I would not be overstepping here, if I say that we all need a break from the pandemic situation. We are all looking for safe, sanitised and isolated places to spend a few days (or maybe even just one day, at the moment! ).

My frantic search took me to the beautiful family owned, Thenkani Organic Farms, and we decided to spend the first possible available date (It was running full). We chose a Sunday & Monday, and came back energised to take on the household chores, coupled with the festive months at our disposal.

So, here I am, with things you should know about this place.

Ten things you should know, before you go –

1.Distance & roads – It is located at a distance of around 70 kms. , in Tamil Nadu, just after Hosur. The roads are excellent until you reach the last mile of the destination, wherein, it gets a little muddy, but it is certainly doable.

2. Google maps & Sign boards – Google tricked us. We landed at a supremely isolated farm, which put us off by almost 1 hour. So, well, do not go by the map directions.

But, there is a signboard which we missed, and hence this confusion. So, don’t be us, and do not miss the sign, that you will see after turning left , just before the Holy Cross School, Denkanikottai. So keep your eyes open!

3. The property –

• It is a 2-storey wooden cottage with a 5-acre farmland. Their main crop is turmeric. And you can easily spot a few guava and passion fruit growing on the farm.
• The rooms are pretty spacious and can accommodate an extra bedding without making the room cluttered. The rustic wooden handles, quirky ceiling lamps, and the Rajasthani muddas add a charm to its decor.
• There is a porch with a swing, on the ground floor and a panoramic balcony on the upper floor.
• There is story walk that you can take, to understand the birth of this beautiful homestay and its short history. It is a brief stroll that you will not regret. They were still working on completing the story walk path while we were there.
• There is a deck for bonfire and also an arrangement for a romantic dinner setup if you request before-hand, and if the weather allows.
• If you have a kid, there are stairs you need to be careful with, other than that the property is quite kid-friendly.

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4. Safety & Sanitisation – The place is pretty isolated. They are only taking one booking at a time. So, you will not have anyone else staying with you, and that is very thoughtful. There is just one caretaker who was always wearing a mask.

5. Cleanliness & Maintenance – The place is maintained by SaffronStays and it is neat and clean. The bathrooms are well maintained and have necessary toiletries. The linen is fresh. The one man army of this place, Mr. Pramod, makes sure everything is spick and span.

6. Hospitality – Excellent!

The caretaker, Mr. Pramod, was an extremely pleasant person, who is always on his toes, trying to make your stay the most comfortable one. He does his best to make sure all arrangements are as per the standards.

7. Food arrangments – Mr. Pramod, the caretaker, is also the cook. He makes delicious food – both vegetarian as well as Non-vegetarian, though the options might be limited. You will be fed with tasty food, but you cant be making demands all day, as he is the only one working around, so need to be a little considerate.

The farm fresh passion-fruit juice is something you should not be missing.

8. Dogs, Elephants & peacocks – There are 2 pet dogs, Ki & Ko. They are very friendly and not at all harmful. If you are a dog person, you might want to pet and play with them.

If you are lucky, and an early riser, you might spot elephants and peacocks over the fence. The place has been surrounded by electric fencing to protect from elephants, so there is no danger of them landing on your doorstep!

9. Mosquitoes – Well, greenery attracts them. So, yeah there are plenty of insects and mosquitoes. But, if you keep the doors closed in the evenings, you’ll be fine.

10. Wifi network – We were hoping to make this our workation place, but sadly the wifi is kind of flaky. It might not work for everyone.

So, if you do decide to land up here, you must know that there are places around that you can visit, that are close to nature, and can be a good way to spend time, once you have seen the farms.

We were happy to return after a warm and safe stay, with bags of organic turmeric powder from their farms, some fresh passion-fruits for us to remember them by, and memories of our covid outing!

For more covid outing options, do follow me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bla.bla.black.sheep/