Archive for March, 2010

Hill Country Resorts is located only four kilometers from Kodaikanal Town and Kodai Lake (Tamilnadu, India). The resort is a hill resort offering views of the mountains with lush green lawns.

Hill Country Resorts is a perfect getaway for  pet owners, families with small children, families with teenagers, and tourists.  It is one of the premier holiday resorts in Kodaikanal.

Facilities

Indoor & outdoor games, a children’s play area, a bar and restaurant and evening entertainment. Accommodation include 57 well appointed rooms, plus studio, standard and deluxe cottages.

Access by:
Nearest Airport : Madurai 120 Kms, 3 hrs
By Rail : Kodai Road : 80 Kms, 2 1/2 hrs
By Road : From Dindugul to go Vathalagundu and take the immediate right on the hill road to Kodaikanal. From Kodai Lake take the right to Villpatti.

Reviews

28 Jan 2009, deedoor (Paris): The decision to spend a late summer getaway at Kodai couldn’t have been a better one.  Hill Country was the ideal place to catch up with friends in an environment of peace, quiet and total relaxation away from the heat and pollution of Chennai. The drive up to the hills which I have done many times since childhood was beautiful as always. Kodai centre had changed a lot with modernity eroding much of its pristine beauty. So it was a pleasant surprise when we reached Hill Country at Atuvampatty, a good 5 km from Kodai town, to find the multi-cottaged resort spread out on a sprawling estate preserving all the sylvan beauty of Kodai. . The rooms were well appointed and very clean with splendid views. Service was excellent. Staff discreet, friendly, efficient and helpful. Restaurants great and to top it all the Ayurvedic Centre was of very high standards. Hill Country made complete holiday sense – be it trekking, wellness therapies, sight-seeing or just lounging around, HC facilitated everything in a manner truly befitting a world-class holiday resort. My ratings for this hotel: 5 Stars for every category: Value, Room, Location, Cleanliness, Check-in, Services, Internet Reception.

29 Jan 2009,  Srishta (Chennai): Spacious cottages, great landscaping, excellent services for guests, lawn areas, swings and the beautiful weather to add to all of this. Food that tastes just like home food. What more could we ask for but to sit back and enjoy!! It infact forced us for a 2nd holiday with friends too along with family.  It was one of the more memorable holiday that we had.

20 Jan 2009, bbejoyb (Bangalore):  I have been to Kodai 4 times (so far!) and have stayed at Hill Country twice. Loved the facilities at this resort, they perfectly complemented the serene beauty of the place. The staff were courteous and prompt and showed great enthusiasm in organizing trekking trips, a game of cricket and a an evening by the fire place. It was an ideal getaway for our group from the daily grind of city life. The fact that we were well looked after just made the whole trip that much more memorable.

Country Club Treasure Cove Kovalam is a stunning property located just 8 kms away from the city.

The  Hotel is situated 12 kms from the airport, bus station and railway station.

Aesthetically arranged coconut trees are a real treat to the vacationer.  The Club is dotted with lush green foliage and picturesque beaches including Kovalam Beach, Sunrise and Sunset Beaches.

Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Kerala, a state in south India. It is located around 13 km from downtown Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).   Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees.

Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings.

Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.

Thiruvananthapuram known as Ananthapuri (City of Lord Padmanabha), Trivandrum (Anglicised name), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the “Evergreen city of India”, the city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills and busy commercial alleys.

Facilities

The Country Club Treasure Cove facilities include a Club House, 42 cottages, a beautiful swimming pool, a rooftop restaurant, indoor restaurant, bar (proposed), indoor games, a children’s play area, lovely lawns and Ayuryedic Massage Centres.

Address: Ashok Beach, Kovalam P.O., Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala – 695527, India.

Reviews

8 December 2009, vikramjit, chandigarh: Very good place to be away from rest of the world, heavenly place on beach, I stayed at light house beach, wonderful place…”

29 December 2009, Nikhil, Pune : “This is a good experience to Kerela. CCK rooms are really good, clean, neat & tidy.  Best Experience:  Swimming and the spa area are nice.”

26th December 2009, Lynne, London:  “Kovalam is a major sea-side resort. It is busy with tourists from all over the world. There are many hotels and shops. It appears to have grown up randomly over the years and not all hotels have road access. The beach is very popular with tourists sunning themselves and surfing but in parts, the sand is black like the Canary Islands.

