Our Native Village, an eco village retreat, is a pleasant two hour’s drive away from the city. When the GPS said we had only about 2km to go, we suddenly came upon a large barren stretch of land, which became an increasingly bumpy road. Just as we began to wonder if we were lost, we saw the beautiful grasslands, and then the gate.
The resort offers around 22 family rooms, and each room has different styles of art work on their walls. Our room had a comfortable, homely feel to it – simple, spacious and clean. The earthen walls, terracotta tiled floor and large windows added to the rustic feel while also keeping the room pleasant and cool, and the balcony overlooking the open grounds below was a huge plus. They generate their own electricity from solar panel arrays here, but also the water supply is from a rain water harvesting system.
The eco-friendly buffet restaurant here is fairly large and partly open air. Their specialty is authentic Karnataka cuisine, but they also offer a few regular pan-Indian dishes. Some of the tables are set up with games like snakes and ladders, ludo and chess, perfect to keep the little tykes busy. The staff is friendly and they even offered to babysit till we finished our meal, which was a real blessing.
There’s plenty of animal life to be spotted around the property. From roosters and chicken running around to a few dogs and cats lazing about, and a pair of horses munching on hay and a small shed filled with mooing cows. The organic pool here is a kid’s delight; partly covered in natural moss and also populated by a few tiny fish. If you'd rather not get in, you can hang out on the charpoys around.
Spinning tops, flying kites and playing with tyres — all old school games that you can play while at Our Native Village whether your 5 or 55. And a bullock cart ride too!
