Horsely Hills is around 150kms away from Bangalore city, and that makes it a good destination for a week end travel. I shall split my thoughts about the place into two, Horsely Hills itself and my stay at the APTDC resort Haritha.
Horsely Hills, is a small hillock 25 kms away from the town of Madanapalle in A.P. The place can be compared with smaller hill stations like Yelagiri or Yercaud (both in Tamil Nadu). A significant difference is the that of the terrain and environment. Where as Yelagiri and Yercaud seems to be more greener, Horsely Hills has lesser vegetation and more of good rocks and boulders *. A 10km road from the level ground takes a visitor the summit of the hills. Once the visitor reaches the hill top, he realises that the hill-top is pretty much the property of the state run Andhra Pradesh Tourism Dev. Corporation. There is only one entry/exit point at Horsely Hills summit.
Horsely Hills offers some view points from where the surrounding areas can be viewed. The hills generally becomes more serene and silent when the evening sets in. The view points offer a good view of the sunset. The nights are a bit more colder, and mornings also brings in speedy winds. A brisk walk in the morning, covering all the view points once again in sun light and then it is pretty much done. The Haritha Resort does have a few out door activities lined up, but that is open only for a group of tourists. For a lone visitor, or one with a small family the place is just right to complete reading a book which was pending for a long time, or to spend some time with the family, without much disturbance or working on a long list of must see places. Horsely Hills ideally is good for a night's stay. Reach the place by 1130hrs and then depart by around 1030hrs the next day.
Haritha Resorts run by APTDC is pretty much the only establishment which is open for general tourists. There was another private establishment, and another guest house for the Indian Railways. Haritha Resorts have a restaurant & bar, and various types of guest accommodation available. I had stayed in a block named "Wind Falls". Reservation was simple, done on-line. Check in was also a smooth experience. The "room" offered to us how ever was really big - it was like a small 2 bedroom flat in Bangalore. So potential visitors can check up with ATPC to understand the "room" better and go for the best option. The "Governor's suite" seems to be the most expensive, and there were dormitory accommodation as well.
Please note that the resort is like a sprawling college campus, and each building unit is slightly away from the other. From Wind Falls, the restaurant is around 500 mts away. There is no working inter-com system for the staff or for the visitors. The care taker needs to be contacted on his cell phone. Lunch and breakfast have to be taken at the restaurant. Dinner can be got through the room service by contacting the care taker. The food seems to be very basic, but served warm and neatly. The rooms are kept neat and tidy, but the walls show ageing and lack of maintenance. The bath rooms are very neat & clean, but the plumbing seems to be really poor. A few taps were leaking, even when a board right above them stated "Save Water". The resort seems to be functioning in an average fashion, but it should be said that the staff were really courteous and friendly.
Horsely Hills and Haritha Resort seems to be more suited for a group of passengers, or families who can reach the place on their own. Public transport is very much limited, and there are no other means to even move around the resort premises.
* Please note the time when I made the visit. Weather & greenery etc. may depend upon the time of the year.
