COVER STORY I TRAVEL I PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
A SMALL PIECE OF HEAVEN
the stunning facade of the tamara cottages nesting in surrounding trees
IF KERALA IS GOD’S OWN COUNTRY, THEN COORG IS WHERE THEY COME TO FROLIC AFTER CHECK ING IN AT THE TAMARA BY CHUMKI BHARADWAJ
COVER STORY I TRAVEL I PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
C
ontroversy courts comparisons, but whatever side of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s genius you weigh in, Nobel or not, the lines from his cult favourite Blowin in the Wind, “Yes, how many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?’’ seem more prophetic than poetic, more common concern than social commentary, especially if you live in the city. But if hankering after a clear sky on a starry night seems like poor ambition, you haven’t been introduced to the full fanfare of nature’s charm and intrigue. Here’s where Coorg inspires not just thoughts but sensations; the landscape, wildly unpredictable and whimsical bares in equal glory matted green Thekkady-style rain forests, the swell and troughs of the Yorkshire Dales, interspersed with lakes that break into paddy fields at a moment’s notice. Somewhere at the end of winding trails, where the undergrowth gets scruffy and poinsettias pop up to break the hegemony of green, Tamara looms up. Almost lofty, nestled in the mountains, cradled by the trees, the cottages look like cribs for angels; dark wood peeking out of the dense green. Tamara, like Coorg, is charmingly schizophrenic. The all-wood resort, broken into Robinson Crusoe cottages, jostle for space among the highest trees, harmonising with the environment yet standing apart. Even within their silences, it’s never quiet; the orchestra of insect sounds compete with gurgling water bodies and whispering winds. Swarthy desires and sublime pleasures make for an interesting mix at this luxury property that remains limited to just two acres, within the 170-acre estate that produces coffee, cardamom, pepper, and honey. “The idea is to restrict unbridled growth to avoid any negative impact on the surrounding environment and community,” says Shruti Shibulal, promoter of this exquisite resort, which is her flagship.
shruti shibulal against the valley views seen from the balcony deck
SELVAPRAKASH LAKSHMANAN
FACTFILE ACCOMMODATION Luxury Cottages 44, Superior Luxury Cottages 2, Suite Cottages 8, Eden Lotus Suite 2
Mangalore
GETTING THERE The nearest airports are Bangalore (BLR), Mangalore (IXE) and Kozikode (CCJ)
28 INDIA TODAY SPICE u NOVEMBER, 2016
CONTACT Kabbinakad Estate, Madikeri, Kodagu; Ph: +91 80 7107 7700 Email coorg@ thetamara.com
Mangalore
Bangalore
Puttur Sulla Kasargod
Madikeri
THE GOOD LIFE
“Our USP at Tamara is sustainable good life; it’s about natural, wholesome living, while nurturing sustainability. Creating properties that are respectful to the environment and community distinguishes us from other luxury players,” she adds. The resort uses solar power, wields effective waste management, allows no plastic and tries maintains a high level of efficiency in the use of competing resources
RACK RATES Luxury Cottage `18,000; Superior Luxury Cottage `25,000; Eden Lotus ` 40,000
Mandya
Ramnagar
Kushalnagar Hunsur
Mysore
Gonikoppal Kuthuparamba
Kannur Thalassery Kunji Palli
Kozhikode
Airport Raiway Station
The Tamara Koorg
like water and energy. Shibulal believes that her brand of hospitality caters to a breed of travellers who believe in truly exclusive, refreshingly unique experiences that reassess the concept of luxury beyond ostentatious consumption. Exclusivity, exploratory and emotional are the three trends that will propel this concept of niche tourism according to her.
