Away from the lively tourist crowds of Munnar, the rusting bridge over the dam ushers one into a sinuous journey into an ever contrasting topography of sunny tea gardens and shadowy cardamom plantations, till the road gets narrower and the habitation sparse. Almost carefully tucked away from the road, isBracknellForest, a welcoming venture by three friends – Anees, Sajan & Jins. With a credible hospitality experience for years, the trio and their families are now running this charming homestay for the last two years.
With a pleasant fusion of Colonial and Kerala architecture, Bracknell forest’s main attraction is the ‘Aalukatta’ or the open atrium, which allows the rainwater to fall into the plants. Three rooms are built around this on the ground floor. A wooden staircase leads you up to two rooms and a bright sunny terrace, which overlooks the 65 acres plantation. The mostly wooden unit makes this 5 roomed homestay a composite and cosy structure, complementing the chilly weather of Munnar. The terrace is ideal to absorb the mild morning sun with a good book from the small library of the homestay.
The rooms are spacious and open into a private sit out which open up into the vast expanse of greenery. The morning sun lights up the dining area which doubles up as a game-room when meals are served on the terrace. The fresh juice from the orange tree in the backyard is highly recommended.
After some thorough relaxation, one can indulge in the below activities, which can be organized by the hosts.
Activities:
- Soft and Hard treks in and around the plantations. Soft treks usually a spontaneous long walk in the plantations, while the hard trek is organized only on request. The hard trek includes rock climbing which is tutored by an experience climber in the nearby hills of Munnar.
- Board Games like carom, playing cards, chess and ludo are available at the reception.
- Local sightseeing.
Facilities:
- Internet
- Television
- Small library
- Pick up and drop