Thanks to direct flights from Bangalore most destinations across India are now an easy 2 – 3 day trip. The 2 Jyotirlinga’s of MP were on my list for some time and when I got started it was easy to plan and execute. MP is beautiful and waiting to be explored – with direct 90 …

This is an easy to execute trip planner to cover the 3 Jyotirlinga temples in Maharashtra with Shirdi as the base. My trip started from Bangalore. I was travelling in 1st week of Aug – midst of monsoon during the auspicious month of Shravan and was very lucky to get excellent Darshan with no rains …

A picturesque verdant valley surrounded by misty hills. The energising sound of a young gushing river only 9 kms from its source. The scream of peacocks and the racket of crickets. Peace and solitude with hardly a soul in site. You may think this is a place far far away in the Himalayas….  RiverMist is …

COVID messes up your travel plans. My daughter wanted to go to a beach after a year of online classes. The only place we could explore visiting without the hassles of testing was the Karnataka coast. Gokarna – Managalore / Udupi are all 9 – 11 Hr drives from Bangalore. To avoid the long drive …

Most people associate Dandeli with white water rafting. Yes – its true that in S India this is probably the only white water rafting spot, there is a lot more to explore in this beautiful place. This area is located in the North West of Karnataka, bordering Goa and close to Maharashtra. Vast expanse of …

Sometimes its good to be landlocked with no train and airport connectivity. The beauty of Nature is preserved. Wayanad is the perfect example of such a place. Its as close to Bangalore as Ooty & Coorg but attracts less than 10% of the crowd. So if you are looking to soak in the best of …

Coorg is home to some of the finest resorts not just in India but globally. Given its close proximity to Bangalore we end up going every 3 years and our past stay at Evolve (Earlier Orange County), Taj and Tamara was wonderful. This trip we discovered  IBNII – a wonderful luxury Eco Resort, and I …

When I was telling a friend that I have travelled far and wide but was yet to explore Mysore, I was reminded of this beautiful poem by Rabindranath Tagore. Writing on Gitanjali its a nice coincidence that I quote from this great poet. Ekti sishir bindu (the glistening dew drop) I traveled miles, for many …

The holiday I look forward to is the annual getaway with my dear friends. If in a career of 30+ years after interacting with thousands you find 3 genuine friends – consider yourself lucky. This was our 4th edition – after Chickamagalur, Binsar and Kodaikanal we decided to spend a few days at Jaipur. Planning …

Kumaon in Uttarakhand is one of the few easily accessible lower Himalayas that is still fresh, green and beautiful. I hope it stays that way. Delhi – Kathgodam Shatabdi gets you to Kathgodam by 11.30 AM and in less than 60 mins you are in the beautiful hills with dense forests. Driving is a long …

When you think of Punjab you immediately conjure an image of big brave fun loving people. Colourful dresses, Bhangra, Paneer, Butter Chicken, Patiala Peg and the Brave Sikh soldier are instantaneous connections. The food bowl of India nestled between the fertile valleys of the 5 rivers has been the first line of defence against the …

A short 3 hr drive (120 Km from Bangalore) is the town of Madanapalle.Head to old Madras Road and after the 1st toll near Hoskote take a left and get off the highway.  Madanapalle is  famous for its mangoes, fruits  and vegetables and is  the biggest tomato market in Asia. Horsley Hills the highest point …

The Equation – 54 Hrs , 1054 Kms ( 400 Km Ghat Roads) , 5 Ancient temples 1000 – 3000 years old , the beauty of Malnad, Discovering Kolavara Heritage and the lovely W Ghats – All of this for Rs 8000/ person. This was the second trip that Subhashish and me were making ( our …

This blog is not just about the beautiful homestay Kurunji Estates at Kodaikanal but also the power of positive energy in a team. I am a strong believer that if your energy balance is right everything works out well – against all odds. And if your energy system is blocked – then the best of …

S Indian and specifically Tamil Nadu is a treasure house of Temples. Having covered Chennai, Kanchipuram , Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam and Tanjore – Tiruchi and Rameshwaram were the two prominent ancient cities in our pending list. And we finally covered Tiruchi extensively in 3 days. A few things that made this trip very satisfying  Amazing …

