Manamboli Inn

Manamboli Inn is truly a one-of-a-kind stay in Valparai -- the only place this close to the forest, making it perfect for those who want to avoid traffic and the usual busy roads. The peace and quiet here are unmatched. During our stay, we had incredible wildlife sightings right from the property -- hornbills flying overhead, a herd of elephants nearby, and even a leopard sighting! It's a birding paradise, and we were lucky to see a large group of lion-tailed macaques, which was a real highlight. The rooms are cozy and clean -- they could be improved a bit, but they do the job for a nature stay like this. The real star, though, was the food -- absolutely excellent, home-style meals that hit the spot after long walks and forest drives. If you're a nature enthusiast, birdwatcher, or just looking to unwind away from crowds, Manamboli Inn is the place to be.

We were a group of 16 colleagues from work who had rented rooms at this place. We were informed that there is a check post at the entrance and that it is a short drive to the property. The .75KM drive to the property is very rough and is not ideal for modern cars with low suspensions. Anything more than a flat tire can ruin your vacation in this area. It is an old british bungalow which was adapted to be an inn. The paint is peeling from the walls, the carpet is torn and if you step on it, a cloud of dust will arise. 2 or 3 rooms behind the bungalow in a shed are newer and hence in a better condition. There were 3 beds in several rooms but only one threadbare towel was provided in each room. The hot water was disconnected in some of the rooms and they said it was connected to solar. So either we got luke warm water in the afternoon or if you showered in the morning it was cold water. I complained to the manager who said that they would have provided hot water if we had asked for it. The point of paying Rs.6500 per room is that I don't have to ask for hot water. The chef is capable and cooks tasty food, but some of our specific food orders were not fulfilled as promised. There is a waterfall on the property, but the water flows from 3 PVC pipes. Another omitted detail for example. Pros: Nice outdoor views, A good place for bachelors who just want to party. Cons: Poor maintenance, Poor Amenities, too expensive for what you get. Not easy to come and go (due to checkpost), bad roads. Summary: STAY AWAY. There are better choices elsewhere.

This place is 30 minutes from Valparai inside Urulikkal tiger reserve and needs permission from forest check post ( will be arranged by hotel) . Place is a 4 room british bungalow. Also has 2 annexures. We booked 4 main rooms for family of 12. It has a great forest view from backyard and we had a fantastic quality time. Food was homeley and tasty . The property has 3 steps and can be said it's partialy wheel chair accessible. Highly recommended for forest stay lovers, family and bachelor's.

Beautiful location but rooms and service were a big letdown. The photos show the main bungalow but we were given some rooms in corner of the estate. Rooms were rickety with very poor fittings and leakages. Getting hot water was a big chore and would take ages. We were told that main bungalow was under maintainance but there was another group staying there. Food was very poor in taste and quality. Service was slow and pathetic. At time of booking we were told that bikes weren't allowed in the estate and that there's secure parking at the forest checkpost. On reaching there we experienced totally opposite, no secure parking and no responsibility taken to arrange it. Once inside every trip to checkpost was charged and it felt like we were held to ransom. Its cheaper to hire the jeep for a full day rather than to checkpost and back. The tap water was muddy and black, we were apprehensive to rinse or wash ourself. Drinking water was potable. The manger didn't come to meet us even once and on the day of leaving he took his own sweet time to come so we left without meeting him. Avoid going here.

Nothing Good About The Place !! Back from the place a week ago. Though has a decent location the place was a nightmare to stay. Right from the start out experiences were bad ..... - We had to hang outside the Jeep sent as we had luggage, and the vehicle would not ferry more than once. We reached the place only to find that we will not be put up on stay shown in the image. - The people who were to assist our stay could barely speak and understand simple English and our requests for the smallest things sometimes took very very long to attend. - All queries to move outside the property, sightseeing was a clear NO as it was not allowed when we asked. - To move out from the stay to our vehicles parked on the forest check post about 1.5 kms was 500 rs and from the stay to Valparai was 1000 Rs. - The stay was average with the rooms having beds of iron with bedsheets and the water was extremely dirty where we could not think of bathing in the smelly black coloured water from the tap. - Asking for drinking water here often took tens of minutes if not hours. - Breakfast was included in the package mentioned but eggs we learnt funnily later was not standard breakfast item and were billed for - The food ordered by us was by and large expensive All of the above and more made us think of feeing from the prison we were trapped in. We booked the place for 3 nights but decided to leave early. So mentioned it to then on day 2. Things changed here - all things not allowed like moving out of the property - the safari around the property became viable options from the place - on the other hand food items became lesser for dinner and breakfast. We wanted to meet the manager of the property from Day 1 and we did not get to and towards us leaving as we waited an hour and a half to meet him where the current caretaker said he will come but did not. The Bill handed to us was a handwritten one with no proper account of things as asked. Thoroughly summed up the bad experience we had and am glad we left a day earlier than planned. Avoid this place for all reasons you think of getting to a place and enjoying it!

90% Wheelchair friendly , only few steps in entrance need assistance to get I for a wheelchair person. Surrounding area and inside the bungalow is wheelchair Friendly. Being myself a wheelchair petson I encourage people like me to visit this place

Far from the madding crowd, a great place to vacation and relax. Was able to see tahr and hornbills. Missed the elephant. Very reasonable prices. The food and service was excellent but need some minor improvements in the room.

We loved the stay, The hospitality and food was really great, the location was splendid, would love to see the interior improve tho but overall it was a lovely stay