India Travel

Trains

Trains from Egmore; all others from Central.

Chennai to: Bangalore (7 daily; 4hr 45min-8hr 10min); Bhubaneswar (7 daily; 20hr 10min-24hr): Calcutta (2-3 daily; 28hr 15min-32hr 50min). Coimbatore (2 daily; 6hr 50min-8hr 55mm); Chengalpattu (5 daily*; Itir); Delhi (3 daily; 29-43hr); Dindigul (5 daily"; 5hr 45min-9hr): Hyderabad (2 daily; 14-15hr); Kanniyakumari (1-2 daily; 15hr45min-17hr 15min): Kochi (5 weekly: 10-13hr); Kodaikanal Road (4 daily*; 9hr); Kumbakonam (3 daily; 7hr 20min); Madurai (5-6 daily*; 8hr-11 hr 20min); Mumbai (3 daily; 24hr 15min-31hr30min); Mysore (2 daily; 4hr 45min-iihr 20min); Pune (3 daily: 2Ohr-25hr 30min); Rameshwaram (2-3 daily*: 14hr 30min-24hr); Salem (10 daily; 4-6hr); Thanjavur (3 daily*; 8hr—9hr 30min); Thiruvananthapuram (1-2 daily; 16hr45min-20hr]; Tiruchirapalli (7-9 daily"; 5hr 20min-7lir); Tirupati (3 daily; 3hr); Vijayawada (12 daily; 7-81ir).

Chidambaram to: Chengalpattu (4 daily: 5hr 40min-8hr); Kumbakonam (3 daily; 2hr); flameshwaram (2 daily; 12hr); Thanjavur (4 daily; 3hr); Tiruchirapalli (4 daily; 4-5br); Tirupati (1 daily; 11 hr 15min);Tirui/annamalai (1 daily; 4hr 40min).

Coimbatore to: Bangalore (2 daily; 7hr); Calcutta (4 weekly; 38hr-39hr 30min}; Delhi (1-2 daily; 35-43hr); Chennai (5-6 daily; 7hr 15min-9hr 10min); Hyderabad (1 daily; 20hr 50min); Kanniyakumari (3 daily; 12hr-13hr 30min): Koclii (7 daily; 5hr-6hr 30min); Madurai (2 daily; 5-6hr); Mumbai (1 daily; 35hr); Ooty |2 daily; 5hr); Rameshwaram (1 daily; 14hr 20mm); Salem (13-14 daily; 2hr 15min-3hr); Tiruchirapalli (2 daily; 5hr 30min-8hr 50min) Thiruvananthapuram (3daily;9hr50min-11hr).

Kanniyakumari to: Chennai (1-2 daily; 15hr 45min-17hr 15min); Coimbatore (2 daily; 13hr 25min-16hr45min); Delhi (Fri only; 58hr); Kochi (2-3 daily; 7lir 30min-9hr|; Madurai (1-2 daily; 4hr 45min-5hr 15min); Mumbai (1 daily; 48hr); Salem (1 daily; 15hr); Tiruchirapalli (1-2 daily: 8hr 25min-9hr 30min):Thiruvanantliapuram (2-3 daily; 2hr-2hr 30min). Madurai to: Bangalore (1 daily; 12hr); Chengalpattu (4-5 daily; 3hr); Chennai (5-6 daily: 7hr45min-11hr 15min); Coimbatore (2 daily; 5hr 20min-7hr); Kanniyakumari (1-2 daily; 5hr 45min-6hr 10min); Kodaikanal Road (4-5 daily; 23min-51min); Rameshwaram (2 daily; 4hr 50min-7hr) Tiruchirapalli (5-6 daily; 2br 20min-4hr); Tirupati (2 weekly; 11 hr 20min).

Tiruchirapalli to: Bangalore (1 daily; 9hr 30min): Chengalpattu (5-6 daily; 5hr 50min): Chennai (7-8 daily; 5-7hr); Cochin (1 daily; 10hr 50min): Coimhatore (2 daily; 5hr 30min-6hr); Kanniyakumari (1-2 daily: 10hr); Kodaikanal Road (5 daily; 2hr 40min); Madurai (5-6 daily; 3hr 10min-4hr 40min);Thanjavur (4 daily; ihr 40min); Villupuram (1 daily; 6hr 55min).

