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Time stood still as we off-routed from the Ooty-Coonoor main road and entered through the iron gates of a tea plantation. A local at the gate directed us through the narrow, scenic trail that wound up to the Sleeping Beauty, a beautiful nature retreat in Aruvankadu by the Nature Resorts.
Way before the staff noticed our presence, I felt nature was extending a warm welcome. A musical chorus of birds announced my arrival, while I breathed in the intoxicating aroma of coniferous trees. A quick glance around the property unveiled one of the most magical views of the Nilgiris that I’ve encountered in my many years of travel.
Aruvankadu is a quaint hill station that mainly serves as a stopover for people travelling from Ooty to Coonoor. However, for those of you who cherish the quiet, Sleeping Beauty is a perfect two-day halt to simply relish the boundless greenery of southern hills.
But why does this boutique hotel attract travellers throughout the year? And what was my experience here like? I’ll discuss it all in this article. Let’s start with the best parts about my stay at Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu.
Contents
Top 5 Highlights Of My Stay At Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
# The View
From the hotel’s balcony, you get to view undulating hills swaddled with dense rainforests, cloud-kissed verdant valleys, lush green tea plantations, a faraway toy train track and distant tribal villages. Together, they weave-in to create the most enchanting tapestry of natural beauty. Framed in nature’s loving embrace, this view of untamed wilderness is Sleeping Beauty’s biggest offering to all its guests.
The bonus for me was the occasional October showers, which whimsically enhanced the greenery surrounding the hotel. One moment, the valleys were bathed in golden sunlight, while in the next, a veil of mist completely cloaked the view. It was like a playful game of peek-a-boo that easily amuses the heart of a nature lover.
I was told that on clearer days when the weather Gods smile, the Sleeping Lady mountain range becomes visible from the hotel’s balcony. This range is one of the main tourist attractions of Aruvankadu. It resembles a lady in a supine position with her hair cascading down — quite similar to the enchanting island of Te Fiti from Disney’s Moana.
# Lip-Smacking Cuisine
Food was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my stay. Sleeping beauty’s head chef Mr. Hunramg is a kind gentleman who often meets the guests in person to know about their food preferences.
Every dish served at the hotel is created with love and presented with finesse. But let me talk about that in more detail in the next sections.
# Glance Of Wildlife
At 6.30 am, I woke up to the thrilling sight of a herd of bison grazing just below the hotel, amidst the tea plantation! This unexpected encounter with wildlife so close to the hotel almost felt similar to staying within a wildlife sanctuary.
# Eco-Tourism
Another aspect that impressed me was Nature Resorts’ support for green tourism. As mentioned on their website, Nature Resorts’ hotels are proud advocates of responsible tourism. The hotel takes careful measures to ensure better waste management and to reduce the use of plastic on site. Hence, elegant glass bottles adorned my room in place of the commonly found disposable ones. Further, their policy of hiring local staff who cherish the natural beauty of the hill station and foster a genuine love for their homeland, contributes to the hotel’s dedication to eco-tourism.
# Seamless Service
An interesting aspect of Sleeping Beauty and most other properties by Nature Resorts is that all these properties have about 9-10 rooms. This small-scale set-up ensures seamless personal service where the hotel’s staff are readily available to tend to your needs.
The Room At Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
Inspired by the Sleeping Lady mountain and based on a fairy tale theme, the rooms of the hotel are named after characters from the Sleeping Beauty. This includes Princess Aurora, King Hubert, King Steffen, Queen Leah, Ferry, Fauna, Flora, and Merry Weather. I stayed in the King Steffen room of Sleeping Beauty.
The Balcony
The first sight that captivates you as soon as you set foot into the room is the view from the balcony. Sitting here on one of the cozy cane lounge chairs, you can easily lose track of time, musing over the ever-changing scenario on nature’s canvas. At dawn, a faint stroke of red in the sky melts into an orange to reveal a fresh shade of green on the valleys. During a brief interlude, a light drizzle washes over the lush greenery only to unveil silver droplets carefully balancing on the tea leaves, almost like glistening beads of pearls.
Interiors
The room was large and spacious. Its red-tiled floor evoked a soothing earthy flavor that contrasted with the modern cream-toned walls. The antique, hand-carved furniture added a touch of vintage, which was further accentuated by the golden glow of warm lights adorning the room.