A few years back I had discovered Shreyas – a lovely nature / Yoga retreat at Neelmangala and called it Bangalore’s best kept secret. This week we discovered another gem ” Baevu Village” on Kanakpura Road – 2 hrs drive from Bangalore. “Baevu” in Kannada means Neem Tree and this 30 acre property has over 1000 …

I have been on the temple circuit since Dec 2016. Varanasi – Sarnath , then Kancheepuram and now in Feb 2017 a wonderful trip to Chidambaram & Thiruvanamalai. The Thillai Nataraja temple at Chidambaram has been on my bucket list for long. Its an ancient temple – with many mystical stories around its history & …

Kanchipuram – The golden city of 1000 temples (Currently about 125 are in good shape),  is just 71 kms from Chennai. Its an irony that I have been travelling to Chennai  multiple times every year for the last 20 years but have never been to Kanchipuram. Most tourists go to Mahabalipuram not realising that the …

Kashi & Sarnath in 48 Hours It competes with Jerusalem for the tag of the oldest city – but clearly no city can compare with it for its mix of Mythology, Religion, History, Art and Culture. It’s the summer home of Lord Shiva – throw a stone you will hit an ancient temple and walk a …

Dunagiri – Mystical, Rustic , Charming  & Energizing Tucked deep in the Kumaon – Dunagiri is a small hamlet far far away.  Its picture perfect – and thankfully not exploited by Tourism. It took me 3 1/2 hrs  to reach Dunagiri from Binsar. (Dunagiri to Kathgodam is 4 1/2 – 5 hr drive 125 km). …

Uttarakhand is truly Gods own land. So much of natural beauty – and thank God its still rustic & natural. The state can be split into two broad areas – Garhwal ( Rishikesh & Upwards – Uttar Kashi / Gangotri / Kedarnath / Badrinath) & Kumaon – Nainital / Almora / Raniket / Binsar / …

When I start writing a blog the Title comes naturally – the Title represents in a few words the essence of what I carried back from the trip , but this time I struggled – there is so much to talk about at the Taj Coorg its difficult to capture it in a few words …

This is a rare list of the most unique offbeat resorts, villas and home-stays across India. I have travelled to many of them over the years. The common link to all these is Exotic, Nature and Serenity. So make the most of the long weekends in 2021 and plan your holidays now. Finding a good …

ll Sarve Bhavatu Sukhina Sarve Santu Niraamaya Sarve Bhadrani Pashyantu Ma Kaschit Dukhabhagbhaved ll means …. let all be happy, let all be healthy, let all be safe, let the sorrow not come in the life… Thats a good summary of what the Niraamaya Resort at Kovalam promises and delivers. Great things don’t need marketing …

Tucked away amidst 500 acres of verdant greenery and surrounded by mystical hills shrouded in fog, in the Northern part of Chickamagalur is the wonderful new Home Stay – Primrose Villa. The word home stay normally connotes basic and frugal – Primrose Villa is contrarian – its probably the only Home Stay which on luxury …

About 50 Km and 90 Min drive away from the chaos,mad rush, choked potholed roads of Bangalore lies a bit of paradise. Shreyas Retreat is an amazing  25 acre property located at Nelamangala on the Tumkur road. (You will have the last mile problem in locating it – so keep the phone number handy to …

I am always on the lookout for unique nature resorts – Ever since I first saw the Ad of Tamara Coorg in a Jet Airways In flight magazine a year back I have been wanting to visit – which I finally did last weekend. I always pronounced TAMARA the american way – the way it …

A visit to Khajuraho has been on my to do list for long. History and architecture in a beautiful setting can transport you back centuries and that’s exactly what this visit did – it exceeded all my expectations. Getting to Khajuraho is a challenge. Flights are Via Agra or Varanasi, Road journey from any Airport/Big City …

Always on the lookout for offbeat locations I was lucky to find Wildwood’s Spa on the internet . Most folks in Bangalore wait for long weekends to plan a getaway – and after a few years having covered Coorg, Ooty, Kodai, Bandipur, Chickmagalur, Waynad, Hampi & Badami – I was happy to find another great location …

Not many people know that Karnataka has two UNESCO world heritage sites. Hampi & Pattadakal – both located in North Karnataka. We had visited Hampi a few years back and have since long been wanting to visit the heritage sites of Badami, Aihole & Pattadakal – which we finally did recently. Our History books are filled …

