[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by ampere

Perundurai-Kangeyam : 30 minutes, 30km
Kangeyam-Palladam : 30 minutes, 45 km
Palladam-Pollachi : 45 minutes, 50km
Pollachi-Valparai : 60km 1-2 hour


Valparai-Chalakudy-Angamaly-Ernakulam-Kochi
Very good road all the way. From Chalakudy it would be 4L (GQ).

The main one is Athirapally falls at Chalakudy.


How do you want your morning tea?

Wow, those snaps are even more tempting! So can I budget Rs 5 K per day (all inclusive) for 4 adults?

Let me check the websites to get the contact numbers.

Do you think there are better places to stay at Kangeyam or Pollachi instead of Perundurai?

And as regards your question, I am more of a coffee person. Tea is only for the evenings.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Wow, those snaps are even more tempting! So can I budget Rs 5 K per day (all inclusive) for 4 adults?

Only Glendale will fit this budget I guess. Stanmore and Waterfall that belong to EID Parry are on the higher side.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Do you think there are better places to stay at Kangeyam or Pollachi instead of Perundurai?

ideally Pollachi should have better places to stay as its a bigger town.
As I mentioned in an earlier post (#93) on this thread I found 2 hotels for food breaks, but they also have boarding and they seem to be decent.

(I have not stayed there). I don't have any feedbacks on them.

(I mentioned links to both the places).

Last year one of the waterfall bungalows costed 3K per day for a room with all meals for two.
The only issue with these estate bungalows is that they are houses with rooms. So if you book one room,
its highly possible that other rooms would be occupied by folks whom you won't know.

So it becomes a bit strange. If you are in a group where you can book the whole bungalow, then it becomes a much
nicer affair.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by NPV

Thanks Ampere, Fauji, Srikanth and Ajith.
I think what Fauji Sir said makes sense so I plan to take Calicut-Chalakudy-Valparai route and visit Athirapally falls, Vazhachal falls and Sholayar Dam, then check in to the bungalow.
Please let me know if this route is the one I should be taking and the road conditions (this will be my first time on this route as well)
Kozhikode, Kerala, India to Valparai, Tamil Nadu, India - Google Maps

You can also try at NEPC estate bungalows (contact Sunil @8903214160) - I have booked here for later this month, their website is
AllSeasons guest house

Route is pretty simple.
Calicut-NH17-Feroke-Kottakkal-Kuttipuram-Edappal-Go ff NH17-Kunnamkulam-Choondal-Trissur-go through town, ask for Kochi road-NH47-Chalakudy-turn off to the left towards Athirapalli-Athirapalli.

Forget G Maps, it shows names of places which are irrelevant.......and the ones that matter in small letters, or not at all.

If you start early (5 am strongly recommended), you should cross Trissur town before traffic (say, 730 am) and be in Athirapalli by 9-930 am.

[ampere]

The other thing which I remember Ajit mentioning is a bypass for Kunnamkulam.

Here is the link.

Kunnamkulam Bypass Option

Bypasses Kunnamkulam and takes you to Choondal.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Calicut-NH17-Feroke-Kottakkal-Kuttipuram-Edappal-Go ff NH17-Kunnamkulam-Choondal-Trissur-go through town, ask for Kochi road-NH47-Chalakudy-turn off to the left towards Athirapalli-Athirapalli.

Originally Posted by ampere

The other thing which I remember Ajit mentioning is a bypass for Kunnamkulam.

Here is the link.

Kunnamkulam Bypass Option

Bypasses Kunnamkulam and takes you to Choondal.

+1 to HVK and Amperetake the left turn after Perumpilavu junction at Akkikavu and travel along the road cutting across the Wadakancheri-Kunnamkulam road at Pannithadam.Keep on the road and it connects you directly to Kecheri on Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road.Road is excellent,no traffic and is a good alternative to bypass kunnamkulam town.This is the preferred route for all Taxi guys going from Thrissur and Wadakancheri to Kozhikode airport.

Small correction to Ampere,take the road connecting to Kecheri and not choondal.

SH 69 to Kechery Akkikkavu Rd - Google Maps

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Small correction to Ampere,take the road connecting to Kecheri and not choondal.

Thanks for that correction Ranjit. Slip on my side. I meant Kecheri but ended up typing Choondal !
(as I forgot correcting the map).

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by NPV

You can also try at NEPC estate bungalows (contact Sunil @8903214160) - I have booked here for later this month, their website is
AllSeasons guest house

Thanks very much. Can you share the rate per room/ couple please?

And do they have a check-in and check-out time?

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by luvurride

Only Glendale will fit this budget I guess. Stanmore and Waterfall that belong to EID Parry are on the higher side.

Both Glendale & Waterfall are the same group. EID Parry Property is "Sinnadorai"

Originally Posted by luvurride

Hey folks,
Got hold of a B&B called Hornbill Castle and he said that he can offer Saturday night. But am not really sure about the place and the website has very little information. Here is the link - Hornbill Castle - Valparai

Any body heard or stayed here? Or any other staying options? Inputs are appreciated. This is for a family of 4 with a kid. Thanks!

