Ooty has been one of our favorite weekend getaways and has many options when it comes to accommodation. It offers hotels and resorts which would fit into everyone’s budget – right from budget travelers to the one who do not mind splurging. Recently we had planned a short weekend getaway and decided to book our stay at Zest Danish Villa.

We had got a very good deal through MakeMyTrip.com and booked couple of rooms. We drove down from Bangalore and reached the hotel at around 12:30 PM. Check-in was smooth and we were guided to our room in a matter of minutes. Considering that we were travelling with 2 toddlers, it was always welcome to have our room ready while checking in.

Read about our drive from Bangalore to Ooty

About the Property:

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The lobby is neatly tucked beside the restaurant.

 

Danish Villa is part of the Zest chain of hotels managed by the Club Mahindra group. The resort is located right in the heart of the city, but neatly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of charring cross (around 2-3 Kilometers). The hotel is on the road next to St.Stephen’s Church opposite the Collector’s Office, close to St. Hilda’s School.

 

 

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The parking area right in front of the restaurant. The new rooms are located at the far end of the resort. The Spa area is also located at the far end.

The hotel is an old 179 year old Villa on 2.33 acres of land where a Danish family resided before independence. The Mahindras have been owning this property since 1947 and around 15 years back the villa was refurbished to accommodate 15 rooms with a small kids play area and Spa. The view from the hotel is  breathtaking and provides a bird’s eye view of the tea plantations and busy charring cross.

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The well maintained gardens provide a great sit out area to enjoy the view and have a cup of hot tea
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The lawns outside our room. It was a perfect setting for the kiddo’s who kept running around.
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Another view of the lawns basking in the warm morning sunshine.
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The panoramic view of Ooty.

The Room:

The rooms, though basic are very well maintained and are done in earthy wood and are warm and cosy. Beds are on raised wooden platforms  and close to the fire chimney adding to the warmth. The chimneys are non-functional and are replaced with electric heaters which are a must in Ooty. Since the hotel is located on a hill top, the cool breeze in the evenings tend to bring down the temperature significantly. The toilets look very basic and it would be a good idea for the management to renovate it and add few modern amenities, may be a bathing tub with a jet hand shower.

The hotel does not have 24 hrs running hot water and each room has an individual electric geyser which takes time to heat up the water.

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The room that was allocated to us.
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The veranda which leads us from the room towards the lobby and restaurant.

The Food and Service:

The resort has a fully functional restaurant which serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The buffet breakfast spread was decent – especially the south Indian dishes. We especially loved the hot vadas which came out of the kitchen 🙂

Danish villa like all other resorts that we have stayed in the past, provided free food and milk for our toddlers. The babies liked the Dal khichdi which was served with hot ghee – special thanks to the chef for taking care of our kiddo’s.

The food was a bit spicy for our liking and we had to keep reminding them to keep the spiciness under control. We did not venture out much when it came to food and had all our meals at the hotel. This could be another area where the hotel can improve by adding more spread and dishes.

The service in the hotel was a bit on the slower side. On multiple occasions we had to remind them of the order that we had placed.

Note: The restaurant closes at around 11PM. Families travelling with toddler, please take note of this and plan accordingly.

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The restaurant which is right opposite to the parking area.

The Resort by the night

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As the sunsets and the lights take over, the hotel transforms into a quaint hilltop hamlet.
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The veranda right outside our room. The veranda provides the perfect location to overlook the valley and read a book.
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The lawns by the night.

Activities in the hotel

The resort had a small kids play area and also houses a Spa where one could get an Ayurveda massage. Since we did not try out the Spa, I would not be in a position to comment about the services and cleanliness of the Spa. The resort also has a tree top observation deck which gives an panoramic view of the valley.

Note: The steel steps taking you to the top deck of the observation deck is a bit steep. Be cautious while climbing and getting down. 

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The tree top observation deck
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The second observation deck. This deck is higher than the first deck and does take a bit of effort to climb.
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The bonfire pit.
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The well maintained lawns overlooking the valley.

We spend couple of nights at the Danish Villa and had a good time. Even though there are areas where the hotel can improve, the hotel provided perfect value for the money that we had paid. We will definitely recommend this resort for a quiet and relaxing holiday in Ooty.

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