Savoy - IHCL SeleQtions, Ooty

A landmark in the misty hills of Ooty since 1829, the Savoy is vintage gold. This heritage grand hotel in Ooty ushers guests into a colonial-era lifestyle with afternoon high tea, croquêt on the lawns, spa sessions, single malts by the fireplace, and an exclusive taste of local cuisine.

Walking through the Nilgiris tea estates, you can imagine your footsteps tracing those of John Sullivan who was summoned by the Madras Presidency to explore the fabled ‘Blue Mountains’ for an escape for British officers sweltering in the heat of the plains. In 1819, he discovered a summer retreat, where a school for European children was built a decade later. It was converted into a hotel and changed several identities before becoming the Savoy, the crown jewel in Ooty - the queen of India’s hill stations.

Our heritage hotel in Ooty is in full bloom all year, with over 150 varieties of flowers, along with fragrant pine and eucalyptus trees. Settle into one of the 40 rooms or cottages spread across six acres, light the fireplace and you’ll be instantly swayed by the Savoy’s refined charm. Look around, history is everywhere. The vintage teakwood beams in rooms 101 to 103 were dragged up on elephant-back all the way from Tipu Sultan’s palace at Srirangapattanam. British filmmaker David Lean - the director of Dr Zhivago shot some scenes for his film A Passage to India on Ooty’s famous toy train – stayed in the hotel, as did American author Harold Robbins and the most famous inter-racial couple of their time, the Raja of Pudukottai with his Australian wife. Sought after by international celebrities and royalty, the hotel starred in a BBC show, ‘Snooty Ooty’.

Present day guests can now relive the charm of a golden age, without the snootiness. Afternoon tea with buttery scones and organic Nilgiri teas, chasing rabbits on the lawns, old-school board games, lush spa treatments, signature Anglo Indian dishes and the unexplored 400-year old Badaga cuisine, exclusive to the Nilgiris; there’s so much to savour for the entire family. Outside the hotel, there are more discoveries in store. From Ooty Lake, St Stephen’s Church and Doddabetta – the highest peak in the Nilgiris - to Mudumalai and Bandipur national parks, the region has many enduring attractions. A ride aboard the UNESCO-listed Nilgiri Mountain Railway ‘toy train is a delightful experience for guests of all ages. The feeling of longing for a bygone era resurfaces when you pass by the 152 year old Nilgiri Library and the members-only Ootacamund Gymkhana Club where the game of snooker was invented in 1841 and which still houses the world’s first Billiard’s table.

Delightful history lessons, refreshing mountain air, bonding with family and strangers over bonfires in the midst of Nature and whiffs of nostalgia; an enchanting vacation at the Savoy is all of this and much more.