The word ‘Ānanda’ means ‘bliss’ in Pali, Sanskrit as well as other Indian languages. And BLISS is the best word to describe what I experienced during my 3 day stay at the Ananda Spa & Resort in the Himalayas. I have heard so much of this place that its been in my “To Do”  list for …

Orange County Coorg , Located at Siddapura about 235 Km from Bangalore ( 6 Hrs Drive) is a lovely resort embedded in the midst of nature. Along the river Cauvery in the midst of dense greenery Orange County is a 300 acre Coffee / Spice Plantation – the resort in the middle of this is …

Bangalore has great getaways. Most people head to Mysore and onwards to Coorg, Bandipur, Waynad, Nagerhole, Kabini & Ooty. There are numerous nature spots all along the Cauvery. And Chickamagalur  is another lovely destination 250 Km ( 4hrs from Bangalore). I always thought it was called Chickmangalore (Small version of Managlore)  – but realised after …

Family holiday’s are both a Holiday & a Project. When you have kids, 6 + pieces of luggage , you shortlist restaurants based on the cleanliness of their restrooms, are constantly worried that everything goes as per plan  – you come back after many a holiday happy , relieved & TIRED. While I am on …

2012 has been a year of amazing holidays. We wrapped up the year with yet another lovely holiday at the Elephant Valley Kodaikanal. Hill stations have become commercial trash – but there are still jewels like Destiny Farm (Off  Ooty) and Elephant Valley that still exist.  Situated 20 Km before Kodai (2 Hr drive from …

We finally made it to Goa. Thats the irony of life – we travel to exotic places abroad and many a time forget paradise thats right at your backyard. The Park Hyatt at Goa is truly heaven on earth. Lush green meadows , rooms in lovely Portugese Villas, a huge pool, a great activity Centre …

We left Thiruvanamalai at 9.30 AM and headed towards Pondicherry. the roads are good (One Track with no divider) but you can zip at close to 90 Km/ Hr . Vast open green fields and lovely tamarind trees line the roads. On the way you will cross the famous fort of Gingee (Which was called …

Bangalore is surrounded with amazing weekend getaways. Most people would take the Mysore road towards Coorg, Ooty, Bandipur , Kabini or the Chickamangalur Route . This time we decided to head to Pondicherry – but packed in a nice round trip over 4 Nights that covered Blr – Thiruvanamalai – Pondicherry – Chennai – Blr …

If you are in Bangalore you must visit Bandipur during a long weekend. Its just 91 Kms from Mysore. So if you leave Bangalore at 7 AM , stop for breakfast enroute you should reach Bandipur around lunch. (Bangalore Mysore on a good day is 3.5 Hrs and Mysore to Bandipur is another 2 hrs). …

Please note : Change is part of the process at Tirupathi – so information shared here may change. Will try and keep updated as frequently as I can – This information updated post my Visit on July 26th , 2015. ________________________________________________________________________ I have been fortunate to visit Tirupathi multiple times. There is something with Lord …

The closest beaches from Bangalore are Chennai or Goa. Both are great beaches but very commercialized. Based on a friends recommendation we tried Neeleshwar – and it was a Wow ! Neeleshwar is a long drive from Bangalore ( 8 Hrs). Its 230 Kms from Mysore ( Mysore – Coorg – Cross the W Ghats …

You can plan a good 1 week trip to HK Macau. Its a great family vacation destination.  The biggest advantages are 1. Direct Flights 2 . No Visa 3. Lots of activities for kids to be Busy. Day – 0 : The dragon Air flight from Bangalore leaves at 2.40 AM  and reaches at 11 …

Kumbakonam & Tanjore is a good 3 night , 4 day holiday from Bangalore. There is so much of History & Culture tucked away here – probably the only place where you will see 1000 year old temples in every second street – empty , serene & peaceful. A quick summary of “Whats the place …

Bangalore has numerous weekend getaways. The Galibore fishing Camp run by Jungle Lodges (http://www.junglelodges.com/) is definitely one of the better options. Its located at a distance of about 100 Km from Bangalore off the Kanakpura Road. 70 Kms on the Kanapaura Highway and then about 30 Kms thru villages. Roads are good – the last …