Olive Brook: Republic of Nature, Munnar, India

Hotel Review by Jennifer Kumar.


What do they offer?
Entering this hotel through the windy, foggy mountain roads outside Munnar, one can’t be anything but impressed. It is a true retreat- close enough to get to Munnar within 20-30 minutes, but far enough to be away from the hussle, bussle and noise of the city and nearby town. In fact, it was so quiet that you can definitely ‘hear yourself think.’

(Photo: Krishna Kumar)

The hotel itself is very small and intimate, which provides for the best customer service. Upon entering the hilltop driveway, we were immediately greeted by our host, who carried our bags into our room and offered us (including our driver) tea. Walking from the car to the room two things immediately hit you: the size of the hotel –very small which adds to it’s retreat feel, and the fantastic scenery. The hotel sits on top of a small hill on top of the mountain. From here you get fantastic views of hills, valleys and roads off in the distance.

The hotel has about five or six rooms. The website says there are rooms of two categories (Adam and Eve) and a honeymoon suite. We were in the Adam room: it was self-contained with an attached, private bathroom. We were told we’d be staying in a cottage (website also mentions cottages), but when we entered our room and realized it was attached to other rooms, the kitchen behind and our outdoor eating area that appeared to be a shared area attached outside the door to our room. We had imagined cottages to mean separate buildings, each with a bedroom and attached full bath, where no walls of the room are shared among other rooms. However, their definition of cottage was a little different. I guess if you look at the building, each room could look like a small cottage.

We did not enter the lobby, as it was not required. The hotel did not seem to have activities, but maybe it was because we were there at off-season. Their website does mention activities and other amenities I don’t remember on our visit (meditation area, library, etc.).

The one added benefit of this location is the amazing food we were served for dinner and breakfast. It seems they can create special packages depending on your requirement. Since we’d be out during the day time, touring, lunch was not included in our package, but lunch is available. We opted for full vegetarian meals, though it is possible to have non-vegetarian meals. There was a combination of South Indian (Kerala) and North Indian dishes. The cooks will also be available to give cooking lessons upon request. Upon request may be on request of guest or request of hotel staff. Our UK neighbor was offered this class, but we were not. I suggest that all guests request for the cooking class much in advance to avoid missing this if you are interested in it. All meals and tea (room service) was an all inclusive fee in our final bill.

The room itself was large, spacious and …. damp. This is mostly due to the climate in the high ranges- damp, foggy, high humidity and less sun than the lower lands. When we entered the room, we noticed the quilts (thick blankets) were on the bed. These were definitely required as, even in the summer, the temperature can range between 40-50 degrees F (though during the day, it can range between 70-90 degrees F during peak afternoon hours). Because the climate is so heavy, it takes time to get used to everything being heavy and damp: clothes, blankets, and towels. If you come here, do bring enough clothes to last your entire stay as it is challenging to wash and dry clothes. We did not try to do laundry while here, so we can’t say for sure about this.

The one aspect of the room that could be improved was the bathroom. In fact we do agree with other reviewers who had the same opinion. The bathroom is spacious and squeaky clean with plenty of hot water. The issue is the interior color of the bathroom- it is black and dark colors, with sparse lighting. Krishna mentioned having a hard time shaving in the morning due to the lack of lighting and dark interiors.


Greetings and Salutations
Service was top notch. We have nothing but kudos for the staff’s attention to our needs (by the second night they remembered how we liked our tea made) and their knowledge of the area. They helped us with rearranging some of our tour plans (after, of course, hearing about this from another guest on premises who made their initial plans with Olive Brook staff).


Choosing this location…
Though our one week Kerala travel plans were completed with the assistance of Pioneer Travels, we did have input into what hotels we wanted to stay at. This location appeared to have a long standing relationship with Pioneer Travels, which was helpful.


Come Again
Our bill was paid through our all inclusive plans with Pioneer Travels. Because room service (morning and afternoon tea or coffee) was included, we did not have any extra fees to pay.

