The Pear County

I had booked the tent for a new & peaceful experience but didnt want to stay too far away from Kodaikanal. This is a campsite & NOT a resort\ hotel to set the expectations right. Location This site is few kms before entering Kodaikanal & takes diversion after travelling a couple of kms from silver cascade. There is thar road & can travel both during day\ night to the site if need be. There is no easy signage until you reach the gates. You need to travel about 300m to reach the reception from the gate via paved blocks. Parking There is parking for about 4 cars near the reception but more cars can be parked near the container rooms using a short path provided. The parking near reception would be outside electrified fencing & others inside. Some hill driving experience is needed to reach here & use the parking though there is no need to be a expert. No off-roading involved which usually is the case with most other camping sites in and around Kodaikanal. Rooms I had stayed in the tent type room. They have a restroom & changing room with a lock provided nearby the tent. Considering this is a campsite, the facilities are more than expected but basic if you compare it against a hotel\ resort. There is no light for changing room area & some cupboard either inside or outside the changing room could have been more helpful. The tent was a bit wornout but i got some extra pillow & heavy blanket. It was a bit smelly but again you are in a campsite, The tents & blanket were able to hold back the winds & chill weather well, there is no need to worry on that front. Do not expect television, kettle, any such extra amenities. I didnt feel comfortable with the containers as it seemed a bit locked up & may suit family with child if they want a campsite experience. Environment The campsite is located within a pear farm & they do other vegetable farming as well such as carrots, radish, cabbage, etc. I had visited in Feb month in which the pear trees were all dry, expected to be ready for picking post mid-March. The rooms are at different heights, climbing the crude steps maybe difficult & they do have smoother slopes which can be used for climbing. The night lighting is good & gives a peaceful night. There are some kids play items, indoor games, barbeque, campfire, sound system, etc. I had gone to relax & the campsite environment was much suitable. During the morning hours, i had walked independently till i reached the peak of the hill. The path was through their farms, a small stream crossed, rocky place & then tharred road as well. There are couple of bungalows as you climb higher. The campsite is under a private property & to protect the area they have electric fencing. Believe it was much frequented earlier by bison. There are supposedly no monkeys. Unfortunately, there are a lot of speakers in nearby temples\ mosques, etc i believe which give a noisy environment at times which is not under the control of property management. Staff I had booked during a weekday & off season so had the entire resort for myself literally. On reaching there was no one around, had to call, wait & get the staff available. Some temporary staff reached but did not have enough information to share. Eventually the site in-charge Mughendran reached & made our stay pleasant. He was willing & able to spend more time since there were no other guests. Limited staff took care of all our requests, many coffee\ tea requests, drinking hot water, cooking, indoor games, hot water for bathing, guiding us within the campsite, etc. Seems additional staff come into picture based on crowd, etc. The campfire & bbq were good considering we were alone but was also the only option they provide for dinner. The food was reasonably good. Additionally while i vacated, the incharge guided us to a summit within their property reachable by car via a steep climb. The view point from there was a very good with a lot of hills visible below our feet. The staff under guidance of Mughendran seem to be turning around the campsite for betterment. Improvements Needed There are some more maintenance needed in the facilities provided, i heard a lot about the investments about to be made & would like to see the changes. Hot water initially did not reach the room & after some fixing came in brown color & may need a bit more regular checks. A cupboard for tents would help. Overall I would like to visit again & spend more time during weekdays next time.