Perched up in the branches of an old Ficus tree, the little tree house looked like something out of a fairy tale. “ It’s a tree house, I had especially built, “ revealed Shivapasad the owner, but nothing had prepared us for such perfection down to the last little detail. The perfect hide away and romantic getaway which we had stumbled on, in the Bird of Paradise home stay in Kushalnagar, which is in Kudmangalore. Just a five hour drive from Bangalore, we hopped into the car at 7am and made it in good time on the spanking new road in time for a hot lunch. “ It’s in a seven acre plantation of areca nut and coconut where I commercially grow Heliconiums and Crab Claws,” explained Prasad.

Picture yourself in a tree house, overlooking acres of lush gem coloured flowers in a variety of colours. Heliconia are not your regular looking roses and other flowers, they are rather impressive looking and for the uninitiated they come as a bit of a shock to imagine they are for real. “ I have several varieties,” explained Prasad and we spent hours photographing the different species amidst the melodious calls of a variety of bird life.

The tree house is compact with a cute bedroom and an even cuter bath and toilet attached. The Ficus tree on which it is perched is obviously alive and well as the branches inside the room had sprouted a lot of fruit on them! Very private and perfect for a couple to get to know one another and spend time exclusively alone, the tree house is rather secluded from the rest of the property. Infact the waiters have to use a bicycle to scurry down with steaming cups of coffee or a meal!

The sit out too is separate with an exclusive view of the River Cauvery on which the property abuts. The place teems with bird life and if you sit out quietly letting your gaze linger on the green hills in the distance, a feeling of complete serenity descends. The gentle ‘whoosh whoosh’ of the sprinkler fills the air towards evening in the adjoining property, watering acres of lush fields of ginger. Suddenly the mournful cry of the Lapwing fills the air with its signature ‘Did you do it’ question, which it asks of no one in particular.

Just beyond the tree house is an impressive and perfectly clean swimming pool.
“ Sometimes if we leave the pool without regular filtration tiny frogs from the garden find their way in and tend to stick to the sides of the pool. Then you can see a line of wag tails and magpies waiting patiently looking in for one to raise its head and turn into a quick snack for them,” revealed Jeevan the major dormo of the place, with a laugh. The pool is wonderful for a couple to take a romantic dip in the moonlight. Isolated from the main building, it can be an ideal place for a lovey dovey dip together setting the tone for an amorous night ahead.

The charges include all meals which are home cooked and which happily is the local Coorg cuisine. I particularly enjoyed the Chicken with black masala called Koli Bhartad (Chicken) or the Panndi Curry (Pork) if particularly requested for. For vegetarians ask for the Mudre Kannie made out of horse gram and the Kumm curry which is made out of mushrooms. They are served with a piping hot Jeera rice (Cumin seed) or fresh off the pan parathas (Indian bread).

For details on tariff and the way to get there contact:
Mr. Paddambail Muddappa Shivaprasad
#11, I CROSS, VINAYAKA LAYOUT, BOOPASANDRA, BANGALORE-560 094, KARNATAKA, INDIA
TELFAX: +91+80+23510580 MOBILE: +91+98451 24026: +91+94484 60580
Email: shivaprasad@birdofparadise.in
Web site : www.birdofparadise.in