Temptations @ Malligi, Hampi!

The vegetarian buffet at the Temptations restaurant was just awesome, comprising a wide range of South-Indian delicacies. Get there early, as early as 7 AM in the mornings to beat the crowd or just be satisfied with crumbs of idlies if you are late. The sumptuous breakfast kept us through the day during our daily sight-seeing ventures. There is a mix of Veg and Non Veg food served at the Temptations for lunch and dinner and hence, the veggie crowd stuck with Blue Mist. 

Hampi - Mango Tree Restaurant - Awesome location, Excellent view!

Do not miss out a lunch at Mango Tree during your visit to Hampi. The place offers excellent view of the Tungabhadra river, creating a fabulous ambiance, with a picturesque view. Ideally, the hotel should be renamed to represent the number of  lush green plantain groove, it is situated in between. The food is simple and delicious, but slightly over priced. You will miss out on the Vegetarian Thali of a typical North Karnataka flavor, if you reach there after 3 PM.
The hotel gets crowed for lunch, and you may end up waiting for  sometime. But, the staff is courteous enough to accommodate you quickly.  The Jolda Rotti (Jower Rotis) are quite delicious.

Malligi - Enchanting Hampi, Memorable Vacation, Pleasant stay, but Tardy Services at their Blue Mist Restaurant!!

Our Hampi trip was one of the most wonderful ones we have had so far. Hampi, in itself is a world of its own! Words flow like a splendid and gracious waterfall, while describing a trip to Hampi. The temples, monuments, and the architecture have stones, each of which, narrate a story of their own.
Coming back to Malligi, the rooms are ok, nothing spectacular, but, worth the price. They have rooms in the new block as well, which looked quite elegant. We were given a room in the old block and unfortunately, couldn't get a change of room, since the entire resort was running full during the week of Christmas. Bathrooms, definitely need maintenance (water clogging was seen often, which was irritating) and the toiletries in there were very basic and nothing exotic. The house keeping staff is yet to be trained well to maintain a tidy atmosphere, not to forget the not-so clean bed sheets and blankets. The pool at Malligi was almost non functional (they claim that Mondays are the non-functional days of the swimming pool) and we saw some maintenance work going during all the 3 days. The front desk is quite helpful at check in and one of the staff provided us with information about the sight-seeing to Badami, Aihole, and Pattadkal an in depth. Do not miss out these three world-class heritages on your visit to Hampi, which itself is a numero uno heritage wonders of the world.
Their Blue Mist restaurant is decent and looks quite hep in the evenings. But, lacks in space to beat the tremendous crowd, especially during dinner.  We used to get weary of the wait and when we requested the admins, we were led to a basic outlet on the terrace, we had no choice, but eat there, because we were so tired after a long day of sight-seeing. The vegetarian buffet
at the Temptations restaurant was just awesome, comprising a wide range of South-Indian delicacies. Get there early, as early as 7 AM in the mornings to beat the crowd or just be satisfied with crumbs of idlies if you are late. The sumptuous breakfast kept us through the day during our daily sight-seeing ventures. There is a mix of Veg and Non Veg food served at the Temptations for lunch and dinner and hence, the veggie crowd stuck with Blue Mist.
The services at the restaurant were very tardy and a simple lunch would take you around an hour and a half, not exaggerated. On the last day of our stay, we preferred to have a quick lunch, before starting from Hampi, but the lunch services delayed us to a great extent. However, it is advisable to have lunch (if you are driving back), because the highway is devoided of even small hotels. Beware!! the food (except the breakfast) is really spicy.
The resort has its own ups and downs, but definitely, offers a pleasant stay, for Hospet standards. Highly recommended, with a lot of suggested improvements required at their Blue Mist restaurant.

Room Tips:
* Select rooms in the new block and book in advance.
* Do not miss Badami, Aihole, Pattadkal, and Kudala Sangama on your trip to Hampi - Must see places. Take a guide with you or google well about the places.
* Best time to visit Hampi - Dec to Jan/early Feb, else the place gets tremendously hot. So, you will see a lot of crowd during December.

