Silver Holiday Cottage – Yercaud , Hotel Review

For budget conscious traveler to Yercaud, Silver Holiday cottage is an ideal option for stay. Silver Holiday cottage is located in a calm and green environment.  Yercaud Lake is located from walk able distance from this hotel. Moreover it is located near the road connecting Salem and Yercaud.

The rooms are spacious and well maintained.  The rooms have independent entrance and have a comfortable veranda to sit and enjoy the weather.  The bathrooms and toilets are neat and clean.  Hot water is available 24hrs.  Room services are prompt during the offseason (cannot say the same in season time)

The biggest drawback is the lack of restaurant near the hotel. There is a small fast food corner nearby but the quality is not good. There are no swings or any garden within the hotel for the children to play.

Despite these shortcomings the hotel is good value for money.

Theni – tourist attraction and picnic spots

Theni district is full of surprises for a first time tourist. The whole district is lying on the borders of western ghats  so it is no wonder that it offers a lot of tourist attractions and places for visitors.

Theni can be reached from Madurai which is also the nearest Airport. If you want to visit and enjoy Theni then you must travel by your own vehicle because the sites are not bunched together instead they are spread throughout the district. Theni itself is well connected with lot of bus services but still it is advisable to have your own vehicle.

You can plan to visit the followings:

Vaigai Dam: The dam is constructed across Vaigai river, one of the important river of south Tamilnadu. It has well maintained garden and is a good picnic spot.

Kambam Valley: This valley has some of the beautiful scenic spots like Kandamanur, Mayiladumparai etc. This valley is part of catchment area of many rivers including Vaigai. Thekkady is very near to this location. Due to its location this area often receives light drizzles which are certainly a mood uplifter in summers.

Suruli Falls: It is one of the well known picnic spot inTheni. The water comes out of caves and forms a fall. Avoid going to this place on weekends as it will be crowded. There is a temple dedicated to Kailashanathar which is located above the Suruli falls at 800 mtrs height. Near the temple there is a Darga called Abu Bucker Masthan darga. This saint is supposed to lived here in 1630s.

Megamalai: It is located at the height of 1500 mtr from sea level. It is full of tea gardens cardamom estates.

Bodi mettu: It is another summer retreat but not well known and under developed. It is located at a height of 1300 mtr from sea level.

As you can see, you can visit all these places by anchoring yourself at Theni then visiting each one of them in turn. Theni has many decent Hotels and restaurants. You can plan for a minimum 3 to 4 days stay. It surely will be a memorable holiday.                                                                                                                                                                                

Choosing a camera suitable for travels

When it comes to buying a camera we certainly are spoilt for choices.  So what to look for when buying a digital camera which will be predominantly used for taking picture while travelling.

1.       Compact – should be able to fit in shirt / pant pocket

2.       Ruggedness

3.       Different scenic modes like landscape, night photography, kids  etc.

4.       Different resolutions (pixels)

5.       Video shooting

6.       Auto shoot

While looking at the available brands don’t go by advertisements but ask actual users and compare snaps taken by different cameras. Some of the brands which offer value for money are Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji etc. These brands are in this field from the beginning and camera manufacturing is their core business so it is not surprising they produce good quality cameras.