She wiggled her toes inside the fresh sheets and tucked herself against a large soft pillow before calling it a night. She had had a long drive and was tired from all the frolicking in the swimming pool and was ready to sleep after her meal of warm chicken soup and rice. For Brandy, it was not just the pandemic — even otherwise, rarely did she get to go for a holiday. The primary reason being that Brandy is a fluffy Shih Tzu and finding a property for vacation that is pet friendly has always been a challenge. However, at K Resort in Puducherry we soon find that there are hordes of other reasons to pick this place besides the joy of bringing your furry companion along!
Paws & ponder
A pleasant drive of about three hours on the NH32 highway from Chennai, finds us rolling into a lush verdant, 30-acre property. It looks like an oasis off the busy SH49. As we alight from our vehicle and go through the process of checkingin, we sip on a delicious welcome drink. We had nearly forgotten the pandemic, but the warm jaggerysweetened ginger-infused kadha reminded us that the new normal could be pleasant and tasty too! As we marvelled at the landscape of thriving foliage and the canal that meanders through the property, smothered with water lilies, Swapna Mathivanan, the owner of K Resorts, tells us that it took her all of three years to establish this green lush environment. “It’s all thanks to Paul Blanchflower, the landscape architect from Auroville that we have this greenery. Upon his suggestion we have opted for only hardy, indigenous plants.‘‘ What’s more, they have a great system for rainwater harvesting, with manmade water bodies and a lake. Their restaurant in the middle of the lake definitely makes for a magical spot at dusk.
Space aplenty
Swapna opened Celine’s Kitchen in Puducherry (incidentally also the name of the resort’s day diner) in 2014 and tells us that it was a slow and determined journey since then to procure this land and realise her dream. The name of the place is thanks to her grandfather‘s initials Dr MDK Kuthalingam, informs Swapna, as we are shown to The Garden Villa. We walk into a sprawling space with two bedrooms and a common lounge, with a door opening out at the back facing the canal, a humungous bath tub in one of the baths and an open-air shower in the other. With plans of 56 rooms, 40 rooms are functional now and the room with the private swimming pool is getting ready next. The kitchens are multi-cuisine and the portions for room service are generous and prompt. What sets them apart is that they are willing to take personalised requests including requests for your pooch.
Just like family
“Good Morning, Mari,” says Swapna as she walks us around the place. Mari is one of the gardeners. There is an imperceptible sense of family here — and Swapna concedes that they are all a great team. “Right from my mother Dr Kalyani Mathivanan, my brother Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (pro tennis player) and our friend Pratik Shah who is the CEO here — we have all put in our ideas and efforts to build this place. Despite the pandemic, most of our staff stayed.” In fact, thanks to her brother’s interest in sports, Swapna tells us to look out for tennis courts and tournaments next! The architect for the project was Michael Gransitzki from Mancala, and as you walk around you realise that Swapna’s dream was more than just a hospitality project. An eco-warrior, she tells us, that getting rid of plastic is going to be her biggest fight. Meanwhile, we notice cool stone tiles in the swimming pool, vermin-composting plan, AC inverter to conserve energy and a solar-powered electric perimeter. And, of course, the best part is the small pet pool, where you can splash and frolic around with your pooch. Swapna has two gorgeous goldens and two rescues, and it is easy to see why K Resort is pet-friendly. In fact, one of the first to greet us into the property was Fury, a one-eyed rescued streetie who definitely added that warm and fuzzy feel to this property!
Room tariff from INR 7,500++ onward. The writer was invited by the resort to review the property.