It's not often that I stay somewhere which disappoints so greatly and warrants such a negative review, But Wallwood Gardens is one such place. I don't mind staying in basic hotels and this cycling tour of south India has seen many such places. They are reviewed accordingly - not by comparing them to a top flight hotel but alongside other similar locations and prices.

So if Wallwood Gardens were being compared to this sort of standard of hotel it would come out ok. A bit tatty, musty, but adequate for a one-night stop.

But Wallwood Gardens, part of the Neemrana Group, has higher aspirations. it describes itself as a "non hotel,"by which it means it takes buildings that weren't meant to be hotels and adapts them in to hotels, and attempts to preserve the heritage associated with the building.
I could think of other reasons to call it a non-hotel.

I'd just cycled the 15 long, uphill miles to Coonoor, and found the hotel. The tatty hotel sign is an indicator of things to come.

There was no reception as such and no visible staff to provide a welcome. After hunting around for  a little while some staff appeared and took me to my room. There wasn't much by way of a welcome, no drinks, cleansing towels etc.

The main buiilding was cold, and unheated. I don't know what the rooms are like in the main building as I wasn't staying in it. In truth, I didn't get to stay in a 100 year old boutique building. I was staying in a more recently built annex, built much more recently, very utilitarian and screened from the main building by a row of fir trees.
I was shown to my room in this small annex building. it consisted of a small single room with an adjoining double room, and a bathroom. There's a desk and a singularly uncomfortable chair. the room was musty, and at that point cold, as it hadn't been warmed pending my arrival. the decor, although basic, was tired. The small electric heater partially took the chill off.

The room reminded me either of a very basic dorm type room or a utility room that had been pressed in to service as a bedroom by the inclusion of a bed. the red-painted concrete floors did nothing to dispel this impression.

The evening meal was basic - there was a limited choice and it wasn't great. it is an alcohol free hotel. the dining room adjoins one of the guest rooms, which meant that my meal was punctuated by the very loud argument these guests were having in their room. The dining room  was very cold, not least because the window adjacent to my table had been left open until I arrived. This meant that the food cooled very rapidly.

On my second night the only offered choice was Chinese Food; with the whole of the South Indian choices before me and the only offered option is Chinese food. It took a bit of effort and persuasion before another offer was forthcoming. One of the joys of travelling in India should be the food. Not here.

There is TV available, indeed one played incessantly in the dining room and the other, watched mostly by staff, in the Lounge. there is no wifi, nor any literature about coonoor or the surrounding area. There are a couple of poor murals half completed on the walls. The fireplaces were never lit while I stayed there, despite the chill.

There is a lot of publicity material for Neemrana's other non-hotels but based on this experience I won't be hurrying back.

I wanted to get out early first thing to take some pictures in the early morning light but this was difficult as the gates to the building were still locked and again no staff were visible. I resorted to climbing over the wall.

Breakfast was a perfunctory affair, a choice of omelette or fried eggs, toast and jam. again, fine if I am staying at a small homestay but not at 3500Rs per night.

Wallwood gardens is 3km above Coonoor centre; the site is generally peaceful and it's a short 15 minute walk down to Sims Park, where there are stalls, restaurants Autos and Taxis.

It may be that the hotel can help sort out taxis etc,  but they didn't offer and I didn't ask.

Wallwood Gardens is an abysmal place which overcharges and underdelivers on every front. it is not quirky, boutique or in other respects a special place. it is a building ill-designed for accommodating guests, with poor facilities and a lack of customer-facing services. Hugely disappointing and not to be recommended.