“Lots of shopping available in Kovalam! There are many gift shops and lots of fabric shops where items of clothing can be made to order very quickly and at very reasonable cost. There are many interesting things to see in and around Kovalam. Lighthouse Beach has a busy prom and many tourists, Indian and foreign, wander up and down in the evenings choosing a restaurant to have a meal. A day trip can be taken on the backwaters. The most southern tip of India can be visited as a day trip – taking in the old palace along the route.

“Every December lots of Europeans descend on Kovalam to join Yoga Groups. They can be seen practicing yoga early morning on the beach. Many of the little shops stock yoga mats and yoga bags. Hotel Sea Breeze on Lighthouse Beach has yoga classes running all through the tourist season. They also offer tuition in Kalarippayattu (Kerala Martial Arts). Most of the hotels offer Ayurveda but not always with supervision of a doctor. The beach is suitable for surfing and it is very interesting to watch them skimming the waves.

“The nearest airport for Kovalam is Trivandrum. Also reach by train to Trivandrum station. When taking a train journey, purchase tickets at least a couple of days in advance. From Trivandrum it is a 20 to 30 minute car ride to Kovalam. A rickshaw from Trivandrum to Kovalam should cost no more than Rs.200.”

22nd December 2009, pranita, Bangalore: “Kovalam is a small town situated 12km away from Trivandram. Beach is awesome. There are two main beaches adjacent to each other.There are lots of hotels and home stays, you can select them according to your budget. Beach is safe to play and water is clean. Lighthouse beach is a little crowded but another is beach is calm and lonely. You will get to see lots of foreigners, in fact more than Indians you can see foreigners. The sun set view is awesome. All the restaurants and shops are situated on the beach, so you just need to walk around, evening time when light glows in the shops the beach looks awesome. Staying 2/3 days in kovalam is worth, you can really have peace and good time, far away from the city life and traffic.”

8 Mar 2010, Tinuworld, Mumbai: “Location is perfect. Between Kovalam beach and Samudra beach. The rear exit to the beach from the Club is ideal. Perfect location for a beautiful sunset with your partner. Food was good (pbviously not Bombay types but good) as we were Veg and also Jain. They prepared it as we wanted. Price is reasonable.”

First and foremost Pyxism is a travel club.  A club for people who like to travel but don’t want to pay full price.

So, to satisfy that need for members, Pyxism has a large selection of discounted travel products, produced by travel consolidators.

A consolidator is one who buys up travel inventory at wholesale prices and then finds a market for it at discounts below advertised prices.

Consolidator travel inventory can be for as low as 70% off regular advertised prices.

Travel Certificate Products

Pyxism Travel Certificates can be used with specific categories of discount travel products:

• $299 Travel Certificate trips.  These are select resorts and cruises specially designed for use with the $299 Travel Certificates.

• $500 Travel Certificate trips:  These are select resorts and cruises specially designed for use with the $500 Travel Certificates.  This is a future product not yet released.

• PyxismWeeks.  This is a selection of 4000 resorts worldwide offered at discounted prices also to be used with travel certificates which bring lower resort prices for members.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

These above products come with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.  If you are not happy with any of the products used with the travel certificate, you will receive your choice of another product of equal or greater value.

An additional set of travel products is also now available, separate from the certificate program, for Associates looking for discount vacations:

• The Travel Desk.  This is a phone line into a consolidator travel office where custom travel products can be purchased by Associates who then receive a commission on the travel products purchased.
• Pyxism Dream Vacations:

100 Dream Vacations

During the year 100 different Dream Vacations will be announced for members where they can stay at resorts or take cruises at discount prices.

These special package deals are built and priced then compared to Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity to establish a pricing benchmark.  After this the supplier is contacted to negotiate a lower special price for Pyxism associates.  These lower prices are only available for the dates arranged for the specific vacation, and by agreement with the provider they are not advertised.  However, we can give you some idea of the savings you can get with your Dream Vacations.

Here’s some examples:

• Australia:  7 nights July 3-10 for two: average savings per couple is $323.50. Stay at the The Great Southern Hotel, a heritage listed hotel dating back to 1854 in Sydney.

• Bali: 7 nights June 12-19 for two: average savings per couple is $363.00. Stay at the luxury Nusa Dua Beach Resort on white sandy beach, with five restaurants and close by 18-hole International Championship Golf Course.