Magnificent Figurines, Classy and World-Famous Heritage in Karnataka - Badami- December 2012

Badami Court: Recharging food!
We were on our sight-seeing spree to Badami, en route  Kudala Sangama, Aihole, and Pattadkal, and this was the first place we encountered soon as we hit Badami to feed our hungry souls with lunch. We were informed by the resort manager at Hampi (where we lodged) about the Badami Court. Though the interiors weren't that appealing, the food was quite appetizing that charged our energy to scramble the magnificient figurine caves of Badami. We were thankful to the resort manager at Hampi who aptly suggested this hotel, for we never came across another hotel of a decent category across the terrains of Badami. The prices are slightly higher. You can also enjoy a quaint view of the rocks neatly arranged by nature herself. The restaurant can be expanded to accommodate a fleeting crowd and the wash areas must be well maintained. They are a complete let down.

Magnificent Figurines, Classy and World-Famous Heritage in Karnataka
Out-of-the-world heritage. The Badami cave temples are composed of four caves, all carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff in the late 6th to 7th centuries. They are a temple complex, located in the district of Bagalkote, in the northern parts of Karnataka. These caves were sculptured during the Chalukyan rule during the 6th and 8th centuries. Badami or earlier known as Vatapi was the capital of the great Chalukyan empire. The caves and the temples of Badami have withstood against time and invasion of the Cholas. Badami is known for its ancient cave temples carved out of monolithic sandstones.
A must see in India.

RNS Residency, Murudeshwara, Oct '12

Amazing place to stay in Murudeshwara, especially if you get a sea-view room. We stayed for a couple of nights here and had a pleasant experience. Insist for a sea-facing room and you will definitely feel the difference. I guess, this is only the best option to stay with your family in Murudeshwara. Initially, we had booked the Naveen Beach Resort, (through nivalink ) which is very close to this resort. But, we were welcomed by huge bugs (dead and alive) inside the room and the bathrooms. Even, the 2nd room was nothing different from the first one. Since, we were aware that the RNS is also managed by the same group, we decided to move in there. The RNS Residency is a much better option when compared to the Naveen Beach, in terms of food, location, room, and services. Of course, a major attraction of the place itself is the Shiva temple and His statue, which faces the Arabian Sea. The Raja Gopura of the temple is totally endearing.


In terms of food, the hotel can include South-Indian preparations for lunch and dinner, considering that there are a lot of devotees and tourists visiting the place from the southern part of India. South-Indian-vegetarian cuisine has a lot to offer, and such restaurants must undoubtedly include them in the menu. Overall, the food was OK and the staff was also quite courteous. The swimming pool and the telephone were the non-functional amenities in the resort. Do not miss out the water sports in the beach. Suggest, you go early in the mornings to beat the heat and the crowd.

Makara Village - Gokarna

Makara village is a peaceful, off-the-highway motel, which offers polite services for you and your family. The rooms are spacious, but the amenities are quite basic. Its more of a bed and breakfast kind of arrangement.  However, they are neat and clean, so you will not have any complaints. The attached bath room is quite preliminary. We were told that there is 24/7 hot-water supply, but we had to manage with the hot water, which the staff used to supply. The ambiance of the restaurant gives you a rustic feeling and we totally enjoyed the feeling of dining amidst  all the plantain trees.  The food was simple (read less rich, spicy, and oily) and we totally enjoyed the serve (especially, the dinner) after an entire day out! The staff is very helpful and courteous. 
The resort is about 12 kms from the Gokarna temple and the beach. The famous Om Beach is about 20 kms from here. If you are driving down the North-Karnataka coast line, the resort is about 66 kms from the Murudeshwara temple. On the way, don't miss out the Shiva temples - Gunavante and Nagareshwara, and Idagunji (Ganapati). If you visit the up-hill temple at Murudeshwara, you will not miss the legendary story of the temple and the Aatma linga.

The Goan Village, Oct 2012

We recently came back from Goa (Goa being our favourite holiday destination). But, this time, we were not able to carry back sweet memories from 'The Goan Village'. We have always enjoyed our stay at Goa, but they were in different resorts. This time, I guess we we chose a wrong place. The rooms were spacious, but they can be well maintained. There was absolutely no entertainment in the room, with the TV not working. Despite all the complaints, the TV/cable problem was not fixed. This is quite unheard of and is very shocking. You cannot ignore the noisy AC in the room, which sings 'lullabies' for you!!!

About the food, the less said the better..... Greasy (Oilyyyyyyyyyy to the core), taste-less breakfast and dinner were the 'offer' to us in the package. Breakfast was supposedly a buffet, which had about 1 and half items on the spread. Oily Baturas, very dry poha, coarse idlys, and paranthas that had no traces of any fills. Dinner used to be worst again. Even if you do take a package, I strongly suggest that you do not include the food. 