NICHE HOSPITALITY
That’s precisely what she provides at Tamara from the bean to cup, coffee brewing experience that allows guests to brew their own blend or the guided plantation walks. Not only do you feast on the unexpected as you savour with an open mind but, most importantly, you do so while maintaining a minimal footprint on the plantation. She has intentionally desisted from using career hoteliers as managers and resort staff, choosing locals instead. “It’s easier to guide the staff to your specifications when they don’t have to unlearn years of institutional training”. The result: genuine smiles and intimate service as opposed to the convenience of rehearsed standardisations common across luxury hotels. This stems from Shibulal’s own varied career; she majored in Chemistry from Haverford College in the US, but found a job in the finance sector at Merill Lynch. “Hospitality wasn’t top of my mind but I wanted a project of my own,” she says. Back in Bangalore, she found a chef, Abhijit Saha, and started popular restaurants Caperberry and Fava in 2008. “I got my hands dirty; I was in marketing and sales, doing everything besides being in the kitchen. I even waited on tables.” But
the outdoor pool and island bar at tamara with the heated indoor pool in the background
the bedroom at a suite cottage
30 INDIA TODAY SPICE u NOVEMBER, 2016
COVER STORY I TRAVEL I PERSONAL EXPERIENCE SELVAPRAKASH LAKSHMANAN
a treatment room at the spa-elevation
it was only after she returned after doing her MBA at Columbia in 2012, following a quick summer internship at Shangri La, Hong Kong, that she joined Tamara, which had already been purchased by her family; she is Infosys founder S D Shibulal’s daughter, and her 0.64 per cent stake in the company, is estimated to be worth close to `900 crore. As head of strategy, she realised that her heart was in the trenches. “I enjoyed getting my hands dirty; it was the only way I could give wings to my vision”. And it is this distinct vernacular that underlines every aspect of this extraordinary place.
TOP SCORERS
Their multi-cuisine restaurant The Falls defies most descriptors. The cavernous space, open on the sides, looks like a Spanish hacienda with vaulted ceilings, and wooden beams running across that are almost alpine in inspiration. Built on stilts, the dense carpet of foliage below offers views of a hundred different shades of green painted in leaf shapes even a child couldn’t conjure. A small waterfall runs just below the deck so you can hear the water; never too loud to disturb, yet audible enough to distract from poor company or conversation. The food fits every taste profile with avial, Bengali fish kaliya, pasta Al fredo, Thai curries and the famous Coorgi pandi (pork) curry among a virtual feast. Most of the ingredients are local, including organic vegetables from their own gardens. 32 INDIA TODAY SPICE u NOVEMBER, 2016
ACTIVITIES TO SAVOUR BLOSSON TO BREW The heritage building ‘Verandah’ hosts the “Custom Coffee” section where guests can custom blend and roast their own coffee beans to create the perfect “cuppa” COFFEE TRAILS Guided tour of the plantation via coffee and spice plantations GETTTING AROUND Guided trekking tours and personalised yoga sessions
The wooden cottages are the most charming architectural frill on the property; the interiors resemble a Swiss chalet with warm, cozy, spaces, split into two levels. The rooms open out to private decks that bring in the natural gorgeousness of the valley, forest and mountain views. The en-suite, ultra modern bathrooms have rain showers and multi-jet shower panels and are all wood too. The two Eden Lotus Suite cottages even feature an outdoor private Jacuzzi. But it’s not the amenities themselves that shock and awe, it’s the fact that you can enjoy them, crested among the trees that are the real game changer. The Spa—The Elevation—ensconced in a restored 100-year-old plantation bungalow is a treasure. It offers both Ayurveda and western treatments with few therapists, who are well-trained in both. Sweet smiles, soft hands and soothing music make this tranquil studio roll to an even more mellow trill than the resort. The signature coffee therapy is not to be missed. It uses plantation-grown organic coffee beans. The gentle scrub works in ways that only show up as silken skin and coffee-scented dreams. Somewhere between the nostalgic charms of old plantation bungalows, Swiss chalets and Spanish haciendas, this is the place where you come to truly live or peacefully die. Tamara cleverly combines pleasure and virtue in one—how rare is that? The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind...