Here is a destination for coffee, wellness and some glamorously good time!

Chikmagalur is your perfect offbeat destination for seeking wellness, romance and a glamorous vacation. This place lays tucked in one of India’s original coffee hubs. You will be in awe of the hordes of coffee plantations in this region. 

Embrace the earthy smell and aura of a unique coffee destination, spend your leisurely time at a hotel or resort in the coffee hub. Our stay was at The Serai Chikmagulur. A holiday in this coffee hub would be your ultimate romantic glacation. We flew in from Calcutta in an early morning flight and reached Bangalore comfortably around 10.30.

A road trip from Bangalore takes us to India’s coffee capital of Chikmagulur, a quaint town flanked with coffee plantations all around. After a 5 hours road trip (its only 250 kms from Bangalore), we reached Chikmagalur. You can choose to spend your day indulging at the resort’s myriad vistas to make your romantic glacation memorable and once in a lifetime experience with ample dose of luxury and adventure.

The journey from Bangalore to Chikmagulur is picturesque, flanked by greenery, waterfalls and forest on both sides of the road. The road trip is pleasantly untiring. Isn’t it perfect for that extended weekend retreat?

Walking through Chikmagulur

Indulge yourself within India’s first coffee plantations

A wellness vacation at Chikmagalur would open up vistas of unique coffee plantations which supplies the best coffee beans to the entire country and world. You are staying inside the coffee hub and wherever you go in this region and surroundings, you cannot escape the aura of coffee plantations.

The earthy smell of Arabica coffee easily hits you. Delicate Arabica bushes spine around large, tall oaks, teaks and other trees inside the plantations. Arabica coffee grows in the shade of these tall trees – that’s perhaps one of the unique ways of growing coffee in India. According to folk tales, that’s how coffee has been grown here since 17^th century. The beans were believed to have been smuggled to Chikmagulur region from Yemen.

Chikmagalur (Photo: Mousumi Kar)

Wellness – Rejuvenation at spa, doing yoga

The idea of a perfect romantic glacation throws up images of connecting with your inner soul. You can do that by combining pampering and indulging yourself with a perfect Spa therapy (your resort would have a host of options for you). However, I tried a signature therapy (coffee cure) at Serai’s OMA Spa. The region is best for doing Yoga and breathing in the fresh air.

Delicacies of Malnad cuisine

Chicken curry made in Malnad Cuisine style

Well, we are not sure if you have heard of Malnad cuisine. No we are not talking about Mangaloren cuisine. Malnad cuisine is distinctively different from Mangalorean cuisine. While many say it is an uncanny mix of both Mangalorean and Coorgi cuisines. However, today Malnad cuisine has evolved itself as a micro-cuisine with a significant trademark of its own. It has amazing delicacies such as Gojju Avalakki, Mavinkaye Saru, Patrode, Kayi Sasuve Chitanna, Shunti Thambuli and among desserts popular dishes are Haluvayi and Kayi Kadubu. The vast spread of banana leaves serving up the delicacies of Malnad cuisine would give you serious food lust.

Whilst in Chikmagalur, you can also do a lot of cycling in nearby areas. Remember you are ensconced in one of the luxury resorts in Western Ghats of India. Would you like to miss the opportunity to explore the breathtaking outdoors of the hills? There are scenic trekking trails (ask your resort for more guidance and customize one for you) in the region which are not to be missed to bring that slight adventure in your stay.

The article has been penned by travel blogging couple based in Kolkata,  Mousumi Kar & Amit Sengupta

They blog at www.black-board.in. They can be found on Instagram at www.instagram.com/traveller_amit and www.instagram.com/karmousumi