Buses

Chennai to: Bangalore (29 daily; 8—11 hr); Chengalpattu (60 daily; Ihr 30min-2hr): Chidambaram (2D daily; 5-7hr); Coimbatore (9 daily; 11 -13hr); Dindigul (10 daily; 9-1 Ohr); Hyderabad (1 daily; 18—20hr); Kanchipuram (every 20min; 1 hr 30min-2hri; Kanniyakumari (9 daily; 16-18hr); Kodaikanal Road (10 daily; 14-15hr); Kumbakonam (17 daily; 7-8hr); Madurai (37 daily; 10hr); Mamallapuram (every 10min; 2-3hr); Pondicherry (every 10min; 4-5hr); Rameshwaram (5 daily; 14hr); Salem (20 daily; 5-7hr); Thanjavur (18 daily; 8hr 30min); Thiruvananthapuram (9 daily; 20hr); Tmdivanam (every 20min; 3-4hr); Tiruchirapalli (every 30min; 8-9hr); Tirupati (every 20min; 4-5hr): Tiruvannamalai (every 20min; 4-6hr): Udhagamandalam (Ooty) (3 daily; 15hr); Vedanthangal (3 daily; 2-3hr); Vellore (every 30min; 2-4hr); Vijayawada (1 daily; 13-16hr],

Chidambaram to: Chengalpattu (20 daily; 4hr 30min-5hr); Chennai (10 daily; 5-6hr): Coimbatore (5 daily; 7hr); Kanchipuram (8-10 daily; 7-8hr); Kanniyakumari (3 daily; 10hr); Kumbakonam (every 10min; 2hr 30min); Madurai (8 daily; 8hr); Pondicherry (every 20min; 2hr); Thanjavur (every 20min; 4hr); Tiruchirapalli (every 30min; 5hr); Tiruvannamalai (15 daily; 3hr 30min): Vellore (5 daily; 4hr 30min).

Coimbatore to: Bangalore (10 daily; 8-9hr); Chennai (15 daily; 10-12hr); Kanchipuram (3 daily; 9-10hr); Kanniyakumari (3 daily; 14ftr); Kodaikanal Road (10 daily; 6hr); Madurai (25 daily; 5-7hr); Pondicherry (6 daily; 7hr); Rameshwaram (2 daily; 14hr); Salem (40 daily; 3-4hr); Thiruvananthapuram (10-15 daily; 12hr): Tiruchirapalli (every 30min; 4-6hr).

Kanchipuram to: Chennai (every 10min; 1hr 30min-2hr); Coimbatore (4 daily; 9-1 Ohr); Madurai (4 daily: 10-12hr); Pondicherry (12-15 daily; 7hr); Tiruchirapalli (6 daily; 7-8hr);Tiruvannamalai (15-20 daily; 3hr); Vellore (every 10min; 2hr 30min).

Kanniyakumari to: Chennai (11 daily; 14-16hr); Kovalam (10 daily: 2hr); Madurai (every 30min; 6hr); Pondicherry (10-12 daily; 12-13hr); Rameshwaram (4 daily; 9-1 Ohr); Thiruvananthapuram (20 daily; 2hr45min-3hr 30min); Tiruchirapalli (every 30min; 10hr). Madurai to: Bangalore (21 daily; 8-9hr); Chengalpattu (37 daily; 9hr); Chennai (hourly; 11hr); Chidambaram (5 daily; 7-8hr); Coimbatore (every 30mm; 6-1 Ohr); Kanchipuram (6-7 daily; 10-12hr}; Kanniyakumari (hourly; 6hr); Kochi (8 daily; 10hr); Kodaikanal Road (11 daily: 4hr); Mysore (5 daily; 10hr); Pondicherry (14 daily; 11-13hr); Rameshwaram (26 daily; 4hr); Thanjavur (every 30 min; 4-5hr); Thiruvananthapuram (18 daily: 7hr): Tiruchirapalli (every 30min; 4-6hr): Tirupati (6 daily; 15hr).

