Travel Destinations » Tryst in Coonoor

From holistic medicine to hoteliering, from Liverpool in UK to Coonoor in the Nilgiris, from a ramshackle house to a remarkable guest house. The Tryst has come a long way. Today, this exclusive hotel recreates the Victorian ethos with four theme bedrooms, offering a period ambience to the discerning traveler, says a note from the owners Dr Sathya Rao and his wife, Ann.

After seven months of tension, suspense, frustration, heartache and hard work, the couple created The Tryst in Coonoor is a Victorian-style guest house. something extraordinary, states the note. The planning was done by Dr Rao and his colleague, Dr Ramchandran, a surgeon cum architect-designer. The interior decoration was done by Ann and Rao.

The Tryst is located 2.5 km from the Coonoor town center, down a winding road, past magnificent hills and valleys of tea plantations. The garden, says the note, looks like it has been tended for a hundred years. It has broad, well manicured lawns, herbaceous borders, roses of various colors; tea, coffee, silver oak, pine, conifers, rubber and other ornamental trees; flowers and cactii, hundreds of potted plants, every kind of fruit and vegetable which can grow at 6,000 ft; plus a herb garden... At one end,a fish pond harbors mirror carp, and a waterfall splashes besides a rockery. There’s provision for bonfires and barbeques and chipping and putting practice for golfers, claims the note.

The reception room, previously a car portico, is now furnished like an elegant English country house of yore including an antique wall clock and barometer, says the note. All the rooms are reportedly bright and cheerful with skylights, off-white walls and wall paper from England. An extension lounge has been added to the main lounge and dining area to house all the furniture, antiques and curios collected by the couple over the years.

A highlight is the Tryst Library with a comprehensive collection of books, audio cassettes and video films. And in the garage, a Tata Sumo shares space with a magnificent Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I. It’s an establishment that takes you back in time. With tariffs of Rs 1,950 per room, including breakfast (lunch and dinner cost Rs 150 per meal per head), The Tryst also offers a host of tours and packages; including visits to tea factories and spice gardens, yogic exercises and golf.