Just realised after going through the website it is being marketed by Joshua / Jebaraj. I would suggest be careful as in the past there have been people who have had bad experiences.

You could try NEPC estate, which Narayan has booked for himself. Though I have not stayed there, Sunil who used to manage the Stanmore properties is now managing the NEPC properties.

@npv Considering most of the weekends Parry, Stanmore & Glendale are not available, please speak with Sunil when you meet him and inform that there is a lot of references being made in this board for his properties. Hopefully he is able to maintain the standards which he used to have at Stanmore.

[ranjitp1]

+1 to Srikanth,imho the home stays at Valparai havent come of age yet.They have a long long way to go.For the moment it is best to stick to the tea bungalows,that way you are assured of excellent stay and facilities.

PS:Sinnadorai does not allow kids below 12yrs iirc

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

+1 to Srikanth,imho the home stays at Valparai havent come of age yet.They have a long long way to go.For the moment it is best to stick to the tea bungalows,that way you are assured of excellent stay and facilities.

PS:Sinnadorai does not allow kids below 12yrs iirc

I agree with Ranjit. Homestays in Vaparai are very basic and fit for Bachelor groups only. Not worth it.

Sinnadorai has no restrictions on kids below 12 years. When i was there in April, a family came with kids aged 6 and 4 and they were all accomadated. No restrictions as such. Please take your kids

[pypkmsrikanth]

I spoke with Sunil a short while back. He was saying Hornbill homestay is a small house. I have also conveyed to him about the potential Tbhp has in creating goodwill for his properties once a few of us check out the place we can possibly get a good rate from him.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

+1 to HVK and Amperetake the left turn after Perumpilavu junction at Akkikavu and travel along the road cutting across the Wadakancheri-Kunnamkulam road at Pannithadam.Keep on the road and it connects you directly to Kecheri on Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road.Road is excellent,no traffic and is a good alternative to bypass kunnamkulam town.This is the preferred route for all Taxi guys going from Thrissur and Wadakancheri to Kozhikode airport.

Small correction to Ampere,take the road connecting to Kecheri and not choondal.

SH 69 to Kechery Akkikkavu Rd - Google Maps

Just my few cents:
1) The left turn at Akkikavu is a kind-of U-turn towards the left and not at usual 90-degrees. Better slow down after Perumpilavu junction
2) At Pannithadam, as mentioned by Ranjit, just go straight and the road takes a natural right curve immediately after the junction
3) Ranjit says "Keep on the road and it connects you directly to Kecheri on Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road". There is a small correction here and can be seen if you zoom on the map provided by Ranjit. Immediatelt just before main Kecheri junction (literally a stone's throw away from the Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road), you will reach a dead-end meeting the Kecheri->Wadakkanchery road and you need to take a right to join back SH-69 immediately. I am stressing this because being a heavily congested area, if by mistake you take a left (towards Wadakkanchery) at this dead-end, it is a painful process to reverse/return to SH-69 around this point.

Akkikkavu->Kecheri road is very scenic too (apart from all good things mentioned by Ranjit) as it passes through some thick green vegetation with large tracts of green fields on either side of the road.

One thing I generally do (route can be better explained by Ranjit) is to bye-pass Thrissur town altogether and proceed towards Mannuthy. Dont remember the exact route now but somewhere near Punkunnam (just where the heavy traffic starts), I take a left and go through the road in front of zoo towards Mannuthy. The reason (not remembering the exact route) being that I just blindly follow the directions to Palakkad/Coimbatore from Punkunnam till Mannuthy.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

One thing I generally do (route can be better explained by Ranjit) is to bye-pass Thrissur town altogether and proceed towards Mannuthy. Dont remember the exact route now but somewhere near Punkunnam (just where the heavy traffic starts), I take a left and go through the road in front of zoo towards Mannuthy. The reason (not remembering the exact route) being that I just blindly follow the directions to Palakkad/Coimbatore from Punkunnam till Mannuthy.

Ajith,This is the diversion you are talking about and this is the same that I sent across to NPV in response to his pm.I stay in between Patturaikal & Cheroor Road so quite familiar I must admit.
The following link is to Bypass TCR towards Kochi

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...a=1,2&t=m&z=15

The following link is to Bypass TCR towards Palakkad

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...a=1,2&t=m&z=16

The third and no traffic corridor option to reach Mannuthy is this(does not go via the zoo,instead via Holy Family school)

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...5,6,8&t=m&z=16

[luvurride]

Thanks to NPV, pypmsrikanth, ranjitp1 and Fauji for all your information and suggestions. Hornbill was not that impressive, so just let it pass. I spoke to Sunil this morning and he was also running full.

But just while I type this message, got a last minute confirmation from Club Mahindra for Kodaikanal and have taken it. So no Valparai this time, maybe later!