Pondicherry to: Bangalore (4 daily; 10-12hr); Chennai (every 30min: 2hr 30min-3hr); Chidambaram (every 20min: 2hr); Coimbatore (10 daily; 10hr); Kanchipuram (8 daily; 3-4hr); Kanniyakumari (15-20 daily: 12-13hr); Madurai (hourly; 11-13hr); Mamallapuram (every 2Qmin: 3hr); Thanjavur (20 daily: 5hr); Tiruchirapalli (every 30min; 5-6hr); Tiruvannamalai (every 20min; 2hr). Tiruchirapalli to: Chengalpattu (every 20min: 7-8hr); Chennai (hourly; 5—6hr); Coimbatore (every 30min; 4-6hr); Kanchipuram (2 daily; 6-7hr); Kanniyakumari (15-20 daily; 10-12hr); Kodaikanal Road (8-12 daily; 5hr); Pondicherry (20 daily; 5-6hr): Madurai (every 30mm: 4-6hr); Thanjavur (every 10min; 1 hr—1 hr 30min): Tiruvannamalai (5 daily; 6hr).

Flights

Chennai to: Bangalore (2-4 daily; 45min); Bhubaneswar (4 weekly: 2hr 30min); Calcutta (2 daily; 2hr 5min); Coimbatore (2-3 daily: 55min-1 hr 55min); Delhi (3-4 daily; 2hr 30min); Hyderabad (2-3 daily; Ihr); Kochi (1-2 daily; 1hr-2hr 15min); Madurai (1 daily: 55min); Mumbai (3-4 daily; 1hr 45min|; Port Blair (1 daily: 2hr 5min): Thiruvananthapuram (1-2 daily; Ihr 10min); Tiruchirapalli (5 weekly; 50min); Tirupati (2 weekly: 25min).

Coimbatore to: Bangalore (1 daily; 40min); Chennai (1-2 daily; Ihr 5min-1hr 55min): Kochi (2 weekly; 30min); Mumbai (1 daily; 1 hr 50min).

Standards in Mudumalai are generally high, with most of the hotels in gorgeous, peaceful settings. The best of them are up to 5km off the main road from Masinagudi in Bokkapuram, although two budget options overlook the mam road. Book in advance, and arrange for your hosts to pick you up from the bus stop - taxis or Jeeps are rare in the village. Most places expect guests for full board, as Masinagudi only has a few simple restaurants.

Bamboo Banks Guest House, 2km from the main road, Masinagudi. Two rooms, and tour cottages in a beautiful environment: delicious meals are served alfresco in the garden.

Chitral Walk (Jungle Trails), near Valaitotam village, 7km southeast of Masinagudi. The most remote and atmospheric option, it’s well off the beaten track with comfortable rooms. By far the best place in this price category,

Dreamland, next to the Masinagudi crossroads. This is the cheapest option wittiin reach of the park; it lacks atmosphere but is clean and safe,

Jungle Hut, 5km from the road, Bokkapuram. Masinagudi. The park’s most expensive option: twelve very comfortable cottages and a swimming pool.

TTDC Hotel Tamil Nadu, Theppakkadu, Functional place, with clean four-bed rooms and a very cheap dorm (Rs50 weekdays, Rs75 weekends). Meals are by arrangement and there’s a seven-night maximum stay. Officially, you should book at the TTDC office in Ooty, but you may be lucky on spec if they’re not full.

Until the Forest Department relax restrictions on trekking in the remote woodland areas around Mudumalai, you can only reach the park by road.The fastest and most spectacular route, via Sighur Ghat, is not negotiable by large vehicles, but private minibuses and a regular Cheran Transport bus service run to Masinagudi (Ihr) from Ooty. Travelling on the longer, less steep route via Gudalur, standard buses to Mysore and Bangalore from Ooty take 2hr 30min to reach Theppakkadu. which is connected to Masinagudi, 8km away, by bus and Jeep. You can also walk this route, but should beware of animals, especially wild elephant.