• London: 5 nights May 12-17 for two: average savings per couple is $300.00.  Stay at the Millennium Bailey’s Hotel, an elegant 19th-century town house, centrally located in Kensington. Close by are Kensington Gardens and Palace, along with Hyde Park and the Natural History Museum.

• Thailand: 7 nights May 8-15 for two: average savings per couple is $343.  Stay at the Phi Phi Island Village Resort with private beach, a tropical paradise located on one of the world’s most beautiful islands.

These are just a few of the many Pyxism Dream Vacations available to Pyxism travel club members.

Exact package rates are available to Pyxism Associates on their Pyxism website.

Anyone can join Pyxism to take advantage of discount travel deals.

But the Pyxism Associate who works his business will have the time and the money to enjoy them all!

Travel the world and see the sights as a Pyxism travel club Associate.

JOIN TODAY

PyxismWeeks Indian Resorts List

Note that inventory changes according to availability. The following list assumes the traveler is interested in a vacation during the month of June, 2010:

To see details on any particular destination go to http://www.pyxismweeks.com and click on Public Access. At the top of the page choose your country from the drop down list. Then choose your Arrival Month, and click on SEARCH NOW.

When you find a resort you are interested in you can click on Property Details and a separate page will open showing pictures, Resort Details, Resort Description and Additional Information.

For the months of June you have a list of 56 choices, as listed below:

1. Sterling Yercaud, Yercaud, TN: Studio

2. Sterling Yercaud, Yercaud, TN: 1 Bedroom

3. Sterling Yercaud, Yercaud, TN: 2 Bedrooms

4. Vista do Rio, GOA, Gao: Studio

5. Vista do Rio, GOA, Gao: 1 Bedroom

6. Vista do Rio, GOA, Gao: 1 Bedroom

7. Vista do Rio, GOA, Gao: 2 Bedroom

8. Royal Goan Beach Club at Monterio, Goa, GA: Studio

9. Royal Goan Beach Club at Monterio, Goa, GA: 2 Bedrooms

10. Royal Goan Beach Club at Monterio, Goa, GA: 1 Bedroom

11. Royal Goan Beach Club at Benaulim, Goa, GA: Studio

12. Royal Goan Beach Club at Benaulim, Goa, GA: 1 Bedroom

13. Royal Goan Beach Club at Benaulim, Goa, GA: 2 Bedrooms

14. Sterling Elk Hill, Ooty, TN: Studio

15. Sterling Elk Hill, Ooty, TN: 2 Bedrooms

16. Sterling Elk Hill, Ooty, TN: 1 Bedroom

17. Sterling Lake View, Kodaikanal, TN: Studio

18. Sterling Lake View, Kodaikanal, TN: 2 Bedrooms

19. Sterling Lake View, Kodaikanal, TN: 1 Bedroom

20. Royal Goan Beach Club-Royal Palms, Goa, GA: Studio

21. Royal Goan Beach Club-Royal Palms, Goa, GA: 2 Bedrooms

22. Royal Goan Beach Club-Royal Palms, Goa, GA: 1 Bedroom

23. Sterling Fernhill, Ooty, TN: Studio

24. Sterling Fernhill, Ooty, TN: 2 Bedrooms

25. Sterling Fernhill, Ooty, TN: 1 Bedroom

26. Toshali Sands, Puri, OR: Studio

27. Toshali Sands, Puri, OR: 1 Bedroom

28. Toshali Sands, Puri, OR: 2 Bedrooms

29. Cambray Spa & Resorts, Gandhinagar, GJ: Studio

30. Cambray Spa & Resorts, Gandhinagar, GJ: 1 Bedroom

31. Royal Goan Beach Club-Haathi Mahal, Goa, GA: 2 Bedrooms

32. Royal Goan Beach Club-Haathi Mahal, Goa, GA: 1 Bedroom

33. Fort Chanwa Luni, Jodhpur, RJ: 1 Bedroom

34. Fort Chanwa Luni, Jodhpur, RJ: Studio

35. Lotus Suites, Goa, GA: Studio

36. Lotus Suites, Goa, GA: 1 Bedroom

37. Sterling Munnar, Munnar, KL: 1 Bedroom

38. Sterling Munnar, Munnar, KL: Studio

39. Amrutha Castle, Hyderabad, AP: 1 Bedroom

40. Averina Beach, Goa, GA: 1 Bedroom

41. Hill Country Resorts-Kodaikanal, Kodaikanal, TN

42. Sun Village, Goa, GA: 2 Bedrooms

43. Sun Village, Goa, GA: Studio

44. The Country Club International Medchal, AP : 1 Bedroom

45. The Country Club International Medchal, AP : Studio

46. Pheonix Park Inn, Goa, GA

47. Cambray Spa & Resorts, Jaipur, RJ

48. The Fort Holiday Klub, Raichak, WB

49. Snowcrest Manor-Manali, Manali, HP

50. The Solluna Resort, Ramnagar, UC

51. The Country Club Treasure Cove, Thiruvananthapuram, KL

52. Ramee Guestline, Bangalore, KA

53. Ras Resorts Silvassa, Silvassa, MH

54. The Country Club de Goa, Goa, GA

55. Timber Trail Heights, Parwanoo, HP

56. Panoramic Sea Resort Alleppy, Alleppey, Kerala, KL

Why Travel to Goa is out of this world

Travel to Goa is very popular and will transport you to the west coast of India with 65 miles of coastline the edges of the Arabian Sea. Divided into two regions, north and south, holidays in Goa is a wonderful relaxing world of fun and sun.

Goa is India’s the smallest state and is in the state known as Konkan in Maharashtra with Karnataka to the north, south and east. Its history goes back to the 3rd century BC, when the region belonged to the kingdom of Kadamba. It was during the 16th century that Goa was under Portuguese influence from which it inherits many influences still extant, since it was not until 1960 that Goa was returned to India.

It was during the sixties that Goa became popular with the culture hippie, because it’s easy pace of life and quiet charm, the country still attracts many backpackers and travelers to the coast each year without worries. Holidays in Goa have also risen in popularity in the package market and many families are tempted by the beautiful beaches and relaxed atmosphere. Many Indians also choose Goa for their annual holiday in this unique and authentic region.

The north is the liveliest of the two areas and has resorts like Calangute and Baga beach to enjoy. Picturesque villages surrounded by palm trees blend seamlessly with modern structures of hotels and guest houses. The sights and smells of colorful bazaars attract tourists hunting for souvenirs for the occasion, and clothes and shoes can be found for less then in the UK.

The miles of sandy beaches offer small secluded coves, ideal for a relaxing day in the sun with water sports for those who feel enough energy to join in. It is noted however that the currents can be very strong in this part of the world and it is always best to check conditions before leaving, no matter how experienced.

South of Goa you’ll find the popular resort of Kerala, at best described as a hidden paradise, beaches lined with palm trees, and a slow flow of rivers that meander lazily through rice fields and a fascinating variety of animal and bird life. Stroll along the sandy soft beaches and watch the breathtaking sunset while enjoying a hot dinner in a romantic beach hut. Kerala is still a virgin, non-commercial and fully at peace with the world.

The highlight of any vacation to Goa has to be the stunning beaches, but there is still much to do if you fancy a bit of exploration. The capital city of Panaji gives a wonderful view on daily life in Goa, with colonial buildings and a fascinating history.

Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is nearby and worth only one of many beautiful national parks holiday visit to Goa. Children will enjoy four-wheel jungle safaris and visits to shelters and elephant Wildlife Sanctuary Bondia in northeastern Goa has a delicious deer park, small zoo and botanical gardens, all in a natural jungle environment.

Probably one of Gao’s favorite attractions is a must for all public holidays: Dudhsagar Goa,  the waterfall.  While attracting visitors during throughout the year, it is especially spectacular during the monsoon season when the waters are at their peak and the waterfalls are breathtaking.

For most of us retail shopping is an important part of any holiday and Goa is no exception.  You will find great deals in all the markets, but the most popular has to be the flea market on Anjuna beach, near Calangute, open every Wednesday. Leather goods, wood carvings, jewelry and ethnic clothing are an excellent value in this part of the world.

Goa, India and Portuguese influences can be found everywhere, including the culinary influences you’ll find on menus. Seafood is a specialty in this part of the world, as well as mouth watering curry found in any of the first-class authentic little restaurants along the beach.

Whether you are back packing your way around the world or looking for a luxury holiday break, the all inclusive, resorts of Goa are out of this world. The relaxed lifestyle is infectious and you’ll soon find yourself longing in a hammock on the beach with the sun and lilting Indian music floating through the air for company.

About the Author

Yvonne also writes travel news stories for the TravelNewz website.

Hotel Sun Village – Goa – makemytrip