One thing that comes to mind when visiting the Spice Country Resorts is that little string of rhyme ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’! It is the nice part that was at the foremost in my experience during the wonderful holiday at the Spice Country Resorts at Chithirapuram in Munnar.

I began my journey from Kochi and it took me a little over four hours to reach Chithirapuram. The journey was in itself an experience. There was immensely beautiful greenery along the way as we passed along well designed modern homes intermittently, small towns, a couple of tourist spots like Atharipally and Vazhachal and generally kept going uphill. The views of the valley and hills that presented itself along the road at various points were simply spellbinding.

Reaching the resort was very easy. This is something I liked very much. There are times when you have to go about checking your Google Map or asking umpteen people just to reach the resort you are going to for holidays. So probably by the time you reach there you are irritated and tired. But that didn’t happen with me as the location is easy to find and reach. The reception was nice – yes I am using the word nice again – at the Spice Country resort.

The room felt spacious and well kept. The setting was well laid-out and they had thoughtfully kept a couple of towels in the shape of swans. When you’re staying here with family, this would be the first thing that kids notice.

The view from the large balcony is the highlight of the room. You get a long-range view of the entire valley and as far as eye can see, it is a range of greens. The view is not what you’d usually expect to see in Munnar. By this I mean, you will not see stretches of tea gardens. What you see is forests and hills and a long winding road in the distance far below on which ply tiny matchbox like buses and cars.

The reception is on the ground floor which has a few rooms and to reach all the other rooms, you have to walk down to floors below. The reception enthusiastically informed me that I have a choice of 20 rooms which was almost all already occupied or booked.

Good thing that I booked well in advance. The rooms are categorized into Deluxe, Premium Valley View Room, Family Suite and Honeymoon Suite. Except for the Deluxe room, all other rooms face the valley.

The price is right, the service is refreshing with Hindi speaking personnel at your service and the food was tasty with good choice and variety. Again, the view from the restaurant where you can sit on the balcony right at the edge and overlooking the valley was a fantastic experience. If you go and have your breakfast early enough, you will enjoy the bird calls and get to see many colorful birds.

To tell you the truth, I am visiting Munnar to be one of the first to witness a spectacular natural phenomenon – the blooming of the Neelakurinji flowers in Munnar. The long wait to witness the dreamy landscape completely carpeted by the blue flowers is finally over.

Like some of the other early visitors I am witnessing the sporadic flowering of the Neelakurinji. And I can imagine how the sight will be when the hills are completely covered in a soft hue of blue. According to botanists, the hills will be completely bathed in special shades of blue right from early July 2018 and stretch beyond October 2018.

The Neelakurinji or ‘Strobilanthes kunthianum’, which is a collective of about 40 varieties of flowers in blue blanketing the whole mountains is an interesting and rare sight can be witnessed at places like Kovilur, Rajamalai, Kadavari and of course the Eravikulam National Park.

So set off with your cameras and video stands and get ready for amazing ‘selfies’ that will stun the world! It would be interesting to get early pictures which you can post in your social media right now. You could even be the one setting off the Neelakurinji craze.

There are enthusiastic jeep drivers willing to take you to far-off locales to witness the early blooming of the Neelakurinji. So if you are a newly-wed couple or have come with family, staying at the Spice Country Resort will be the best way to set off to this adventure.

The Spice Country Resort also has a couple of ‘Tharavad’ (ancient country home of Kerala in full teak wood) style honeymoon cottage rooms in total privacy and quiet.

I suggest you make the trip to Munnar early as the Kurinji Blooming Season this year will witness a lot of enthusiasts. So book your rooms Spice Country Resorts at the earliest. Many tour operators have already started placing bulk bookings for their customers well in advance.

You can avail numerous package deals which will ensure that all the local travel and sightseeing too are taken care of well in advance. This means, you won’t have to search out a suitable local vehicle and sort out the price etc.

Adventure clubs, nature clubs, botanists and reporters of leading media from around the world too are expected to descend in droves to Munnar.

So talk to Spice Country Resorts and choose the best package so that you can bring a whole lot of friends or family along for this rare and wonderful natural phenomenon.

The Kerala state’s District and State Tourism departments too have chalked out elaborate plans to make this natural phenomenon a grand event that will be enjoyed by enthusiastic visitors from the world over.