Theppakkadu is the main access point to the sanctuary.The big event of the day (now that the van tours of the park have been suspended) is an Elephant Camp show (daily 6pm; Rs20) - if you’re into seeing put-upon pachyderms performing puja or playing soccer to a Boney M accompaniment.

Set 1140m up in the Nilgin hills, Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most accessible in the south, covering 322 square kilometres of deciduous forest, split by the main road from Ooty (64km) to Mysore (97km) Unfortunately, the park has been closed to visitors for the past couple of seasons amid fears that the sandalwood smuggler, Veerapan, may abduct tourists or Forest Department wardens. You can, however, still stop here en route to or from Mysore to sample the peace and fresh air of the Nilgiri forest after the bus parties of day-trippers from Ooty have all gone home

Coming from Ooty. the approach to Mudumalai is spectacular, twisting and Burning down 36 hairpin bends, through wooded hills and past waterfalls (in Season). Monkeys dart and play in the trees, and you may glimpse a tethered elephant from the camp at Kargudi, where wild elephants are tamed for work In the timber industry. Mudumalai has one of the largest populations of elephant’- in India, along with wild dogs, gaur (Indian bison), common and Nilgiri langur and bonnet macaque (monkeys), jackal, hyena and sloth bear - even a few timers and panthers.

Many of the mid-range hotels serve up good south Indian food, but Ooty has yet to offer a gourmet restaurant. The Regency Villa, however, is well worth checking out for its colonial ambience. For an udipi breakfast, just head for one of the restaurants around Charing Cross serving idlli-dosa and filter coffee.

Chandan, Nahar Hotel, Commercial Road, Charing Cross, Carefully prepared north Indian specialities (their paneerkofta is particularly good), and a small selection of tandoori vegetarian dishes, served inside a posh restaurant or on a lawnside terrace. They also do a full range of fes-sis and milkshakes.

Dashprakash, Hotel Dashprakash, south of the racecourse, Congenial and inexpensive tiffin cafe, serving unlimited, tasty thalis (Rs45; lunch and dinner) dosas, and excellent utta-pams (the coconut chutney is sublime). A sister outlet in Charing Cross has a more varied menu, including north Indian dishes and thalis.

Hot Breads, Charing Cross. French-established franchise selling the usual range of quality pastries, cheesy and plain breads and savouries from a bakery outlet downstairs, as well as pizzas and other tasty snacks in a wood-lined first-floor cafe.

Irani, Commercial Road. A gloomy old-style Persian joint run by Baha’ is. Uncompromisingly non-veg (the menu’s heavy on mutton and liver), but an atmospheric coffee stop, and a popular hang-out for both men and women.

Nilgiri Woodlands, Racecourse Road, 1km from bus stand and railway station, There is an a la carte menu, but the inexpensive lunchtime and evening thalis (Rs45) are good too. Checked tablecloths and cane chairs give it the look of a village hall. No alcohol.

Sliinkows, 42 Commissioners Rd, Good-value, authentic Chinese restaurant serving up good-sized portions on the spicy and pricey side - a main course will set you back about Rs130.

Ooty sprawls over a large area o£ winding roads and steep climbs. The obvious focal point is Charing Cross, a busy junction on dusty Commercial Road, the main, relatively flat, shopping street that runs south to the big bazaar and municipal vegetable market. Goods on sale range from fat plastic bags of cardamom and Orange Pekoe tea to presentation packs of essential oils (among them citronella, which is a highly effective natural mosquito repellent). A little way northeast of Charing Cross, the Botanical Gardens (daily 8am-6.30pm; Rs5, Rs5 extra with camera, Rs25 extra with video), laid out in 1847 by gardeners from London’s Kew Gardens, consist of twenty hectares of immaculate lawns, lily ponds and beds, with more than a thousand varieties of shrubs, flowers and trees. There’s a refreshment stand inside, and shops outside sell candyfloss, peanuts and snacks.

