Phenomenal World got a chance to visit Wayanad and stay at the Sterling property. Sterling property is all about experiences and since this blog is about experiences, there can be no better collaboration. One of the best property I have come across I was excited when Sterling mentioned this property in their first meetup we had. Read about it here. Here are some of the phenomenal experiences I had there courtesy of Sterling Wayanad
Have a great welcome at Sterling Wayanad
The welcome was memorable as each of us were garlanded with a cardamom tied creation.
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It’s a sprawling beautiful property right in the jungle which is an experience by itself. Here is a walk through of the rooms and to the restaurant. The rooms are segregated by tree names. We stayed in the Peepal Room. There is the Neem Tree Room which is a cottage. Their rates range from 7500 – 13500 per night depending on the peak or off peak season. You can also become a member and avail and host of benefits.
They have a beautiful swimming pool as well as facilities for games and ayurvedic massages. The rooms and their corresponding luxuries are represented by names of trees. So we have peepal tree rooms, neem rooms etc. They also have lounges with the old fashioned easy chairs where you can just laze around reading a book. Oh if you don’t have a book just take it from their reading room ! Enjoy the glimpses of the property
How is Sterling Holidays Helping Wayanad and the recent flood situation?
With the recent devastation that happened in Wayanad, it is a really sad state to see the beautiful place reeling under so much trouble. They have been severely affected by the floods and needed all the help they could get. I myself was part of the relief operation in Bangalore where me and y better half collected essential items such as medicines, sanitary napkins, candles, food etc from the apartments for delivering through Mathrubhumi. Sterling Holidays has always been helping the local tribes by putting up their products for sale in their premise. They have also been part of welfare of the local population and were actively involved in the relief work during the flood situation.
Meet the Tribals
After checking into our rooms and hearty lunch later the first of the experience was a walk in the jungle to meet the two prominent tribal groups in Wayanad. Did you know that the name Wayanad comes from Wayal (paddy) Nad (land) which means Land of paddy fields. There are various tribes but we came across the Paniyas (workers) and other Katunakayans (forest dwellers).
Paniya can still be considered close to civilization as they have jobs that bring them in contact with the world outside the forest. Imagine a world without what we call creature comforts.. electricity, apartments and social media ! 😉 Well thats what we saw when we visited the katunayakans. They have nothing to do with the world outside. They prefer the natural dwellings inside and earn their money though forest produce like honey gathering. They live in huts made from the clay found in termite hills. No electricity and the forest is their guardian. They worship animals, birds, trees, rock hillocks and snakes. The women stay at home while the men go for work. One such lady we met was Karuppi who is 85 years old and walks 5 kms everyday and still cooks her own food. We were ably guided by Sijo from Sterling. It was quite a walk for us back to the bus and left us very receptive to the chefs special dinner. The painting on the walls have been done by a local artisan and is brilliant in its simplicity and colorfulness, Enjoy the glimpses.
HIGH tea at Sterling Wayanad
There is nothing fancy about High tea except if it’s with the Queen!!. So what was different about this one? In my opinion the highlight of this was the use of cacao pods for displaying the names of the dishes as well as giving a taste of the raw seeds.
Revisit the History and look around
How did Sultan Bathery get its name? The name of the town Sultan Bathery comes from the fact that the Sultan kept his arms in the Jain temple in town and that’s how the town got its name. You can also visit the Assumption Forane church there. There’s something about hoy spaces that calms the mind (unless you are a vampire or Damien 😉 ) Did you also know that avocados are really cheap here and really great quality. One can go to the farmers market for some really great fruits an vegetables. You can also do the touristy stuff like visiting Edekkal Caves.
Pick a skill
It’s always great to learn something new no? Learn pottery or just shoot your target with the paint gun or archery set. There are a lot of things you can involve yourself in.
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Zip Zap Zoom
If you really want to try zipline for a short distance, Sterling Resorts have great facilities for it
Watch a Tusker in the Wild
It’s great seeing animals in their natural habitat and I was thrilled to come across this guy right outside the resort. There is a trench separating the jungle from the main road on which Sterling Wayanad is located
Night Safari
Well though I didn’t have much luck seeing the big cats or the bigger tuskers, I did manage a few shots of the deer which was literally a shot in the dark.
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Here’s a good news as well. If you use my code Pravin while booking at www.sterlingholidays.com you are eligible for a 15% discount!! This offer is valid till 10 Oct so happy holidays folks and let me know how you like it.
Stay Tuned for the food extravaganza next story
