Homes
My family of four - my wife and 2 kids, boys of 5 and 2 years set out for a short holiday in Coorg followed by Mudumalai during the Christmas holidays. Our first stop was at Coorg in Honey Pot Homestay, about 7 kms before Madikeri on the Kushalnagar-Madikeri road. Having read good reviews about this homestay, we booked well in advance for 3 nights. Being a first time experience in homestay, we arrived with some apprehension. The road from...

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