I enjoy visiting resorts which, apart from their purpose of hospitality, are created with any eye to detail and perfection, and which aim to use vernacular architecture with traditional touches.

I’d posted about one of the most beautiful resorts I’ve been to…

Wildgrass Resort, in Kaziranga

So, when Georg Leuzinger, the architect who built the resort, invited me to visit, I was very happy to accept the invitation.

Thanks to a late start after the morning Campus Bird Count, Guru, Kiran K, Lalitha, Prem and I reached the area only when it was near sundown. However, the beauty of the Banthemari Forest Reserve captivated us.

The route was well signposted.

We hardly had any time to bird on the way, and yet just a few minutes at one place yielded a fair number of birds! (Pied Bushchat) (Paddyfield Pipit) (Scaly-breasted Munia) (Greenish Leaf Warbler) We reached the resort to find some beautiful buildings, built in the traditional "thotti manE" style: A beautifully carved table and chair (occupied by Mr Velu, the manager) welcomed us at the reception. Here's the site map: Neat, elegant lines marked the cottages. The walls are made of mud with gravel waste: The swimming pool was the only feature that jarred a bit; I wish the contours of the pool had been rounded a little more, in keeping with the landscape. But I guess there were other parameters I don't know about! We met Georg after he brought back other visitors from the sunset walk. He explained to us how he's using palm wood. The wood, treated and polished, certainly looks beautiful and hardy. Georg himself delights in walking around in the forest behind the resort, and had brought back flowers of the Buttercup Tree and those of Shorea roxburghii a heady-scented inflorescence: I found several touches of beauty in the resort. The dining area has lovely tables and brightly-coloured coir stools: Serving containers and ladles are traditional. (Don't miss that young lady's cascading hair!) Beautiful artefacts adorned the place: The pathways were lighted by specially-designed lights: The whole resort runs on power from a solar array on the campus. There was even a traditional touch in the toilet, with brass taps, and herbal powder for washing, instead of soap: I asked my friends to stand with Georg for a snap:

We drove home under the crescent moon, happy to have visited a beautiful resort!

Shashi and Sandhya run

Avani Leisure

which also includes two other resorts, Angana and Panchavati, all in the same region.

The present room rates of Rs.7000 (twin-sharing, inclusive of all meals) is beyond my budget, but Georg tells me that dormitories are planned for those who are less financially abled. Here’s wishing Shashi, Sandhya and Georg success with their venture!

You can see the photos on my FB album,

here