Star System: 4/5
This hotel/resort is a unique experience in terms of stay, food, service, location, and scenery. Price was just right as it was all inclusive (stay and food). Friendly, attentive and knowledgeable staff were an added bonus. Some improvements could be made such as upgrades to the bathroom décor and a willingness on part of staff to enforce quiet hours when other guests are loud in their rooms or outside others rooms.

To find/contact:

Olive Brook: Republic of Nature P. B. No:62
Pothamedu,Munnar
Idukki(Dist.), KERALA - 685 612,INDIA
Tel:91 4865 230588, 231079
Mob: 94470 71076
E-mail: mailto:mail@olivebrookmunnar.com / mailto:olivebrook@sancharnet.in
Web: http://www.olivebrookmunnar.com/

Review based on a two night stay in the month of May in 2008.

Photos, Fares and Contact information below.

Photos by Jennifer and Krishna Kumar.

Fares for Stay in Olive Brook, Munnar.

Tariff Valid From 1st Oct 2008 to 31st March 2009 (except 15th Dec 08 to 10th Jan 09)

Type - Per Room Per Night

Eve Cottage Single Occupancy on CP Plan INR2250

Eve Cottage Double Occupancy on CP Plan INR2800

Adam Cottage Single Occupancy on CP Plan INR2750

Adam Cottage Double Occupancy on CP Plan INR3300

Extra Person/Bed INR700

Extra Child (6-12 years)INR 550

Tariff Valid from 15th Dec 08 to 10 Jan 09

Type - Per Room Per Night

Eve Cottage Single Occupancy on CP PlanINR 2750

Eve Cottage Double Occupancy on CP PlanINR 3300

Adam Cottage Single Occupancy on CP PlanINR 3250

Adam Cottage Double Occupancy on CP PlanINR 3800

Extra Person/BedINR 850

Extra Child (6-12 years)INR 700

If interested in booking a stay at Olive Brook or a Kerala getaway, contact our much respected and trusted travel agents based in Kerala (with English speaking tour guides) with reference of Kumar family:
Pioneer Personalized Holidays Pvt Ltd.

An ISO 9001 ; 2000 Certified Company Pioneer House

5th Cross Road Willingdon Island Cochin -682 003

Telephone : 91 484 2666148, 2669148, 2666393, 3096669

Fax : 91 484 2668490

Email : pioneer@pner.com

Web : http://www.pioneertravels.com/

Note: Pioneer is also located in Chennai, Mysore and Bangalore.

Cammal Bed and Breakfast and General Store, Cammal, PA

Hotel Review by Jennifer Kumar.

What do they offer?

This location is a small bed and breakfast with attached general store. The storefront and it’s old fashioned Squirt sign sit right on the main Route 414. If driving through Cammal and you blink while passing (as we did), you will miss it.

More photos at flickr. Camel photo by Krishna Kumar.

One can enter the bed and breakfast through the back of the store. There is a large kitchen and living room downstairs. There is a nice patio with chairs on it that faces the Pine Creek trail as their backyard is ‘right on the Pine Creek Trail.’ They have even conveniently placed a Cammal Bed and Breakfast signboard on the trail as well. Downstairs in the kitchen is a cordless phone which is available to overnight guests. We were told it provides free long distance 24 hours a day in absence of reliable cell phone reception in the area. This is a much needed thoughtful addition.

Walking upstairs, our room #1 was the first on the right. We had the room with the queen size bed and the exclusive view of the neon yellow Squirt sign. I thought this would double as a night light, but they do turn it off (to save energy) soon as they close down for the night. There is a night light in the room, integrated into an artificial plant. There are three other guests rooms upstairs and one bathroom that is shared between the four rooms. This would be the only feature of this location that we did not prefer. Luckily, there was only one other room taken for the night so use of bathroom did not become a problem. There is an unsaid rule that when the bathroom door is shut, don’t go in. Someone is inside if it is closed. When door is open, you can use the bathroom. Reason being is the lock on the inside of the bathroom door is not functionable.

