Coonoor Reviews

Overview of the destination
Just two hours away from Coimbatore and nestled in the mountains, Coonoor is a small tea-plantation town that's a mere pit stop on the way to Ooty. If a laid-back, leisurely holiday is your thing, Coonoor is the best place for it. Ooty is just 19 kms away so you can always spare a day or two for a visit. Hire a taxi from Coimbatore or book seats on the toy train to reach Coonoor. A 14 hair-pin bend ghat road with spectacular views of the valleys and rock faces rising out of the mist is a plus on this trip.

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
You can stay at the MGM Hillworth Resorts, Velan Ritz, Taj Garden Retreat , Wallwood Garden Neemrana or Riga Residency. Lower Coonoor is crowded - so head for Upper Coonoor and Sim's Park for a long walk. Or visit Lamb's Rock and Dolphin's Nose for wonderful views. Stroll in a tea plantation or take long walks on the Kotagiri Road or Orange Grove Road. Shopping: Eucalyptus Oil, clove oil, Wintergreen Oil, antique furniture, emboidered linen from Needlecraft on Singara Estate or, of course, TEA!

Activities & things to do
Trekking, hiking, walks, boating and long drives. Buy baked goods from the numerous bakeries for a real English tea. Read a book by a roaring fire or out on the lawns if you can manage that.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
April and May are the best months but carry light woollens. Heavy woollens at all other times. It can be a damp place so be careful if you're asthmatic or prone to allergies. May is the Fruit Show season. June is when the rains start in earnest and can be very heavy.

Overview of the destination
We thought of going to Ooty, but the crowded tourist spots stopped me from going there. Instead we went to Coonoor, 20 km away from Ooty, a hill station with a charm of its own. Stayed in a Guest House called Bougainvilla, a sprawling 4 bedroom accommodation, with kitchen facility and a caretaker to answer to all your shopping needs.

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
Taj was just round the corner. There were restaurants serving south Indian meals. Ordinary Chinese restaurants were not good, where taste was concerned. Toda jewellery made by the tribals is available in 2 or 3 shops. Spices and different varieties of oils like Eucalyptus oil, clove oil and wintergreen oil are good. Teas of different varieties are available. Coonoor has 2 or 3 points from where the Nilgiri can be viewed in all their splendour: the sleeping lady point, the dolphin nose point. Different varieties of flowers grow in Coonoor; in every house the gardens are worth a look. There is huge garden hosting a wide variety of flowers.

Activities & things to do
Trekking, rock climbing and taking long walks in the hills are some of the things, one can do. Ooty is only 20 km away so visiting Ooty should be in the itinerary.

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
One can travel by car or train up to Mysore and then drive up the hill through the reserve forest of Bandipur, road is not good. One can go to Coimbatore and take the small gauge train from Mettupalyam to Coonoor and Ooty.