“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man exhausted by his hectic life shall find solace in the mountains.” Now I am no Jane Austen (people who get it, get it. People who don’t, don’t.) to give you thought provoking philosophies but I do know that if lately you have been getting the “What am I doing with my life?”, “Oh here comes another day, duh!”, or “I cannot stare at the computer screen anymore” kinda thoughts then you definitely need to surrender yourself to the mountains and let the nature take charge of you.

Now I know your brain must have immediately wandered to places like Manali, Coorg, Ooty, etc., and all these are great but should we not think mainstream for once? Let me introduce you to a place just as mesmerising but wildly unpopular, with landscapes that look like they have materialised out of a fairytale book, the Princess of Hill Stations- Tamil Nadu’s Kodaikanal. People who do know about this beautiful hill station, think of it to be a place suitable only for weekend get-aways and they could not be more wrong.   

If you and your friends are looking for a vacation to unwind and relax I urge you to consider Kodaikanal. It has everything that you expect from a hill station and so much more. With temperatures rarely exceeding 25 degrees throughout the year, it is an ideal place to escape the scorching temperatures of the plains. As mentioned before, the footfall in this town is not much which allows visitors to surrender themselves to the tranquillity that Kodai has to offer. 

If you are a foodie, Kodaikanal will not disappoint you. From Tamil cuisine to International cuisine, Kodai has it all. You got to try the local paniyaram, sundal and the tibetan thukpa. If cafes are your thing, this town is filled with very cute cafes to spend your evenings reading a book along with some freshly brewed coffee. The aroma of baked bread from numerous bakeries will urge you to pay them a visit and to try the various chocolate goodies, pastries, and cookies.

Travelling is a beautiful thing, it introduces you to possibilities beyond your imagination. If you truly allow yourself to surrender to the cultures and the essence of the places that you visit, you’ll find yourself questioning your own beliefs and might just find the best version of yourself. Mountains do that to you, Kodaikanal does that to you. Kodaikanal in Tamil means the gift of forest, come and experience this exquisite gift with us. We at Xplaces want you to have these life-changing trips that you will be reminiscing 20-30 years down the line and being the coolest grandparent who has the most mind-boggling stories to tell.