Northwest of Charing Cross, the small gothic-style St Stephen’s Church was one of Ooty’s first colonial structures, built in the 1820s on the site of a Toda temple; timber for its bowed teak roof was taken from Tipu Sultan’s palace at Srirangapatnam and hauled up here by elephant. The area around the church gives some idea of what the hill station must have looked like in the days of the Raj. To the right of the church is the rambling and rather dilapidated Spencer’s store, which opened in 1909 and sold everything a British home in the colonies could ever need; it is now a computer college. Nearby, in the same compound as the post office, gowned lawyers buzz around the redbrick Civil Court, a quasi-Gothic structure with leaded diamond-shaped windows, corrugated iron roofs and a clock tower capped with a weather vane. Over the next hill (west), the snootiest of Ooty’s institutions, the Club, dates from 1830. Originally the house of Sir William Rumbold, it became a club in 1843 and expanded thereafter. Its one claim to fame is that the rules for snooker were first set down here (although the members of Jabalpur Club in Madhya Pradesh are supposed to have originated the game in the first place). Entry is strictly restricted to members and their guests or members of affiliated clubs. Further along Mysore Road, the modest Government Museum (daily except Fri & second Sat of month 9am-1pm & 2—5pm) houses a few paltry tribal objects, sculptures and crafts.

West of the railway station and racecourse (races mid-April to mid-June), the lake, constructed in the early 1800s, is one of Ooty’s main tourist attractions, despite being heavily polluted (most of the town’s raw sewage gets dumped here - worth bearing in mind if you’re tempted to venture out on it).You can go boating (8am-6pm; rowing, paddle and motor Rs30-l 20) and horse riding (short rides Rs30-75, or Rs100 per hour).

Fernhill Palace, not far from the southeast end of the lake, and once the summer residence of the maharaja of Mysore, is now a smart hotel. It’s an extraordinary pile, built in the fullest expression of Ooty’s characteristic Swiss-chalet style, with carved wooden bargeboards and ornamental cast-iron balustrades. Among the compound of firs, cedars and monkey puzzle trees, a bizarre church-like building was erected as an indoor badminton court.

Accommodation in Ooty is a lot more expensive than in many places in India; during April and May the prices given below can rise by thirty to a hundred percent. It also gets very crowded, so you may have to hunt around to find what you want. The best by far are the grand old Raj-era places; otherwise, the choice is largely down to average hotels at above-average prices. In winter (Nov-Feb), when it can get pretty cold, most hotels provide extra blankets and buckets of hot water on request, but a few sharks may quietly add a charge for these services onto your final bill, so check beforehand.

Co-operators Guest House, Charing Cross, Slightly back from the main road so it’s relatively quiet. An L-shaped Raj-era building with clean rooms and turquoise balconies looking down to a courtyard. Unfortunately the place has become somewhat
cramped by a huge new concrete block next door. Cheap and central.

Dasaprakash, south oi the racecourse, This option’s a solid, old-style Indian hotel, clean and reasonably quiet, overlooking the racecourse. Their cheapest ("deluxe") rooms are a bit gloomy, but the “first class” doubles are fine. There is an excellent and inexpensive south Indian veg restaurant and a travel agent.

Durga, Ettines Road. This is the best deal among the many mid-range places around Charing Cross. Its clean, comfortable and central, but the constant noise of buses stopping outside creates a lot of unwelcome noise and dust.

Hills Palace, Commercial Road, Spanking new place that’s just below the main bazaar, but secluded, quiet and spotlessly clean inside. Great value in the low season.

Nahar, Commercial Road, Charing Cross, One of Ootys smartest hotels, offering spacious, well-furnished rooms in the centre (the best rooms are in the modern building at the back) and two veg restaurants. A favourite with large Indian family holiday parties, so book ahead.

Nilgiri Woodlands, Racecourse Road, 1km from Bus stand and railway station * 0423/442451, © 442530. A grand Raj-era building, with a wood-panelfed lobby, hunting trophies and bare, clean rooms that are particularly good value in winter. The little cottages around the garden are worth the extra. Friendly, helpful staff and a good restaurant.

