A resort - nestled in nature

COVID! – Such a nightmare! Lately, we have been having dreams of long drives down a beautiful road during monsoon and landing up at a destination where we could be pampered. Of course, it would’ve been the case if COVID hadn’t hit us all. When travelling is something that gets our lives exciting, staying indoors for almost half a year now had been immensely difficult. So after a lot of research we took this step of finally making our dreams a turn into reality.

The biggest challenge was to stay safe & avoid having to quarantine; this meant we had to travel within Karnataka as we would be starting from Bangalore. ‘Bu’ got right to it; this is when we learnt that our very own state had so much to offer in terms of destination. There are all sorts of places to explore like (man-made) architectural or historical places, (natural) falls, hills to hike, trek or camp, beaches or just an experience of staying in the best resorts. What we decided

As we were also looking for an intimate vacation, we chose to stay at ‘EVOLVE BACK by Orange County in COORG’.

We booked our stay online for the ‘Lily Pool Villa’. The highlight of course was our very own private pool which was temperature controlled. Why did we finalize this resort? It’s how environment friendly this resort is, an absolute justice to its name. Truly commendable! Through our research we realized there was no content on the internet for travel during this pandemic. We wanted to shortlist a place that showcased our viewers a safe vacation during this time.

Drive

Coorg is at a distance of approximately 270 kms from Bangalore, drive of approximately five & half hours. We started our drive at five in the morning. Although there are multiple routes one could take to choose their convenience, we chose to drive via Mysore. This was particularly because there are decent restaurants to grab a bite or to freshen up. We took a quick stop for breakfast by eight at Aadyar Ananda Bhavan (good in terms of hygiene) for some classic South Indian dosa and coffee and soon we were on our way. Although there were many tollbooths, the roads were quite impressive for the entire duration of our drive. The light drizzle on our route gave in to a romantic vibe too. As we kept progressing towards Coorg the lush green views grew so scenic it was hard to get our eyes off it. As we got closer to the resort there were convenient direction markings which made it easy to find.

Evolve Back

As we entered the resort property, although valet parking was available, we drove into car parking lot all the way surrounded by greenery. The hotel manager walked to us along with a helper for our bags and guided us to the lobby. At the entrance we were asked to sanitize our footwear and hands, our temperature was also checked and displayed to us. The lobby was quite spacious for individual groups to have a seating area to themselves. Once seated a welcome drink is provided (Chukku kaapi- a blissful blend of coffee with ginger, pepper & jaggery) along with hot water towels to refresh. Thereafter we filled out registration forms. Due to COVID the new pens were placed in one holder and post usage we’d drop it in another holder! What’s impressive was that even the pen had no plastic usage and was recycled.

They then escorted us just outside lobby to a buggy cart where we were accompanied by our hostess for the entire duration of stay (Ms. Shilpa). The driver took care of our bags and the hostess guided us through the property and finally to our villa. There are maps conveniently placed for directional guidance too.

All the women staffs were dressed in the authentic Coorg style sarees, all the staff wore their mask at all times and maintained social distancing.

Lily pool villa

Once we were introduced to the villa, it was completely to us. As a precautionary measure, the room was completely sanitized and no staff entered in the room thereafter. The villa was exquisite! Why we say this is because the villa was so comfortable it felt like home plus the luxuries. Amenities such as tea/coffee and water were obvious, but they go all the way with cookies, sweets, a minibar filled with soft drinks (restocked twice a day), fresh fruits, some snacks like banana chips & cashews etc. They do flaunt their locally produced coffee which is a must try!

This villa is planned beautifully, with green views through every window and openings to the sit out area from living room, bedroom & washroom (such a convenient way to and fro the pool). The furnishing was pleasing too, with comfortable bedding, a dressing area and an ideal washroom. There’s also a decent couch with television, for those interested. The sit out was the most cherished for us, with different kinds of seating arrangements at all possible locations with serene view. The shack was like a cherry on the cake!

The pool itself! When we say there are no words to express the feeling, it’s true! As we travelled during monsoon with relatively cool weather, this temperature controlled pool did more than what we expected. We would be lying if we said we hadn’t spent most of our time here. The feeling of being intimate with the scenic view of outdoor green on one side & those beautiful lilies blooming on the other, it was just epic. This was with a Jacuzzi to top it all. The night view was just, ohhh so alluring… with steam out of the pool and sound of nature. It’s a feeling like, if we could go back anytime, we surely wouldn’t miss it.

Other activities

We didn't want to miss out on other activities while enjoying our private villa, so we decided to check out the entire resort too. This resort is located in a 300 acre area of plantation, mostly coffee. With 60+ cottages of different categories to suit ones needs. This also comes with a common infinity pool, spa, gym, reading lounge, beehive center, nature shop & a gift shop and many other activities as per their timings. There’s also a man-made pond and a lake (for fish feeding activity). There are multiple restaurants too. ‘Granary’ specializing in coorg style cuisine and at ‘Peppercon’ we had an intimate candle light dinner. Unfortunately, most of the services like buffet meals, spa & pool were closed due to COVID.

What we think

This was a perfect couple getaway for us. Although we were not quite happy with the food (not the options, but taste, mostly lunch), this resort ranks as one of the top most places we have stayed at for multiple reasons; however, the thing that stood out the most was its staff. Each and every one of them was incredibly thoughtful and hospitable. We stayed here for our wedding anniversary and as soon as the staff learnt that, they decorated and sanitized our room without our knowledge (when we were having our dinner) and even got us a complimentary cake at midnight to celebrate. What a pleasant surprise that was! This certainly made our stay special. Our dedicated staff took extremely good care of us till the last second even post check out (which is rare these days).

Return de-route

We returned to Bangalore via Nagarhole. This was a longer drive of approximately seven and a half hours with average road and less tollbooths. We preferred this route to spot some wildlife on the way. And boy! Were we lucky to have spotted some elephants & deer! Yay!

We admit that we didn't particularly explore the city Coorg, however this resort had its essence. The experience of staying at EVOLVE BACK will always be unforgettable. We would say, a stay at evolve back once in a lifetime is a must! (A genuine feeling, also non-sponsored). Support our first VLOG below or on YouTube of this resort , click the link below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yz2JRZIdeI&t=96s If you enjoy it, please like, share and hit the subscribe button for more travel, food and wildlife experience on our channel. Follow us on the links below for Instagram and Facebook updates related to our travel. https://www.instagram.com/bo_and_bu https://www.facebook.com/B0B0.BUBU Much Love.