The Serai

What People are saying

Get the city out, and indulge yourself in beauty, luxury, and awesome food

Akrur_Baruaon 25/08/2017 07:43

Well, what do I say about the Serai, Chikmagalur? You need to visit the place to experience it yourself. Picture this: You are tired of city life and the concrete jungles devoid of any soul, you need to recharge your batteries, and of course, you want to reflect on your life at the same time that you gorge on great food. Go ahead and pick the Serai.

We were at the Serai, Chikmagalur, from August 15 to 19. There are two routes to reach the place from Mumbai—one from Bangalore and the other one from Mangalore. We chose the latter as the travel time from the airport to the resort is less. Also, the journey is more scenic. But, mind you, the roads are a bit winding and hence, someone with travel sickness may not prefer this route.

The resort is spread over seven acres, but, occupies a small portion of the wider 70 acres coffee plantation. It is beautifully designed with a large lobby overlooking the pool downhill. The rooms follow after that. We reached a little after 3 PM and the folks there were kind enough to keep lunch for us. And then we made our way to the rooms. We had booked a pool villa and boy, were we overjoyed. Each villa (there is a Jacuzzi villa as well) is well-surrounded by a wall to keep the villa discreet. The small pool by the villa is beautiful. The room itself was large and beautiful (wifi enabled) with a great bathroom attached. And it’s got an amazing bathtub. Whether you want to enjoy a slumber after lunch or sit by the pool and read a book, you will definitely not be disappointed.

There are lots of stuff to do at the resort, if you are not lazy like me. There is a guided plantation walk, a great recreation center, and a library (I would advise them to put some more books there). There are some beautiful historical and natural sites to see close by. The resort can organize such a tour—we had our own car for five days and hence, did not use the resort ones. In addition, they organize some outdoor activities as well with a dedicated person (Pavan) taking care of it.

Now, let me tell you about food. If you thought that you will take it slow, forget it. The chefs won’t let you. Despite a buffet being spread out, I think we had the most amazing dishes served to us. When we reached the resort, we told the chefs that we would go mostly for the South Indian cuisine (non-vegetarian), especially the local one. What followed was wave after wave of the best meals I have had. Thanks a ton to chefs Malesh Gowda, Suryavamshi, Ram Krishna, and Som Thapa. You took so good care of us and beyond the food, the jovial conversations with you were even better. And if one is seeking good filter coffee, give in to Wilfred who will indulge you in all the varieties, including his innovative coffee shots. Thanks, Wiflred—you are a superstar! Btw, they have a lounge as well, in case you want to have a drink there. Mohan and Mrinmoyee will see to it that you have what you want.

Beyond everything, it’s the people there who made our stay extra-special. I am bad with names, but let me rattle off some: Vishal, Rekha, Madhu, Rothesh, Manu, and Dibyajyoti. They took the best care of us, including a surprise dinner in a really romantic setting. It was fascinating and towards the end of our trip, we felt we were part of a family and that we had known each other for ages. In the front desk, Sannadhi, Ayub, Warsan (hope I got the name right), and Pooja. And so was Uday who took us around the plantation in the golf buggy. Finally, there was Pramod from the front office, who was there for everything. Pramod and Wilfred also kept checking whether our journey back was fine.

Thanks a ton, guys. You are great ambassadors not only for your resort and your brand, but also for the hospitality industry in general in India. Wish you the very best. And needless to say, we will be back!

Pool Villa to Presidency Villa

amettravelleron 24/08/2017 09:00

I had booked Pool Villa for my wife's birthday through makemytrip, As we arrived for our check-in we found out there was some confusion between mmt and serai main office and we had no Pool Villa to stay.
So we were given an upgrade to Presidency Villa 'The Residence'. The residence as the name suggests is a big Villa with a living , dining , 2 bedrooms private pool and Jacuzzi.
Its a five star resort on paper and it proves its rating in terms of features and facilties in the room. The support staff makes sure you are taken care in every aspect.
I cannot wait to get back to the place.

our weekend getaway !!

Samiaahmedon 21/08/2017 00:18

Serai is a wonderful place to stay in chikkamagalur. Probably the only 5star resort there. most of the rooms have a private pool and a sit out. The rooms are spacious well maintained. staff at chikmagulur is just amazing. The manager of the hotel is one of the best managers we have ever came across. He was so humble and extremely down to earth. Always opt for a full board here, as there aren't any good places to dine in chikmaagalur, plus the a la cart is the same as the buffet and lil expensive, where as the full board gives you a good deal and if you want anything apart from the buffet they will make it for you for free. The route to waterfalls was a bumpy ride and you cant enter the falls in your private vehicle, as the falls comes under a private property so you need to hire the cabs which are available there. You can park your car near the cab service. There is the highest point of karnataka, which is near to the falls. It takes half a day for sightseeing.
you have a huge coffee plantation in the resort itself, don't feel like going out.
i would definitely recommend to stay here. would love to come back. The only thing they should improve is the food and have a better gym. The gym is smaller than a toilet. lol

AND THEY SERVE SOME REALLY GOOD FILTER COFFEE !!

Relaxing Getaway

JeetFuriaon 19/08/2017 17:57

My wife and I spent a very relaxing 3 nights and 4 days at the Serai. The rooms are huge, the bathroom equally big with a nice tub. The villas had a nice pool and outdoor sitting deck. The rooms were kept clean and room service was also prompt.
Food was very good and after our first buffet where we felt a few options were less the chef was very accommodating to your needs throughout the rest of our stay. Infact they organised a surprise private lunch for my wife and me with a customized menu. The food was extremely delicious and the experience wonderful.
The views from the reception on a rainy evening, the huge common pool, the spa treatments were all nice.

An excellent destination to choose for a relaxed and splendid weekend getaway!!!

Shravan1993on 14/08/2017 16:05

This weekend getaway will not only make ur trip a memorable one but also the one that will make u long for ur next visit. The Serai being at its best not only checks all ur boxes but their always friendly, cooperative and efficient staff are always ready to provide u with all that u require to make ur stay a fulfilled one. The serai is impeccable in terms of ambience,food,service and hospitality.