It's about 250 plus km from the Banglore airport and 115 km pristine drive to the Ibnivalavadi Village, Madikeri in Coorg Karnataka. If you enjoy the pretty village houses, the greenery and villagers passing by in their local dresses then this drive is for you. This drive will reach you to a roadside that says IBNII resort and perhaps will not prepare you for what you will be seeing inside this honest looking signage.

I was invited by a dear friend to stay here for a weekend and we reached the place somewhere around 9 pm ish. This was my second visit to Coorg and I had already fallen in love with the cuisine and the beautiful landscape and so there was no way I was going to refuse the invitation. But I wasn't prepared to meet the beauty and luxury that was smack in the middle of 125 acres of land filled with flora and fauna, a coffee trail, a three tiered swimming pool and a nursery that housed many exotics plants and flowers.

The reception that leads you to the hanging bridge

Once you enter you will be guided to the reception area for which you need to cross a hanging bridge. The reception along with the welcome drink served by the lady wearing a Coorg sari, gives you a bird's eye view of what you are about to experience.

I was escorted to my villa which came with a swimming pool, a deck and a scenic view that filled my heart and lung with the freshest of air possible. "Breathe" I told myself, having just seen the tail end of the scorching sun of the capital, this was bliss, heaven! A lounging area with a small kitchen cabinet was filled with choicest of tea flavours, cookies and snacks and a fruit bowl welcomed me seductively. I was ready to enjoy my weekend and how!

Celebrate you day with this fresh yummies

Excited for the next day to begin that was lined up with a walk on the coffee trail, a luxury spa treatment but above all I was ready to hit the breakfast spreads that came with a fantastic view at their restaurant. I certainly wasn't disappointed with the fresh south Indian, Coorgi dishes with the regular ham, bacon and chicken sausage served with fresh vegetable and fruit juices.

Healthy welcome

The walk from the villa to the restaurant was a refreshing one filled with rustle of the tress, chirping of some exotic insects and the sun warming up my back. Similarly was the coffee trail walk that was invigorating, full of fresh air and information on several types of coffee showcased at their restaurant that also gave cookie baking classes. All that fresh air was definitely making me hungry. Lunch was an amazing spread with any dish I-wanted-would --be -cooked especially for me on offer and hence I asked for the famous Coorg dish -the Pandhi curry There was no way I was going to finish my lunch without Coorg pork curry cooked in local vinegar and spices with a steaming bowl of rice.

A break of an hour or so and it was time for the spa therapy at the Manja where an expert therapist waited to show off her skills of deft fingers as she  proceeded to open up the most stressful and tense points of my city tortured body as she pressed, kneaded and massaged till I fell deep into a restful slumber. In case you plan to holiday at  IBNII - the spa is definitely a must!

There's no other way to describe the stay at the IBNII other than wow! My experience of the barbeque dinner where the choicest and most succulent kababs were served to me, the amazing Pandhi curry, the quiet peaceful walk to the restaurant from my villa is something that I will always remember and recommend.

Each villa has been created to experience the eco friendly stay and is so lavish that you might end up just enjoying the villa rather than going out. My stay experience also included a visit to the market for some wonderful Indian spices and home-made chocolates. I also managed to pick kilos of mango pickles which I suggest you must too if you are a pickle lovers. Made in South Indian  style they are delicious, no compromise on quality and comparatively priced.

The award winning resorts signature is its relaxed atmosphere, which is exactly what your holiday should be, so next time you want to visit you know where to head.

Arati Thapa

www.ibnii.com