After our fascinating time in Munnar, we were super kicked about moving on to our next destination - Thekkady. My knowledge of Thekkady was limited to the Periyar Widlife Reserve and I was looking forward to seeing that and more! Post a lovely breakfast, we said our goodbyes and thanked the staff for such a memorable stay at the Club Mahindra Resort at Munnar. The first part of the drive to Thekkady is through the beautiful tea gardens of Munnar and the scenery brought back pleasant memories of the stay for a while. Slowly the scenery changed from tea gardens to dense trees, and a substantial bit of the journey to Thekkady is through a winding road lined with spice plantations and coffee trees. Our gracious hosts - the Club Mahindra team told us that a tour to one of the spice gardens is a must do and that they love picking up spices for their family every time that they come to Thekkady. A tip that we kept top of mind!
It’s a longish drive curving through the mountains and for people who experience motion sickness I would recommend to have smaller meals before starting the journey. We reached the Club Mahindra Resort at Thekkady by late afternoon and what a lovely welcome we got with an aarti thaal, tika and welcome drink. Aryaa was super happy that she got such a special welcome. What simple things delight a 3 year old! 😊
The check-in into our studio apartment was quick! Once again like the Munnar property, it was absolutely comfortable for a family. The exteriors are built in traditional Indian ‘machan’ style with thatched roofs, and clean lines and modern architecture are the key elements of the interiors. The cute dining corner with benches was where we spent most of our time in the room, while we pulled up the blinds on the full length window by it's side to enjoy the rain and view outside.
Once the check-in was done, it was time for lunch at the resort's restaurant 'Periyar Room' - so apt! We were quite hungry, but since the drive had also shaken up our stomachs, we had a simple and light meal. Nevertheless, trust the team at Club Mahindra to even make the simplest of meals special with their service.
There was a mix of local delicacies served to us, but I decided to stick to the Kerala staple - Appam and Stew - which the chef there called "Kerala's Culture - One bite at a time".
After a very exciting time we returned to the resort and decided to just chill post that. Since it was tea time it was also the right time for pakoras. What better soul food when it rains! We perched purselves on the benches by our full length window and it was an evening of 'Chai pe Charcha' on varied topics with the Club Mahindra team with whom we had bonded really well.
Our room was right by the swimming pool and that made it quite convenient for us as we love getting a dip! After tea we hit the pool which is beautifully set between the cottages and next to an artificial waterfall.
Aryaa is a total water baby like me and even though it was a little cold, a dip in the pool totally charged us up for the evening forward. Post the pool we headed to the Activity Centre where the Club Mahindra Theakkady team had all the guests engaged in a high energy dance session. Leading from the front and being followed by big bunch of enthustaistic guests was the Activity Centre head dancing to Bollywood songs. It was an amazing 45 minutes dance session (I joined in a little late), and the sheer excitement and joy in repeating the steps with 30 other strangers in coordination was so much fun. Aryaa meanwhile had discovered the ball pool and she immersed herself in there. From the swimming pool to the ball pool, she was having a ball of a time! PS was looking after both his girls with the camera in both hands clicking away to his contentment.
A swim and dancing and play had famished us completely, so dinner was all that we had on our minds! At Thekkady too we decided to try Gourmet Express, Club Mahindra's in-room dining for dinner. However we requested for service to be done the restaurant style with the food plated and all as I wanted to get my shots. We tried Moghlai as well local cuisine and let me tell you, all the food be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian was lip smacking! The Kerala parathas were super soft!
We crashed totally tired and couldn't believe that we had packed so much into a single day. Thekkady was going to be less than a 24 hour trip but a totally worthwhile one. The only thing we couldn't do was the famous Periyar Bamboo rafting but then afterour experience there, we were sure someday we would be back again. Next morning we indulged in a really light breakfast, as we had a road trip ahead of us to Kochi to catch our return flight. With this our stay at Thekkady ended but not before I picked up some spices from the Government certified Anakkara Spice and Ayurvedic Garden.
Gods own country has so much to offer. The food, the views and most importantly the spirit of people, always welcoming with a smile. That is what we took back with us, pleasant memories of everything! We owe a huge thanks to Club Mahindra for making it one of our most #MagicalMonsoons, and I reinstate that a Club Mahindra membership is what each one of us should have. My experiences in the past 10 years have only been positive!
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Looks fabulous . We went to thekkady for our 10th anniversary. Time to visit again. Club mahindra looks like a good bet for next time.
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