(They do offer an apartment across the street that boasts its own bathroom at a slightly higher rate. This would be an option if we come again.)

Check in was fully done in the store at the register. The store was fully stocked of general items. In addition to what is noted on their site, they also have a small section with biking needs, which is pretty comprehensive for the space had. They also carry a large variety of organic and biodegradable cleaning products. These are not only sold in the store but used to clean the place. The bags our purchases were placed in were biodegradable, made of corn! Being in the middle of nowhere, the localites are more environmentally conscious than us city folks in the great state of New York (of course, I am being sarcastic about the state of New Yorkers). They also have a facility for recycling bottles and cans in front of the store. People coming here also participate in the recycling effort by keeping empty cereal boxes, juice bottles, and other similar waste in a pile to be recycled. In this way, I do call this an eco-hotel.

They do serve continental breakfast. Most items are left out all day and night. You have access to the fully stocked kitchen all day and can warm up foods as required. Making tea and coffee can be done all day and night, and full milk (not ‘fake creamers) is available to add to the coffee which is a much needed addition.

We liked the size of our bedroom. Besides a bed, it had a chest of drawers, a chair near to the bed, and a stand with sparse decorations in the corner. We had two windows in our room; one had an air conditioning unit. We did use this and were able to successfully control the temperature in the room to our liking. The bathroom was spacious. Besides the fact the door did not lock, everything else was comfortable. They leave your towels in the bedroom and you take in all your requirements and towels from your room and remove them when you’re done. In the bathroom closet, there are some toiletries that are shared among guests, such as body wash, shampoo, etc. The bathtub was shiny clean. Use of shower was very easy. The shower water pressure was perfect and getting the water to the right temperature was not a problem.

Greetings and Salutations

Walking in after 8, as we got lost, the girl who works there was happy to receive us and though the store had up its closed sign she offered to make us hot toasted panninis. We were impressed by the hospitality and warmness. Her coworker also came and helped by giving us a tour of their facility and got us settled into our room.

Check out was as simple as walking into the store and giving the keys over to the cashier. Do ask ahead of time what time the store opens the day of your checkout. If you decide to leave before the store actually opens, do let them know. I am sure they will come meet you for check out. Additionally, if you plan on checking in 8 and after, do let them know ahead of time (at time of making reservation).

Choosing this location…

We chose this location because their property is right on the Pine Creek rail trail. When calling to make the reservation, the employee who spoke with me was very helpful and did provide details that there is ‘direct access’ to the trail from their backyard.

To find/contact:

Cammal Bed and Breakfast and General Store

John And Lisa Hibberd, Owners
7697 Route 414
Cammal, Pa 17723
Ph. 570.753.8020
Fax. 570.753.5033
Lisa@Cammal.net

Come Again

Cost was about $70. No additional charges. If we come to the area again, we may try to stay in the apartment as we really appreciate their helpfulness, friendliness and realness (aka customer service).

Star System: 4.5/5

Review based on a (SATURDAY) night stay in the month of (AUGUST) in 2008.

Update September 2008:
I am very much impressed not only about the friendliness and hospitality shown while we were staying at Cammal, but also after returning home.
I had sent this blog post to Lisa and John, and they immediately replied with much thanks and a promise to fix the lock I mention above.
Also, another surprise for me was receiving a thank you card from them for choosing to spend our time with them. That was amazingly refreshing and surprising this is the first time I am ever receiving a thank you card from a bed and breakfast I have stayed at. This is not only a personal touch but adds to the entire experience and memory of the location. Thank you!

tags: 4.5 stars, bed and breakfast, general store, pennsylvania, "unique lodging pennsylvania", "unique lodging USA", "small town America tourism", "pine creek tourism","pine creek pennsylvania lodging","lodging on the pine creek rail trail","friendly service"