Though Sameer, who runs Linger Leisure, insisted that we could pretty much do nothing when we reached Linger at Balur Estates, we were spoilt for choice.

We went there in February and had an extremely enjoyable time trekking, walking around and best of all – gorging on local delicacies served hot from the kitchen by Ratnamma!

Balur is in Chikmagalur district and around a 6-7 hour drive from Bangalore. The highway is in reasonably good shape, though we did encounter some patchy roads in the last stretch of the journey.

The coffee estate itself is steeped in history. The views out of the main bungalow, dating way back to the 1800s is beautiful. The plantation unfolds in front of you and in the distance are the hills you can trek up to. Just get yourself a cup of coffee or tea, sit back and take in the fresh air and the lovely vistas. The owner of this 400 acre estate, Chandrashekhar, had some more interesting bits of history to narrate when we met up with him. He took us back to the time when he used to visit the estate and how he was determined to buy it someday. Which he did.

I’ve reviewed Linger at Balur on my Best Homestays website. Follow this link for more…