William Wordsworth was inspired to write one of the most famous poems in the English language, “Daffodils“, after seeing daffodils growing on the shores of the enchanting Lake Ullswater in England. The French painter Claude Monet captured the changing light and seasons of the French countryside inspired by scenes that he saw in Giverny.
Nature and solitude are catalysts that propel the creative mind to go beyond the ordinary and push frontiers beyond the realms of imagination.
My own creative spirit though of course nowhere near the league of the greats mentioned above always dreamt of a place tucked away in the hills where the only sounds to be heard were those of nature. I had not found such a place all these years.
As it usually happens in life, dreams come true when least expected and from unknown quarters. We were planning our annual vacation which we generally take in the month of November and were looking up places where we could get away for a quiet and rejuvenating stay. This time around we wanted to head somewhere other than the usual luxury resorts and hotels. While browsing the internet we stumbled upon a property simply titled, “Imperial Heights”, that was situated in a small town called Vythiri in the district of Wayanad in the southern Indian state of Kerala which is also known as God’s own Country owing to its mesmerizing natural beauty.
So off we went on a road trip covering 316 kilometers to our destination, Imperial Heights. On the way, we drove through the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and were lucky to sight some graceful deer grazing by the side of the road.
Of course on our return, we were rewarded with the sight of a gentle giant – an elephant by the side of the road.
Table of Contents
Villa Review: Imperial Heights Wayanad, Kerala, India
The Imperial Heights Wayanad Property
We arrived at a fork in the road and left the main road to take a narrow road that angled towards the left. Soon we found ourselves right in the midst of a tea garden. The road wound around the tea plantation like a necklace and we followed the winding road, as we ascended up a slope gradually.
Soon we were at our destination. We were smitten at first sight. The house that would be our home for the next couple of days perched high above the road with a small garden and an enchanting sit-out. It looked down upon sloping tea plantations and in the distance could be seen the grey shapes of the peaks of the Western Ghats.
The Facilities at Imperial Heights Wayanad
The property is a stand-alone villa with car parking and a small garden that has trees like Jack Fruit, Pepper, and flowering plants like roses. There is a delightful Verandah which overlooks the western horizon and is an ideal theatre to catch a spectacular sunset.
There are two bedrooms each with a double bed and attached bathroom.
A living cum dining room is in the center of the bungalow and it is equipped with a television. A neat and compact kitchen equipped with a gas stove and necessary utensils and accessories bring up the rear of the bungalow. In short, a self-contained dwelling unit where one could do their own cooking. The bungalow is well maintained and sparklingly clean and a person comes in to do the cleaning three times a day.
Food at Imperial Heights Wayanad
Long solitary walks amidst the tea gardens, the enchanting smile of a tea worker, the fresh and invigorating air is enough to give you a sense of fulfillment and leave your soul satiated, but one has to think of baser instincts like hunger. You can choose to do your own cooking by buying groceries from the town. But we opted otherwise and hence our breakfast, lunch, and dinner were supplied to us from the local restaurants based on our preferences. This was very well coordinated by Arul who took great pains to ensure we were well fed. We relished some of the local vegetarian delicacies that included the famous Puttu and Kadala curry which is a cylindrical shaped steamed rice cake served with Chickpeas curry, Appam which is a rice pancake served with vegetable stew, idiyappam which consists of thin strands of interwoven rice flour. We also savored different varieties of Payasam or desserts which are authentic to the region.
Our Recommendation
We found that Imperial Heights Vythiry Villa is a serene getaway from the chaos of our home city Bangalore. A place where we could listen in peace to the chirping of birds, hear the melodious ring of a church bell in the distance, and sit back and relax on an armchair watching the sunset and just do nothing.
If you are looking for this sort of a place then Imperial Heights Wayanad is a perfect vacation home and is definitely for you.
We would not recommend Imperial Heights Vythiri Villa to you if you are looking for a place to party and have a roaring time, as we feel this would impinge on the sanctity of its beautiful surroundings. This place is for those who want to reconnect with nature.
We would not recommend this place to anyone looking for room service and everything at their beck and call, remember this is not your luxury resort, though it is much more than that! In fact, we can say that Imperial Heights Wayanad is one of the best places to stay in Wayanad.
We would highly recommend Imperial Heights Wayanad for couples looking for exclusivity, families looking for some peaceful and quality bonding time and anyone who wants to lose themselves in the myriad beauty of nature.