A lavish king-sized bed graced the centre, framed by a pair of stylish side tables. A tea-table sat at the corner with a beautiful wooden tea chest that displayed 3 varieties of tea, along with coffee, sugar and milk. A large flat-screen TV was placed on the wall before the bed. And to my utter surprise, the hotel provided a free Netflix subscription allowing me to catch up on a long-awaited Japanese drama.
The room had a separate dressing room with an attached glass-covered bathroom. Interestingly, the idea of placing the closet, dressing table and the wooden clothes rack in the dressing room made the bedroom seem quite spacious.
The bathroom was also quite roomy and had a separate bath area partitioned by a sliding glass door. The toiletries included 2 bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste, a shaving kit, glycerin soaps, handwash, shampoo, conditioner, shower caps, earbuds, nail buffer, and cotton wool. Two pairs of bathroom slippers and a hair dryer were also provided.
Outdoor Sitting Area
Outside the room was a sitting area that resembled a cozy living room. It had a balcony overlooking the tea plantation. The place was decorated with a cane sofa-set and a vintage bookcase, displaying an amazing collection of books. A perfectly set up area for a group of friends or a family to spend some quality time over coffee.
Food & Drinks At Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
One of the biggest attractions of Sleeping Beauty is its glass-covered restaurant, ‘Fable’, which offers a 180-degree panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and tea plantations. This was my favourite place in the entire hotel — ideal for solitary self-reflection over a steaming cup of coffee. The night view is equally beautiful with the valley decked in twinkling lights from the local villages.
Breakfast
The Sleeping Beauty features an expansive food menu. However, the head chef or the manager often plans the food menu for the day with their guests to minimize the food wastage.
For breakfast, I had ordered freshly-cut apples, an Omelette, and a plate of Idli-Vada that was served with a bowl of hot Sambar (Pulses Curry), Coconut Chutney and Kara Chutney (Spicy Dip), which were all delicious. Plus, a mandatory cup of Chai to complement the chilly weather of Aruvankadu.
Dinner
They say that the mountains increase your appetite and I was starving during dinner. So I ended up indulging in small portions of all my favorites dishes.
For starters, there was South Indian Dry Chilli Chicken and Chicken 65, flavored and cooked to perfection. For the main course, I had Palak Paneer and Chicken Butter Masala with Phulkas (Roti). While the paneer was extremely fresh and melted in my mouth, the butter chicken was absolutely delicious.
The Phulkas deserve a special mention because they were as soft as the ones my mom makes at home. And now, let’s hear a drum roll while I announce the desserts — Gajar Ka Halwa and Beetroot Halwa — they were probably one of the best I’ve had in a long time. They were made with sinful amounts of ghee and were not too sweet, just the way I like it.
TWT Tip: You can meet and plan out your meals with the head chef, Mr. Hunramg. He is very kind and offers the best food suggestions as per your preferences. You can also request him to make traditional Indian desserts (as per the availability) just like I had done.
Activities At Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
The hotel offers a variety of indoor and outdoor activities for the amusement of their guests. Here are some of them:
- Bird-Watching & Plantation Walk – Sleeping Beauty offers guided tours of the surrounding tea plantation, where you can watch the playful dance of the red-whiskered bulbuls, or get a chance to see a herd of bison grazing in the vicinity.
- Children’s Play Area – Sleeping Beauty has an indoor and an outdoor children’s play area, perfectly suited for families travelling with their children.
- Board Games – Spend your leisure hours indulging in a game of chess or challenge your loved ones to a game of carrom.
- Library – Each floor has an antique bookcase with a distinct collection of books belonging to different genres. From the autobiography of Tom Cruise, romances of Danielle Steel, thrillers of Dan Brown, Tami Hoag, Dick Francis, John Lesgroart to overnight reads of Chetan Bhagat. Swinging on that hammock with a book in hand, surrounded by a panoramic view of the Nilgiri mountains gives a bibliophile like me enough reason to revisit Sleeping Beauty.
- Terrace Bonfires – The hotel’s rooftop provides an unobstructed 360-degree view of the mountains and tea plantation, making it a perfect backdrop for a bonfire on a cold night. Though I couldn’t enjoy the bonfire due to the rains, I managed to secure a balcony-seat to watch nature’s light and sound show over the hills.
