jus returned from mango tree cottage -devashola homestay.have stayed in many similiar properties in Valparai, munnar, marayur and ooty.compared to others location is excellent.worth trying..away from busy schedules and strenous routine.murugan ( cook) leavin without prior information came bolt out of blue.k.kutty who replace him has to improve a lot.it would have been better if they can discuss regarding food menu before hand to avoid dislikes,.can create trekking tracks behind the cottage.only one path is available for walking..room need heater...

You drive away from Coonoor main road and you enter a different world. One of mists, hills, walks and bison wandering around. This is not 'hotel' quality. It is like an old friends home, with a little bit of updating needed, but the hospitality and location make up for everything else. Murugan the caretaker took very good care of us, cooking less spicy stuff for my mom. Everyone we met on the estate was friendly and chatted with us. I was able to 3-4 hours a say on different routes with no guide, and felt super safe.

We did see bison on the 'safari', but also saw them chewing on some plants right outside out our cottage. We had the cottage to ourselves, wonder if it would get crowded with another set of people.

Overall highly recommend it to those who are looking to getaway from a crowded and ;standard' hill station experience. And do not mind slightly rustic accommodation.

Hi, I and my wife spent 3 and 4th of June at Palaniappa cottage at Devashola tea estate. It was thoroughly enjoyable stay at this place. It was beyond our expectation, you will be in the midst of nature surrounded by tea gardens. There was a beautiful man made pond right in front of the cottage, giving us a good view. The rooms were clean and spacious for two. The food prepared by Mr.Murugan (caretaker & cook) was tasty and south Indian, though no non-vegetarian food. Found out that the owner is a devotee of Sri Sai Baba, still no complaints. Mr.Murugan, though bit shy was very friendly, always looking to take good care of our needs. There was no signal in my idea cell, so entirely cut off from the outside world. We had the entire cottage for us as the other room guest did not turn up. We were taken around the estate in a jeep by the manager Mr. Kumar, he was very supportive and caring, took us around the estate showing us other cottages and adventure camps in the estate with some beautiful views . In our stay here, we had seen more number of bison’s than humans, absolutely no shops, houses, litter etc. We were also lucky enough to see some wild bore, though we were not looking to spot exotic birds. The place is absolute beauty, this is only for people who want to get away from our busy and stressful city life. Do not expect anything apart from nature and only nature. The place is absolute safe and peaceful. As it was drizzling a bit we could not put up a came fire. We wish to thank Mr.Murugan (cook) for the care provided and Mr. Kumar (manager) for the hospitality provided till the end of our stay, as he personally saw us off from Kalcamby, the nearest village.

The only problem we had was to reach this place as it was remote and 22 kms from conoor, the nearest town, but luckily we found a local Tata Indica cab driver by Name Mr.Murgan(09486702532), who knew the estate well. He dropped us at the estate and picked us the next day from Kolkamby for a reasonable price. He being a local person also showed us all spots in Conoor and Ooty the next day and dropped us back at Ooty bus stand for our return trip back to Bangalore.

Have been many times to Ooty and stayed in some great hotels, but never of this kind. Recommend people of nature lovers to must visit this place to experience for yourself.

Regards
Santhosh

I was looking for a 'home' away from home when we planned to visit the Nilgiri hills with an extended family of 12 members, and chanced upon the Devashola estates. We had a blissful 3N4D stay at this exquisite location and were totally happy with the experience.

We stayed at Sultana Cottage, one of the several bungalows within the 650 acres Devashola tea estates being run as a quasi-homestay. The place is located in a beautiful & sprawling estate which is best suited for birding. This place is also called Bison Valley - you are guaranteed spotting bisons grazing on the hills.

This place is far away from the hustle-bustle of traffic and people - in fact, you will travel several kms to the cottage without spotting a single human! Do not club this as a stay-over on your regular Ooty-Coonoor trip; this should be a dedicated nature-stay, trekking & birding visit.

Great service and attention to detail by the caretakers - Mr Rajan Kutty and Shanthamma. Mr Kumar, the manager, was pleasing in attitude.
Cons: You will share your space with a few insects and bugs - but then, if you are looking for eco-tourism, you shouldn't be complaining