How to get to Wayanad
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How to get to Imperial Heights Wayanad
11.5488058,76.042894
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- Imperial Heights Villa is situated near the town of Vythiri in Wayanad District of Kerala, India
- The nearest airport is at Kozhikode which is situated around 75 kilometers away
- Bangalore airport is at a distance of about 357 kilometers
- The city of Mysore is situated at a distance of about 185 kilometers
In and Around-Places of Interest
Click here to book some things to do in Wayanad.
- Trek to Chembra Peak
- Soochippara Falls
- Edakkal Caves
- Kabini River
- Wayanad Heritage Museum
- Town of Sulthan Bathery which was earlier known as Sulthan Battery
- Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
- Banasura Sagar Dam
- Meenmutty falls
- Pookot Lake/ Pookode Lake
- Lakkidi View Point, Kalpetta
- Kuruvadweep, Kalpetta
- Puliyarmala Jain Temple, Kalpetta
Tips: What to carry/pack
- Be sure you have the right footwear, hiking shoes or boots are a must
- Rain is always round the corner, hence be prepared with a raincoat
- Don’t say no to a walking stick, it is going to be quite useful for Chembra Peak trek
- Do not forget your camera, you will end up taking plenty of photos
- Keep additional memory cards, batteries, power banks handy as you are likely to run out of memory and charge as you are sure to go on a clicking spree
Be sure to buy all essentials.
How to book Imperial Heights, Vythiri, Wayanad Villa
You can choose to book Imperial Heights Vythiri Villa either through HotelsCombined or Booking.com or Agoda to save huge and get best deals on booking your stay. Choose any of the boxes below to book your hotel:
Have you stayed in a place that exceeded your wildest dreams in terms of seclusion and connect with nature? Do share with us your thoughts and experiences, as always we eagerly await your feedback.
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What an amazing experience to get to visit a place like that. Those deer though – absolutely beautiful.
This would be such a neat place to stay at at. Everything is so green and lush. I’d love to explore it all.
What a really cool place to visit. The scenery is gorgeous, and those animals are a huge bonus!
The surrounding area looks so pretty and restful just looking at it. Love the spots on the deer. Falls, river and hiking and everything else looks awesome.
That looks like a perfect place for a vacation! I would love to have seen those deer, and seeing that elephant had to of been just amazing!
Wow, this looks like such an amazing place to experience! India is on our bucket list, we’ll have to make note of this place!
This looks like a beautiful spot to visit. Being so close to nature and capturing those shots will make for memories for years to come. The accommodations looked pretty comfortable also.
What a beautiful places! I’d love to see elephants out in nature where fences don’t contain them. They are such majestic creatures. Anyway what a beautiful place to vacation to!
What an amazing experience this must have been! Such beauty scenery and I love that you were any to get so up close and personal with animals.
This sounds like the ultimate experience. I definitely have India on my bucket list. I will be checking out the Imperial Heights as my resort for sure!
What a memorable place! I don’t now what’s more beautiful, the sunset, the elephant or the deer!
How beautiful is this?! I have always wanted to go on a safari vacation to see these majestic creatures.
This is such a beautiful destination. I would totally love to visit this hotel and reconnect with nature.
This looks like a beautiful getaway. I would love to see an elephant up close like that.
I would love to go to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It would be amazing to book a trip to Imperial Heights Wayanad.
We are always on the lookout for places away from the tourist crowd and this place looks beautiful!
What a beautiful place to visit. I love being able to watch wildlife as well. Having a quiet restful place that is beautiful as well is my kind to vacation.
What an amazing trip, the views alone had me.
This place is lovely! Being out in nature is definitely a great way to get the creative thoughts flowing!
Looks like an incredible area! How amazing to see those animals, too!
As one half of a travel couple, this looks like a wonderful, romantic escape. Thank you for all the recommendations and the review!
Wow that Puttu and Kadala curry sounds delicious- never had them and now craving it, lol. We went to Kerala a few years back but never made it to Wayanad. Something that we ‘d love to do again!
I can see why Kerala uggs called God’s Country, your photos aste stunning and I’m amazed that you saw an elephant on the side of the road. I like that Imperial Heights keeps their rooms simple to allow nature to be the star.
This place is now on my must-visit list. It looks so beautiful though. Thanks for sharing such interesting experience!
This reminds me so much about our trip around Mannar, in Kerala. The scenery, the tea plantations, the mountain feel… So much to see and explore in this part of India!
