Take a Weekend Break!
A weekend at Yelagiri Hills is perhaps the best way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Where the cell phone won't ring and the last word you want to hear is 'deadline'

Yelagiri Hills (altitude: 1410 mts above sea level), is a wonderful drive - just around 3 hours and some 163 kilometers from Bangalore. It's the perfect weekend get away, and in settings that are rustic, peaceful and relaxing.

And to make this a really relaxing weekend, check-in at Hotel Hills, undoubtedly the most organized place to shack-up in, at 'Athanur', the main town of this tiny hill station.

Why Yelagiri?
For one thing, it's far away from the maddening crowd, the choking traffic and maniac driving, not to mention the daily dose of toxic exhaust fumes one inhales day-in, day-out. In comparison, the air at Yelagiri Hills is unpolluted. It's nothing like hill stations such as Ooty or Kodaikanal. Don't expect shopping malls, swank restaurants and such frills.

The weather is what you could say 'mild' and not extremely cold; which is why you don't need to lug along tons of warm clothing. The days could be mildly warm to hot, but the evenings are pleasant and invariably there's a gentle breeze wafting across the hills. An exciting time to visit is during the monsoon months or from early December. They say Yelagiri Hills does chill out, though not freezing cold.

Keep in mind that Yelagiri is a tribal area and the main occupation for most folks is predominantly agriculture. The popular local produce is jackfruit and honey, which are available in abundance at the nearby market place, just a short distance from Hotel Hills.

Hotel Hills - The 'Comfort Zone'!
Hotel Hills is your 'Comfort Zone' and offers excellent facilities. Built on one acre of land, the accommodation is pretty spacious. Surrounded by four acres of land the hotel boasts of a garden, lawn and sprawling play area including an exclusive park for children to play around. There are other places to stay at Yelagiri; but the accommodation and facilities they offer are mediocre and badly managed even though they project themselves as 'Clubs' and 'Resorts'.

Accommodation at Hotel Hills comprises of 30 luxury rooms, 3 suites, 3 deluxe rooms (with refrigerator) and 24 standard rooms, each with a balcony. All rooms have bath attached with western toilets (except 3, which are fitted with Indian-style toilets). The rooms are well-ventilated, well-furnished with Color Television (all cable networks available), Geyser, Mosquito Mesh and Dressing Table.

Every room at Hotel Hills is 'Spick and Span' clean. Elegant curtains, clean sheets, tidy bathrooms, fresh towels, adequate lighting and well-mopped floors, are some of the things meticulously looked into by an efficient and experienced Housekeeping staff, who make sure that each room is properly maintained.

Power cuts? Not to worry. Hotel Hills has 75KVA power back-up and ensures you'll never be in the dark staying there.

Food? No Problem!
Lousy food can play spoilsport and dampen the fun out of your holiday. But you'll relish the food served at Hotel Hills. Fine dining begins at the air conditioned, multi-cuisine 'Diana Restaurant'. The setting is simple, yet intimate and elegant. Neatly laid out tables, comfortable furniture, fine crockery and linen add to the ambience in the restaurant. Now, whether it's a family, small, medium or large-size group, there's an elaborate menu to pamper most taste buds. Experienced chefs at Hotel Hills can churn up your favorite dishes from South Indian, North Indian, Punjabi, Continental or Chinese.

It isn't uncommon to see parties being held at the restaurant, in which case a wide-spread buffet lunch or dinner is the norm. Interestingly, the restaurant adjoins the play ground and on those evenings when there's a campfire in full blaze, Hotel Hills is 'alive' to the sounds of music, mirth and laughter.

The other unique thing about Hotel Hills is that they have a separate 'Jain Kitchen'. You buy your own stuff (or ask the staff who can help you), cook your own food and the hotel provides you with vessels, cooking gas, gas stoves and refrigerator. Of course, there's some extra cost involved for providing these facilities.

Games People Play
So far as activity is concerned, the opportunities are unlimited. From a friendly game of Shuttle, Table-Tennis or Basketball, or perhaps a 20-over game of cricket, to an afternoon spent playing a game of chess, scrabble; you can choose what suits you best. Party around a campfire (no charge if group size is over 20), sing, dance or if you prefer to be by yourself, catch up with your reading, watch Television or generally laze around.

Tiny hills dot the landscape and an invitation for the adventurous to trek. People have known to pack their lunch (ask Peter, the General Manager at Hotel Hills to dish out something special) and climb these hillocks for a picnic out there. The highest peak in Yelagiri is Sammimalai, and since it's not exactly 'Himalayan', climbing isn't all that arduous. So, women and children can join in on the trek too. Don't forget to carry enough drinking water. For those who wish to catch the sunrise from one of these peaks, check with the hotel management as to how they can help you with transportation to the foothills.

Approximately 5 kilometers away is Jalagamparai Waterfalls set amidst rocky surroundings. There's lot of greenery too and this quiet place is ideal for a trek-cum-picnic. Unfortunately, Yelagiri's share of rainfall in the monsoon months isn't adequate enough and hence, most times there isn't much water. But let that not deter you, because it's still not a bad idea to spend a few hours out there. After all, you are on unfamiliar terrain and part of the adventure is in the exploration.

The Punganur Lake is just across the road from Hotel Hills. It's a pretty okay scenic spot and worth the short walk. Once there you could let the kids go on a boat ride on the artificial lake. Adjacent to that is a Children's Park, similar to the one at Hotel Hills. And if the kids insist on having some time of their own, so be it. At least, you won't get an earful from the missus later on for ignoring the kids.

Frankly, there's not much else to see or do at Yelagiri. The closest to any sort of wild life you'll get to see are the monkeys. All shapes and sizes will line the road as you drive up the ghat. For the religiously inclined, there's a Murugan temple nearby in case one wishes to seek divine intervention.

How about some 'Business-cum-Pleasure'
Who says 'Business and Pleasure' doesn't mix? Check with corporates like Infosys, Polaris, HCL Technologies, Satyam, Citibank and many others, and they'll say it can be great fun. Sales conferences, Conventions, Training Programmes, or just Get-Togethers are routine happenings at Hotel Hills. There's an air-conditioned Conference Hall (maximum capacity of 150 persons), air conditioned Banquet Hall and conferencing equipment such as White board, OHP, podium, audio are available to host such events, supported by staff at Hotel Hills with the expertise to professionally manage any such event, for any length of duration.

A typical conference day would begin with a buffet breakfast, tea break, lunch, yet another tea break, before winding up proceedings for the evening. Speeches, presentations, sales graphs and figures done with, take a break, freshen up and it's time for 'the night out'. That's when the fun actually begins. At such events, some form of entertainment is the need of the hour to put the day's proceedings in the back-burner. Ask Peter, the GM, what he can come up with. Movie in the open air theatre; a tribal dance; disco with DJ? Of course, all these are at extra cost.