Weekend Trip: Tree House Homestay and Clover Greens Golf Club

I have two major hobbies: travelling and writing about travel. However, of late, I have started enjoying reading about travel, too. A casual search on road trips around Bangalore led me to an LBB post featuring a write-up on a beautiful tree house homestay just off Sarjapur and about a 45-minute drive away from Bangalore, on the outskirts bordering Tamil Nadu. A little more research revealed that the house is actually the property of a local architect who rents it out on Airbnb.

The Tree House Homestay

The link that the site provided, however, showed that the tree house remains booked almost throughout the month. Thus, booking in advance is recommended. 

A travel-loving friend and I decided to explore the tree house and the surrounding area over a weekend. We decided to head for the place on a Friday evening and reached the place at around 10 pm. Although the tree house remains well-lit at night and is inside a gated farm, the road leading to the place was isolated and a bit creepy at night. There is a 2 km stretch that is completely dark and can be scary at night.

The Beautiful Balcony

Me, Posing

However, once we reached the place (which is located next to a village), the friendly caretaker guided us to the tree house. Not much of the property could be explored at night, but we noticed that the place was decked with fairy lights and looked lovely.

The Sofa Bed

Cute Decor

Once inside, we were floored by the strategic use of space inside the tree house. The amenities that we got as part of the package included:

• An AC tree house with a balcony
• A TV attached to a convertible bed
• A well-stocked kitchen, with a microwave oven, an induction cooker, a fridge, utensils, crockery, and cutlery
• A sofa-bed 
• An attached bathroom with a glass (not opaque, not even semi-opaque) door, a cute little bath area, a geyser, and a hair-dryer.
• An emergency light (just in case, the power fails)
• A heater 
• A whole lot of cupboards and storage areas, two wooden chairs, and a coffee table

The TV and Convertible Bed

The Convertible Bed

Glass Doors

The aforementioned list is not meant to be an advertisement for the place but a sheer expression of awe at how well-utilised the space was. The house also had cute decor, and there was not a speck of dust inside.

The next morning, we spent some time exploring the property. The place was essentially a farm house, with a badminton court, a bonfire area, and a campsite. 

The Balcony

The Campsite

After having our morning cuppa at the beautiful balcony (surrounded by greenery) and clicking a few photos, we headed for brunch at the nearby Clover Greens Golf Course. The golf course is a nearby attraction (only a bit more than a km away) and has an affordably priced restaurant. It is apt for a team outing or even a short excursion with friends.

Decor at Clover Greens

Brunch at Clover Greens

We had an awesome brunch there, and our spread included masala dosa (which was unusually tasty), scrambled eggs, toast, baked beans, and pancakes. 

There was nothing much to do at the golf course, and we left after a quick recce of the property. It appears the golf course compound offers accommodation and also delivers food to the tree house on request. 

Me, Posing Again

Those who wish to visit only touristy places might be disappointed, as there are no tourist spots or typical "places to see" near the tree house. However, if one wishes to spend a quiet weekend, away from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore, amidst the chirps of birds and in a well-equipped, modern tree house, the homestay is THE place to be! At the end of the trip, I could say for sure that I had fulfilled my fantasy of staying in a tree house. 

The First Trip of the New Year: Anthargange

A new year brings with it new hopes and wishes. My only wish this year, however, is to travel and explore as many new places as I can. My new year's day, too, began with a short day trip to a nearby hamlet known as Anthargange, located in Kolar, Karnataka. One of my college friends, her husband, and I spent the day road-tripping to this lesser-known yet pretty place.

The "Kashi of the South"

We began our journey from Bangalore at around 7 in the morning, which meant the roads were mostly empty. Being the 1st of January, however, the roads that day were scattered with revellers from the previous night, driving or walking back home. The streets were still lit and exuded a warm, festive feel.

We drove through the Bangalore-Tirupati highway and stopped at a South Indian joint to have breakfast. A few dosas and sandwiches later, we hopped back into the car and enjoyed the soothing ride to our destination.

The Scenic Route Leading to Kolar

The road was smooth and intermittently flanked by rocky hills. This made for a scenic ride, and we took maximum advantage by clicking photos and filming our ride. 

We reached our destination within 2 hours. It was roughly around 80 km from Bangalore. 

Our first destination was the Sri Kashi Vishweshwara temple, which is also known as the "Kashi of the South." It is perched on a hill that is accessible by stairs. A 5-minute climb, interrupted briefly by the monkey families that stay at the site, took us to the temple. 

The Hike Leading to the Temple

The temple offers good photo-ops (the view from the top) and has a sacred tank in the middle. It is also the base of a pretty scenic trek up the rocky hills, leading to the famous Anthargange caves. We tried to trek up the hill but decided to get back to the temple after covering a bit of it, as we were not in the mood for adventure. We did, however, see a group of enthusiastic youngsters trek up the hill towards the cave.

Sri Kashi Vishweshwara Temple

We decided to click some photos of the pretty landscape around us and then head back. We had heard of the Kolar CCD and its beautiful location, and we decided to drive towards it. The CCD outlet did not disappoint us. It was set against the backdrop of a rocky hill and had seats with a pretty view of the surrounding area. 

The Kolar CCD

After a few more sandwiches and a long session of chit-chat about our respective travel experiences, we headed back to town.

On the way back, we visited the Ramakrishna Matha in Basvangudi. The place is decked with gardens and has a large meditation area. It was a soul-soothing experience.

The Liberty Bell, Ramakrishna Matha, Bangalore

Thus, the first day of the year was a laid-back yet enjoyable day, spent exploring new places in and around Bangalore. Here's hoping that I am able to continue my exploration throughout 2019.