Cleanliness at Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
The hotel invests a lot of time in ensuring the property is kept spotless at all times. While the rains and the muddy tea plantation trail brought in extra work, the locally-hired lady staff dedicatedly mopped and cleaned to keep the floors dry for their guests.
Other Amenities & Services At Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
- Free Car Parking
- Complimentary Breakfast
- Welcome Drink
- Free High Speed WiFi
- Mini Refrigerator
- Airport and railway station transfers and cars for local sightseeing (chargeable).
Location of Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
The nearest airport to Sleeping Beauty is the Coimbatore International Airport (76 km). The closest railway station is Mettupalayam (40 km). If you are taking the toy train, Coonoor has the closest railway station. There are also long-distance buses available from Chennai to Aruvankadu or Ooty.
Both Ooty and Coonoor lie at a 30 minutes distance from Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu, making it a good stay option for people visiting any of the two hill stations. The quaint hill town of Wellington is also a 15-minute drive from the hotel. In case you are planning a stay in Ooty, you can also check out our review of Willow Hill Ooty by Nature Resorts.
Here’s a list of the popular tourist attractions in Ooty, Coonoor and Wellington that you can visit during your stay in Sleeping Beauty:
Ooty
- Government Botanical Garden (13 km)
- Rose Garden (10 km)
- Stone House (11 km)
- St Stephen Church (12 km)
- Toda Temple (16 km)
- Tamil Nadu Tourism Ooty Boat House (15 km)
- Karnataka Siri Horticulture Garden (16 km)
- The Tea Factory & The Tea Museum (12 km)
- Ketti Valley View Point (8.8 km)
Coonoor
- Sim’s Park (9.2 km)
- Sleeping Lady Mountain View Point (8.8 km)
- Lamb’s Rock (14 km)
- Highfield Tea Factory (11 km)
- Kattery Park (12 km)
Wellington
- Wellington Lake (4.7 km)
- The Madras Regiment Museum (5.5 km)
TWT Experience Summary Of Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu
Snugly nestled amidst a lush green tea plantation, this boutique property offers all the comforts of an independent travel destination. Its secluded location, all-year-round pleasant weather and abundance of nature caters to all kinds of travellers.
Be it a romantic getaway, solo expedition or a family vacation, Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu offers the perfect rejuvenating experience. So if you are planning a trip to the Nilgiris, and looking for a mountain retreat near Ooty or Coonoor, Sleeping Beauty by Nature Resorts is definitely your best option.
Inclusivity checklist:
✅Kid-friendly
✅LGBTQ+ friendly
✅Vegan-friendly
✅Budget-friendly
✅Family-friendly
✅Couple-friendly
✅Eco-friendly
Check-In Time: 1 pm
Check-Out Time: 11 am
Price per night at Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu: 6000-7000 INR (rates may vary during peak seasons)
Address: Safa Crust, Ooty-Coonoor Road, Aruvankadu, Tamil Nadu
Location: Google Maps
Contact: 8088855855
Booking link: Booking.com
FAQs About Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu by Nature Resorts
1. How long does it take to reach Sleeping Beauty, Aruvankadu by Nature Resorts from the Sarkar Palace (Ooty) bus stand?
Sleeping Beauty is located about 13 km from the Ooty Bus Stand, which is about a 30 minute ride in a cab/auto.
2. Is Sleeping Beauty’s restaurant open to non-residents & what kind of cuisine does it offer?
No, the Sleeping Beauty’s restaurant, Fable is only open to its residents. It offers a wide selection of Indian, Continental, Asian and local cuisines. Some of the most popular dishe include- Fish Nirvana, Meen Pollichathu, Mughalai Murgh, Paneer Tikka Masala, Methi Mutter Malai, Baked Veg With Basil, Chicken Carbonara, and Mushroom Biriyani.
3. What to buy during a trip to Ooty or Coonoor?
Both Ooty and Coonoor are famous for their teas. You can buy different flavoured teas, homemade chocolates, Toda Tribal Community women shawls, natural oils and spices.
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4 thoughts on “Sleeping Beauty By Nature Resorts, Aruvankadu: A Slice Of Solitude Amidst Tea Plantations”
Very beautiful place. Unknown to many people.
Excited to visit and stay during holidays. Thank you for your discovery.
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Amazing find. Keep bringing such rare nature retreats to the forefront.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your valuable feedback on our content. 🙂