Club Mahindra Safari Resort, Gir - An Excellent place to unwind in the jungle!

Our trip to Sasan Gir was last October and I must say that it was another enchanting one. There are a very few 'comfort' options in Sasan Gir and none-the-less, this Club Mahindra resort will be the one you will clinch on when you plan your bookings. The property is well maintained and calm with lots of greenery around it. There are quite a few activities at the Fun Zone.  Since, we went during the Navaratri season, we got to be a part of the Dandiyas and the Garbhas that the resort organized for its guests. Both adults and kids were really engrossed in these colorful and splendid form of dance.

The resort staff is well connected with the locals who help the guests with the trekking around the jungle and the nearby villages, and the tribals of the forest who entertained us with their art form.
There are luxurious hotel units, cottages, as well as spacious tents to host us.  The tents are splendid and give you a 'foresty' semblance.
Do not miss out the day tour into the Gir forest to witness the wildlife and of course the king of the jungles. The staff is polite and guide you through the bookings required for the forest safari.
The food served is mainly vegetarian and comes as a breath of fresh air, where one finds a majority of non-veg stuff. Rich and sumptuous Gujarati and Rajastani delicacies welcome you into the restaurant with their unique aroma.
The clean pool beckons you every minute that you feel very relaxed, energized, and also ready for the next meal. :)
We took the road from Diu to Gir, en route the Somanath temple, which is one of the 12 JyotirLinga shrines of Lord Shiva. Don't miss it. :)

Hemal Garden, Diu: Not a well-kept place, lethargic staff!!

We had been to Diu, as a stop over on our way to Sasan Gir, in Sep-October 2011. We aspired for a clean, bed and breakfast kind of facility before we headed to Gir. Well, Trip Advisor did not have any reviews on this place, and I hesitantly booked it by looking at the pictures posted on Google and I thought that we could try it out for the price it had to offer (3k for 2 nights in a place like Diu, which is supposed to be of tourist attraction)
The story began after we landed there...  The place is quite green, encompassing lot of trees. We were welcomed by lethargic staff, who had to be repeatedly told to help us with our luggage. When repeated requests didn't work, we lugged them ourselves to our room. The room was spacious, but had a musty smell and the linens put me off completely. The attached bath was far from being clean and we immediately asked for a room change. That was again a disappointment. So, we decided to stay in the 1st room itself and get it cleaned. We stood out, while they cleaned the room and managed to get it to an 'OK' shape.  There was an empty pond filled with dry leaves, twigs, and dust. I was told that it was the swimming pool, which they are planning to get it ready for the 'holiday season'. One of the staff boasted that Hrithik Roshan shooted for a movie in their resort, and I really wondered if it was one-bit true!!
A plus point of Hemal Garden is the food that they offered to us for dinner. The hot Phulkas and Sabzi, with Dhal was surprisingly very appetizing  We lost count of the number of phulkas, while we devoured them. Little did we realize that we had a really looong time to break our fast, the next day. The next morning, we had to leave out for sight seeing without breakfast, because, it appeared like the staff erased our presence from their minds, woke up late (around 10 AM), and  forgot to prepare breakfast. This was absolutely irritating and we decided not to lose our cool on a holiday. Well!! lesson learnt is this - Always check on Trip Advisor for reviews, before planning for a trip. :)
Diu as a place is beautiful, with churches, forts, museums, and serene coves. Do not miss out the Gangeshwar temple, which is about 3 kms from Diu town. There are 5 Lingas, of different sizes on the sea shore, which are gently worshiped by the tidal waves. It is believed that the Pandavas used to worship the Lord here. The temple has a certain mysticism around it.
Diu does not have good restaurants for a quick breakfast or lunch. After all the sight seeing, we stopped at the Radhika Beach Resort for lunch, and realized that it was a good decision!!

Parsons Court - Dindigul: Comfortable Stay, Good Breakfast, but Slightly Overpriced!

We were on our holiday to Thekkady (Kumili, Kerala), and did not want to drive through the night. So, we decided to halt at Dindigul. Our search for a decent accommodation at Dindigul ended at the Parsons Court, a 3* property. Since, ours was an unplanned halt at this place, with our kid, en route to Thekkady, we were very apprehensive about the other hotels that we checked before we decided on Parsons court. The hotel is pretty neat, rooms were clean, bathrooms were also fine, compared to the other small-town hotels.
We had a comfortable stay and slept well to catch up for our next day's route to Thekkady.
For a double occupancy, Parsons Court charges closer to 2.3k, inclusive of breakfast, which is I think on a higher end for a place like Dindigul. But, it was not a let down, in terms of services by the polite staff, and we were completely happy with the choice of breakfast buffet.
Its a nice choice for a one-night-stay for a family and is recommendable.

Room tip: Check the room condition (for cleanliness, musty smell, or even bed bugs) before you decide on one.

Tusker Trails: A Silhouette of Nature and Wildlife. Has a room for improvement!

Our trip to Thekkady was in April 2011. Nothing to beat the Club Mahindra choice of locations.  We were hosted in a studio apartment, with wooden flooring, which was quite spacious. The cottages give you a 'woody' ambiance.
A few things that you can appreciate:
1. Awesome location
2. Tasty food
3. Good Ambiance
4. Helpful staff, namely Basil, Taniya, and Jayalakshmi
5. Elephant Ride in the jungle :)

Not so nice things
1. NO TIMELY REFILLING of food. We had to wait for a long time to get them refilled, and repeatedly request the staff.
2. Phulkas/Rotis from the live counter used to take FOR EVER to reach our table.
3. Desserts (even breakfast) were refilled only on REPEATED requests.
4. Annoying experience was with housekeeping - Linens were never replaced when the room was cleaned. I had to remind them/call up housekeeping repeatedly to change bath towels, only to get a replacement by night.
5.  One of the days, when we returned from sight seeing, we noticed that the bathroom sink was clogged and was smelling dirty (like someone had puked). This was after our room was cleaned for the day. We asked someone to come and clean. I don't know why this had happened, because in the morning, we had left the sink clean to notice this awkward thing when we returned. The plumber who came to repair the clog only said that apart from us (the guests), there is no one entering the room. That was a shocking answer from the Mahindra staff!!
6. WATER and Beverage-related stuff were NEVER replaced when the room was cleaned. This was another effort to remind them REPEATEDLY. One of the housekeeping staff, by name Basil Mathew was helpful in replenishing the required things for us. Thanks Basil.
7. Umbrellas have to be kept as emergency measures. It was pouring cats and dogs in Thekkady, and we did not have umbrellas to reach the restaurant or the reception.
8. Sadly, we observed that some guests were using unclean hands to pick up food, after which, we never ventured to serve from the same bowls. It was a very sad sight.