A Journey to the Hill Top - Urumbi Hills near Enthayar, Mundakkayam, Kerala
This was my long time wish to go and see the Urumbi Hill Palace Resort which is owned by Dr. P.E Abraham, one of my old friends for the last twenty years. A few of the clients of our Travel Company Kerala.com Travel Division who went there, had given us a good and positive feedback. All this made me more exited to visit this wonderful place.
I had to attend my nephew’s wedding at Chotti on Kottayam- Kumily Road (KK Road) which is just before Mundakayam. It is only a half an hour’s drive to Enthayar via Mundakayam. I, my wife and two children along with my sister, brother in law, their two children and my brother, who is living in North Carolina, USA, came to attend the wedding function and decided to spend one night at this resort. After the marriage function at around 4.00 pm we reached at Enthayar and called Mullamattom Soman, the Jeep owner. We parked our cars there at his house and he took us to the Hill Resort at Urumbikkara. Out of the total 8 kilometers, only the half way distance to Urumbikkara is motor able. This 4 kilometers long road was very rough and is only suited for jeeps or SUV’s.
On the way we could see the dwellers there. Most of them were walking to collect things from markets at Enthayar city. Some jeeps were going and coming back. But regular service is not there so that the dwellers cannot completely depend on these jeeps. The driver told that the children in this area were going and coming back from schools by jeep. They were spending fifty rupees per day for that.
We reached there at around 5.15 pm after a 45 minutes jeep ride. On the way the view of valleys from the hills was mesmerizing. At the resort they welcomed us with a welcome drink and allotted us two Royal Suites. We entered the first room and could see that there was a small living area and another two rooms with coats. So, in one Royal suite there is two other rooms can be used by the extra persons. It is best suitable for a family having 4 adults and two kids.
Urumbi Hill Palace Resort is having 3 Royal suites and another 2 deluxe rooms in the main building. The building is constructed by a British business man. So the architecture of the building is at par with the old British style. There is a long varandah where all the guests can simply sit and experience the change in the scenic beauty.
At 5.30 we went to have a bath at the natural waterfalls which flows through the resort. Here the water cascades through the rocks giving the effect of a natural water spa. Around of ten of us could enjoy this unique water fall. Since the water from the fall is made in to smaller pools, it is perfect for both kids and women alike.
After spending around an hour and a half there, we went back and sat in the verandah for chit chat.
We then enjoyed the dinner with authentic Kerala delicacies.
In the morning after bed coffee we went for a walk. We could see small houses of villagers and all were busy with their daily chores. We could see the other cottages under construction of the same resort. After the refreshing walk we went to have breakfast at the resort’s restaurant. Appam and Egg curry was what we had as breakfast.
We went for a jeep safari to the Cardamom plantations, belonging to Dr. P.E Abraham, at top of the mountain. On the way we could enjoy the serene panoramic views of the valley below. The jeep stopped in front of the Cardamom Villa of this resort. The villa has two bedrooms and at that time there were guests staying there. This Villa is completely isolated, giving the guest absolute privacy from the daily chaos. They came by Toyota Fortuner which is apt for this terrain. We could see almost ready to harvest cardamom plants all around the Villa. There is an old building nearby, where the cardamoms are dried in humidity controlled chamber. We could see the migrant workers from the north of India. We also saw some bikers who were capturing the scenic beauty place in their SLR Camera.
We returned back and again had a bath in the falls. This time we moved to the lower pools of the falls. This pure and untreated water from the mountains gave us a fresh and refreshing feel.
After that we enjoyed our afternoon with a Kerala style lunch. By that time Dr. P.E.Abraham came there and we had a personal meeting with him.
By the time the Jeep owner Mullamattom Soman came from the valley (Enthayar) to pick us for our return trip to Cochin. The return trip was not as rough as the upward travel. We paid Rs.500 each for to and fro Jeep pick up.
Due to our busy schedule we had to leave the place sooner than expected with a heavy heart full of memories. This Resort is perfect for Families and corporate groups.
Siby George
Cochin
