Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Scintillating Location. Period.

Quite frankly I chanced upon 'Howard Johnson, The Monarch Safari Park in Masinagudi recently. I stayed there for 3 good days. The property is, to be honest, nothing to write home about. 

While the place is excellent, there is a serious dearth of any organised outdoor activity. The resort should take the initiative and should plan a few flexible itineraries for the benefit of the guests.

The jungle trek / jeep ride (into Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, which is about 10 kms away) doesn't take one more than a maximum of 3 hours. And that’s in the mornings. So after that ride is done, what else ? Nothing. In a lovely place like that, Monarch Safari Park can do a lot ... really a lot ! But they have chosen to do absolutely nothing to keep their guests occupied. 

Also the Resort can do much more to improve their service standards. The service is very basic. Food is also basic. But the room that I stayed in was very spacious and clean. However the tap in the bathroom was dripping right through my stay (which was extremely annoying). 

Monarch Safari Park is set in wonderful surroundings. That's about it !! They still have a very long way to go, to become a resort of choice among seasoned travelers like me.

The good point about this property is its proximity to Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, which was by far the greatest highlight of our trip ! Also the forests around the resort, the mountains, the salubrious climate are all excellent incentives for me to go there again some day ! I hope and trust that in the meantime, the resort management does something worthwhile to increase the appeal of the place by taking some much needed steps.

P.S. Forgot to mention, the Food here is basic and hence a let-down. Service too was bordering on inefficiency. While the environs by itself is really very good, the allied services are the opposite.

This resort somehow give you the feeling that they do not want guests and any guest is seen as an unwanted intruder. Rooms are ill kept and uncared for, like the rest of the resort. Stay here at your own risk

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