This looks like my kind of place! A place that inspires writing, poetry and lets you bond with nature and be one with nature! 🙂 Love those winding roads and the sweet fragrances of the tea estates! It reminded me of my stay in one such property which wasn’t all that fancy but still one of my best memories are made there. The food spread looks delicious! 🙂 Never been to Wayanad. Hope to visit it soon! 🙂
I have never been to Waynad. But heard great things about it. You are really lucky with that sighting of elephant. The property looks amazing. The food looks tempting. Do they serve jackfruit curry too?
India is on top of my bucket list and Kerala sounds very majestic – of course you’ve put it in a very poetic way, too, so that helps ;-). I would like to visit since it sounds so different from everything that India is known for – the big city chaos, masses of people etc. This region looks very…cool indeed.
It looks like a wonderful place. I would love to see the elephants and deer. To me, tea plantations hugging hillsides are one of the most stunning landscapes.
Your intro paragraphs of this article are beautiful and poetic.
What a beautiful and serene place to get away from the hustle and the noise of the city. I would love to visit a tea plantation and spend the night there. Your room looks basic but very cosy and the views from the house are spectacular!
What a beautiful place to stay! So lush and green. This is definitely something people don’t think of when conjuring up images of India. And to see an elephant too. How cool.
That’s amazing you saw an elephant just on the side of the rode! I’m the type of traveler who loves to be in nature so the Imperial Heights looks like a nice getaway for me.
I love how you framed this in your introduction — the way you are inspired by the beauty of this special place, just as our great poets were similarly smitten with their own special places. The environment looks beautiful, as are the accommodations and the food!
Just from reading through this post and looking at your pictures I could feel the serenity of imperial heights. I’ve never been to a tea plantation before but I can imagine it to be a place to open up a few creative senses, and it must have been incredible to see the Elephant by the side of the road 😀 – This was a lovely read.
I have not been to Wayanand but I did experience Munnar. The Nilgiris are definitely refreshing for the mind with the foggy landscape and the green tea gardens. 🙂
What tremendous luck! You definitely found one place where you could escape the chaos of an Indian city!
I so agree that solitude and beauty can help trigger that creative flow! These days, there is a constant distraction by electronics and social media and noise, it’s great when you can find a quiet spot where you can sort your thoughts and find some peace. Your stay in Kerala sounds magical. Thanks for the accommodation recommendation.
Nature always inspired great poets and when I see such pictures, I can also understand why. I hope you had a good mixtape for the 316 km long road trip 😀 Long solitary walks amidst the tea gardens definitely sounds relaxing. I love places that are not like resorts as I really don’t like the party vibes 😀
I don’t think I would want to leave this place! Quiet walks and sipping tea sounds like paradise to me (I drink a lot of tea:). And elephants to boot!
I long for places like this. I love the peacefulness of nature and the solitude. What a fantastic find. Privacy with your accommodations, but also someone who comes in to clean the room three times a day!
This place looks like the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and get to explore some amazing natural beauty! Great tip to bring those hiking shoes – looks like the perfect place for some hiking. Plus, the food sounds wonderful as well!
Glad that you put that out – if one is looking at a party, this is really not the place for them. I can so imagine a peaceful weekend here with the birds and lush green fields. The misty mornings look so amazing in the pictures. Wayanad is always beautiful – in any season.
I love how close you were to the wildlife, that must of been amazing to experience. Where you stayed looked nice and relaxing away from everything and you could really enjoy the peace.
I was impressed by the sunset pictures ! Sunset is my favorite time of the day 🙂 I’d love to visit Kerala, I heard so much about it when I was in India !
Oh Wow…. what a great place!!! It’s perfect for a couple’s retreat:) Thanks for sharing…
It is so interesting for me to read an article about Wayanad. A few years ago when I was in Dubai, I met an Indian that had created a flower garden for a German woman that he had fallen in love with. She turned him down, but he created this garden for her in Wayanad, and later on he dedicated her even an NGO for charity in Africa. That what I knew about Wayanad until reading this comprehensive article. Thanks for sharing
My 12 months Indian Visa was just granted two days ago. I leave at the end of the month and plan to say some time in Kerala.
Thank you so much for this post I will definitely have to visit these locations and try some of the activities!
This place and the setting looks idyllic. Would love to stay here. Thanks for the tip!
Truly inspiring landscape. Your images capture it’s beauty so well. I would love to visit there.
This looks like an amazing place and thanks for your honest review of it. I will be visiting India at some point and this looks like just the kind of place I’d love to spend some time in. I have bookmarked it for future planning. Happy travels!
The scenery is stunning. Just the thought of being in such a place with those views makes me happy. You were so fortunate to see some deer and an elephant.
This looks WONDERFUL! I would be on heaven looking out at a tea plantation.