Hi,
Apologies, I will be sure to use the notepad and proof the script before posting.
I dropped off wife and kid at B'lore and left my camera as well. Will upload photos as soon as I lay my hand on my camera.
Was driving a Swift Diesel (Dzire), which is a year old and has done 30K already. Frequent MAA-BLR, at least once a month. I did follow the cops instructions for the most part, but shifted to 3rd at a point and realized that the Swift does not have the kind of breaks.
Ooty-Masinagudi route is great, good surfacing and width, but the driver certainly needs a bit of experience and a bit of luck with the cops in the hills. There was heavy traffic going up that way, I'm assuming the road is mostly one-way on weekends and during peak holiday season. As a courtesy to wildlife, I did not go over 40-50 km once on the plains. Did spot some Elephants and Deer between Masinagudi and Bandipur.
Now about the places I stayed:
Coonoor:
At Glendale's Adderley Guest House.
www.glendalestays.in/adderleyguesthouse.html
3500 a night not including food. A butler at your service, to whom you need to order your food. You need to decide what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner at least 24 hours in advance to help them get the stuff needed to cook them. Food was GREAT, especially cocktail snacks. The place is super clean and well kept. The garden, I understand, wins the top prize each year in the Niligiri flower show. You could ask for a bonfire and BBQ as well, they are more than glad to serve.
The guesthouse itself is 135 years old, recently re-done. The guesthouse is situated in the middle of a 1500 acre estate, so trekkers paradise. Breathtaking views. On most days we had clouds barging into the guesthouse. You have cable TV in the drawing room with a fireplace, I could watch the IPL semi-finals there. The owners are a little choosy with the guests, they do a lot of background checks before offering you the rooms. Very discreetly, the caretaker told me that they make sure it is a small family if you are taking one room and a large family, usually the whole guesthouse is rented. There are 3 rooms in all, from what I saw. I suggest you book at least a month in advance if you want to stay on the weekends. We never stepped out of the estate for 3 days, Coonoor is just too tourist'ee. Ah, you only have BSNL signals, so I had fun with zero calls from my office.
Next,
Cicada Resorts - Bandipur
This is a Coffee Day group resort. Cost 14K for 2 days and 2 nights with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and some snacks.
Cicada – Wildlife Resorts in India: Kabini River, Bandipur, BR Hills
Rooms and food comparable with 3-star. The chef took care of the needs of my 4-year old daughter and she enjoyed the swimming and evening snacks. They even packed some food for my daughter when we left. They really take care of children. Service was great, but maybe was even better when we were there as Diyanidhi Maran (Central Minister) and gang were there, the buffet was really good with a lot of extra food. Took a toll on my weight though. Don't go to this place on weekdays, you could be the only one there. Choose the weekend, specifically Friday, Saturday and get out on Sunday after Breakfast and head home. I liked the jungle safari, it was 3-4 hours of great excitement. Again, this place has a good bar, and not to mention, SAT TV, so was able to watch the finals on a large screen. I would recommend this place only on weekends, I REPEAT, DO NOT GO ON WEEKDAYS.