Reflections Guest House, North Lake Road, Homely, relaxing guesthouse by : the lake, five minutes’ walk from the railway station, with rooms opening onto a small terrace. Easily the best budget option in Ooty, but its small I and fills up quickly, so book in advance.

Regency Villa, Femhill, The maharaja of Mysore’s former guesthouse, now a rather run-down, atmospheric old hotel. If you’re here for faded traces of the Raj, this is the place. The palatial suites in the main block are locked in a time warp, with frayed nineteenth-century furniture, original bathtubs, and old sepia photos of the Ooty hunt. By contrast, the second and third-rate rooms, in separate blocks, are cheerless and not at all good value. Even if you can’t afford to stay here, come out for a nose around and coffee on the lawn.

Savoy, 77 Sylkes Road, Long-established pukka Taj-group hotel. Immaculate and chintzy old-world wooden cottages with working fireplaces around a manicured garden, and there is a pleasant restaurant and bar. You’ll have to pay a pricey $75 to stay.

TTDC Hotel Tamil Nadu, Unit I & II, Unit I is in the northwest corner above Charing Cross, reached by a flight of stairs, and Unit II in the northeast corner (same details for both). Two identical large, characterless complexes in the centre of town, but with good-value restaurants, a bar and billiards rooms.

YWCA “Anandagiri", Elk Hill Road, Charming 1920s building, set in spacious grounds near the racecourse. Seven varieties of rooms and chalets are on offer, all immaculate, with bucket hot water and bathrooms. There is a dining room and you can while away the evening in the cosy “English parlour", or by the piano. Excellent value, and very safe. An inexpensive laundry facility is available. Book ahead.

Most visitors arrive in Ooty either by bus from Mysore in Karnataka (the more scenic, if steeper, route goes via Masinagudi), or on the miniature mountain railway from Coonoor and Mettupalayani. The bus and railway stations are fairly close together, at the western end of the big bazaar and racecourse. Local transport consists of auto-rickshaws and taxis, which meet incoming trains and gather outside the bus stand and on Commercial Road around Charing Cross. You can rent bikes but the steep hills make cycling very hard work.

The TTDC tourist office (Mon-Sat 10am-5.45pm) on the corner of Kelso Road and Woodhouse Road, is eager to help, but information is not always reliable. You can book tours here, among them one that takes in Ooty, Pykara and Mudumalai (daily 9am—7.30pm; Rs150), and calls at Pykara dam, falls and boathouse and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, making a very long day. There’s a less strenuous tour of just Ooty and Coonoor (daily 9am—6pm; Rs80), which goes to Sim’s Park, the Botanical Gardens, the lake, Dodabetta Peak, Lamb’s Rock and Dolphin’s Nose. If you get caught out by a Sunday, there’s a private tourist office (daily 8am—8.30pm) in Charing Cross that gives out leaflets and advice on hotels, sightseeing and restaurants.

Ooty’s post office, northwest of Charing Cross at West Town Circle, off Spencers Road and near St Stephen’s Church, has a poste restante counter (enquiries and stamps Mon-Fri 9am-5pin; parcels Mon-Fri 9am-3pm & Sat 9am—2pm). For email, there are now numerous outlets across town, especially around Charing Cross, all charging Rs5O-6O per hour for a frustratingly slow and unreliable service.

The only bank m Ooty that changes travellers’ cheques and currency is the very pukka State Bank of India, on West Town Circle. While you’re waiting for your cash, check out the photos in the hallway connecting the old and new blocks, dating from the era when this was the “Imperial Bank of India": stalwart, stiff-backed buna-sahibs pose with pipes, wives and mandatory Scottish terriers in front of the old bank building.

