It was another long weekend in the month of August 2022 and we were looking for a quick getaway near Bangalore where we can relax and have some time off from city life. This time around we had decided to take our pet dog along with us and were looking for a place where he can get some time to unwind by running around.

As we did not want to have a long drive from Bangalore, I restricted the search to places that were in and around Bangalore. There were the usual resorts on the outskirts of Bangalore, but most of them were not pet-friendly. Also, we wanted to check out Airbnb properties that were renting out the whole house to a family.

So after spending some time on the site, we shortlisted the Wooden cottage villa which is located at the foot of Nandi Hills.

The drive from our house in South Bangalore to Nandi hills usually takes around 2 to 2.5 hours based on the Bangalore traffic condition.

Booking and basic guidelines

I booked the place through Airbnb and it was a breeze. Shivnath is a great host and immediately after booking he contacted me over Airbnb and provided the details.

Please note that the place is a DIY (Do it Yourself) place where one is expected to leave the house in the condition that you took over. This means that you need to clean up the dishes (in case you are cooking) and make the room before you check out. I see many people calling this out as something that is not expected during a stay (especially when you pay for a nominal amount for cleaning), but I personally do not have a problem with this. We as a family always like to leave our rooms as clean as possible (even in hotels and resorts). It is just our way of leaving a positive impression back on the people who hosted us 🙂

Location:

The location of this place is one of the main reasons we choose this house.
1. It is very close to the city, yet far away from the city madness.
2. It is located inside a gated community and is pretty safe.
3. Though basic, the house has everything that one would need for a comfortable stay.

Food:

There is a caretaker of this house who stays next door and provides good vegetarian food on demand. If you are looking for good restaurants nearby – please make note that you need to drive down to nearby hotels. There is nothing much that you can find closeby

Checkin & Checkout

Check-in and Check-out are done contactless. The keys to the cottage are left in a smart case near the main gate that can be opened when you punch in the secret code shared by the host. While leaving you need to place the keys in the same case and lock them using the same pin. I found this hassle-free and very efficient.

Overall Experience:

Our overall experience at this place was good. We had a great time relaxing in this quaint little place which was just a couple of hours from Bangalore. Please understand that this is like visiting a home and not comparing it to a stay in a resort and Hotel. If you are someone who expects high-end service and luxury I think you would have the wrong expectations while visiting this place. We enjoyed our stay and would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a quick getaway from Bangalore.

A few areas where things could have been better are:
1. Bathroom could have been cleaner and looked very basic
2. The room located on the ground floor can be cleaner and unutilized better. Currently, it looks like a store room and does not have a good smell when you get in

Link to the property: https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/34480666?source_impression_id=p3_1670606320_8HeZ%2FFrhKtdlYCq3

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