For holiday activities, we were told by the resort managers to go to the nearby beach resorts in Baga or Calangute.

In the bathroom, there were no soaps/shampoos and other toiletries and the bucket was broken, which were replenished/ replaced after constant requests.

A couple of staff in the resort were helpful, who helped us with their services. Thanks to them!!

The Goan Village needs to go a looooooong  way in terms of food, maintenance, and service. To sum it up... Spacious rooms, Awful food, Pathetic service, and No Activities!!!

Will post my other fond memories from Goa... like I said, Goa is my favourite holiday destination! This one is  still fresh in mind :)

Comfort Inn - Untidy place, far from being comfortable

The Comfort Inn is off the main road and you will not miss the place while driving from Bangalore to Mysore. Typically, we do a weekend-trip to Mysore, mostly on our way to the temple town - Nanjangud and often, we do not book in advance. The exterior of the Comfort Inn was reasonably good and we quickly hopped in, cause, it was almost 9 PM when we reached Mysore.  We quickly had dinner at the restaurant attached to the hotel. Food had almost become cold by then!!! The restaurant can work on this and one of the staff, who was quite rude and gave us a cold look when we provided this feedback.
The rooms can be well maintained, there is a musty smell inside and the bathrooms are far from being clean, which is very disgusting.  We got a change of room, but the story was nothing diffferent. The linens and sheets are untidy. I'm not sure if the hotel has received enough feedback and comments to improve. Mysore is the pride and represents the culture of Karnataka and definitely the stay can be made a pleasurable experience by improving such hotels. Will rate this hotel with 1.5 stars.
Suggestion: Step into the Silk Store only if you are desparate to buy and carry back Mysore fineries, else, just forget it!! The store does not offer authentic silk and if you are not aware you might just end up buying ' fake silk'. Bargaining is not allowed.

Ooty Stay - April 2012

My rating is for the Club Mahindra Derby Green, Ooty. Its an awesome place. We are fans of the Club Mahindra properties and we never are let down, be it the location, amenities, food, services, or leisure activities at the resort. And, this was nothing less. 

The resort overlooks the lush-green race course. The restaurant menu is very widespread, giving you a lot of options. Be sure to put on a couple of kilos when you reach back. The rooms are spacious, clean, and well maintained too, true to the Mahindra standards.
Best Experience: The leisure activities and fun time for children were abundant. The weather was awesome. It was pleasant (sometimes cold) in April. The day we reached Ooty, I saw people wearing woolen wear and I thought it was foolish for not carrying any myself. Not to forget the summer showers, the drizzles and rains during the night times were a big welcome.
Worst Experience: Ooty as a place (city) can be kept clean, which is not the case as of now.

Club Mahindra Kodagu Valley - Awesome place to chill out...Thumbs down for the price hikes!!

A huge, well-maintained, and a 20-acre wonderful property.  Thumbs-up to Club Mahindra for the maintenance of rooms, cleanliness of the swimming pool, wide-variety of food, and overall an excellent ambiance.  All Mahindra properties are excellent, none-the-less, and Kodagu Valley is exceptionally beautiful. The cottages are named after coffee assortments and we were hosted in the Bikki range! Its a serene, totally undisturbed locale, where even the fun activities and games for children are abundant, like most of the Mahindra resorts. The Swastha spa at the Kodagu Valley tops the list of all their spas and is unparalleled. This rejuvenating experience is a must-try out to re-energize yourself back to your 'computer'.
Now for the not-so-good feel:
1). The price hikes in the restaurant: The fun dining, which was absolutely fun in the past (for example, 1350 for breakfast/lunch/dinner for a couple) is NO LONGER there. Club Mahindra did not inform the members about this change in advance. The steep price hikes devoids you of all the fun. The food quality is unbeatable, and undoubtedly, there is a surplus variety of food, but NO FUN DINING. The À la carte is very expensive too, even if you want to skip the buffet and go for it.
2). No other options to eat: There are no other options around the place, where you can go out and eat. So, every meal at the Kodagu Valley is a major pinch in your pocket. There has been about 33% hike in their prices.
3). Club Mahindra has been increasing the annual maintenance fee (ASF) every year, which is very uncalled for. So, every member has to undergo this pain for their 25-years tenure with the Mahindras. Club Mahindra has not kept up the promise of making the members feel privileged, by hiking up their rates every year.
THUMBS DOWN for all the price hikes!!!