When John Sullivan, the British burrosahib credited with “discovering” UDHAGAMANDALAM - still more commonly referred to by its anglicized name, Ootacamund - first clambered into this corner of the Nilgiris through the Hulikal ravine in the early nineteenth century, the territory was the traditional homeland of the pastoralist Toda hill tribe. Until then, the Todas had lived in almost total isolation from the cities of the surrounding plains and Deccan plateau lands. Sullivan quickly realized the agricultural potential of the area, and acquired tracts of land for Rsl per acre from the Todas, and set about planting flax, barley and hemp, as well as potatoes, soft fruit and, most significantly of all, tea, which all flourished in the mild climate. Within twenty years, the former East India Company clerk had made a fortune. Needless to say, he was soon joined by other fortune-seekers, and a town was built, complete with artificial lake, churches and stone houses that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Surrey or the Scottish Highlands. Soon “Ooty", as the town was fondly called by the butra- and memsahibs of the south, was the “Queen of Hill Stations” and had become the most popular hill retreat in peninsular India.

Of the Todas, little further note was made beyond a couple of anthropological monographs, references to their munds, or settlements, in the Madras Gazette,, and the financial transactions that deprived them of the traditional lands. Christianized by missionaries and uprooted by tea-planters and forest clearance, they retreated with their buffalo into the surrounding hills and wooded valleys where, in spite of hugely diminished numbers, they continued to preserve a more-or-less traditional way of life.

By a stroke of delicious irony, the Todas outlived the colonists whose cash crops originally displaced them - but only just. Until the mid-1970s “Snooty Ooty", continued to be “home” to the notoriously snobby British inhabitants who chose to “stay on” after Independence. They eked out their last days on tiny pensions that only here would allow them to keep a lifestyle to which they had become accustomed. Over the past two decades, travellers have continued to be attracted by Ooty’s cool climate and peaceful green hills, forest and grassland. However, if you come in the hope of finding quaint vestiges of the Raj, you’re likely to be disappointed; “what with indiscriminate development and a deluge of holiday-makers, they’re few and far between.

The best time to come is between January and March, thereby avoiding he high-season crowds (April-June & Sept-Oct). In May, the summer festival brings huge numbers of people and a barrage of amplified noise; worlds away EMU the peaceful retreat envisaged by the sahibs. From June to September, and during November, it’ll be raining and misty, which appeals to some. From October or November to February it can get really cold.

The tariffs included here are for the low season, as high-season prices may increase by anywhere between twenty and a hundred percent, depending on the tourist influx.

Blue Hills, Mount Road, Located 1km up from the bus stand, this place offers clean doubles, complete with Formica furnishing. The concrete building is an eyesore and its popularity among all-male holiday groups means it’s not recommended for female travellers, but it’s cheap and the non-veg restaurant is good.

La Barrier Inn, Coonoor Club Road, Located way up above the bazaar, with great views of surrounding hills (and cricket nets). The rooms are spotless and very large, opening onto flower-filled balconies. This is a comfortable mid-range option,

Taj Garden Retreat, Hampton Manor, Colonial-era hotel with cottage accommodation, tea-garden lawns and spectacular views, plus a good range of sports and activities on offer - including freshwater fishing. Luxurious, but way overpriced, especially for foreigners, who pay 30 percent more. The restaurant serves spectacular lunchtime buffets.

Venlan (Ritz), Ritz Road. Bedford, Recently refurbished, this luxury hotel is in a great location on the outskirts. Very spacious with carpeted rooms, deep balconies and fine views. Much better value than the Taj Garden Retreat but rather lacking in charm.

Vivek, Figure of Eight Road, nr Bedford Circle, Catch a town bus to Bedford Circle and walk from there. Managed by a very amiable lady, offering clean rooms (some with tiny balconies overlooking trie tea terraces) and a great value dorm (Rs40). Just beware of the “monkey menace".

YWCA Guest House, Wyoming, near the hospital, A characterful Victorian-era house on a bluff overlooking town, with flower garden, tea terraces and fine views from relaxing verandas. There are five double rooms and two singles, plus yoga lessons and superb home-cooked meals at very reasonable rates (Rs70 non-veg; Rs40 veg). This is amongst the most congenial budget hotels in south India. No alcohol.