Saturday, September 24, 2011

Fern Creek Resort, Kodaikanal

When you go visit Kodaikanal, there is no dearth of places to stay at. Trip Advisor itself lists more than 50, with prices ranging from Rs 1500 per night to as much as Rs 8000 per night. MakeMyTrip lists at least four hotels that cost upwards of Rs 4000 per night.

The Carlton at Kodaikanal for long has been the preferred hotel, located by the Kodai Lake, and generally praised by all. Room rates are, expectedly, not cheap. Rates at the Carlton can run as high as Rs 14000 per night during peak season for the cottages. And that is expensive.

The The Fern Creek Luxury Resort, Kodaikanal (TripAdvisor) is one of the newest additions to the hotels in Kodaikanal. Strictly speaking it is not a hotel, but more a collection of about seven or eight luxury tents. They have been in operation for less than a couple of years. Their visibility on search sites is primarily because of the efforts they put in to request guests to post reviews on the travel site, TripAdvisor. Because their service is outstanding, guests are happy to oblige. This is an excellent example of combining high-quality service with smart marketing.
One thing to point out however. If you are a family with young children, you will probably want something bigger like the Carlton. While the Fern Creek does offer an entertainment room with movie titles to play on the DVD, the property is more geared towards those wanting something offbeat.


The office and dining room building.

This time with a long-exposure night shot.

A huge tree visible from the resort.


One of the rooms. A nice spring mattress bed. The bathroom is beyond the curtain at the end of the room.

A wardrobe, and TV is visible in the room. Each tent gets Tata Sky satellite service and backup power.

View from one of the tents.

Entertainment room. There is a collection of about 50 DVDs there. A carom room is at the back.

Fireplace at the resort.



Dining room of the resort.

Prices (per day/night):
  • Rs. 5500 - only breakfast.
  • Rs. 6500 - Bed Coffee/Tea, half-day sight-seeing trip in a private car once during the stay, lunch (in the resort or packed), high tea & dinner.

© 2011, Abhinav Agarwal. All rights reserved.