The sales folks at MetricStream( global leader in Risk & Compliance Management) were stressed out and were looking for a corporate team outing to go cool their heels and do some team bonding activities. Unexplored Holidays gave them just the right option, where better than coorg for a weekend getaway!
UH was given the responsibility of organizing the whole thing and we delivered is an under statement! We left Banaglore early saturday morning the 13th Oct and were soon rolling for an unforgettable experience.
The location we selected for this was 'Porcupine Castle' in Pollibetta, Coorg and it justified our name "Unexplored Holidays" yet again. It is truely an unexplored destination nestled in the Kodava land.
Breakfast was at Adigas enroute followed by an uneventful journey to the resort. The bus driver couldn't negotiate the 70 degree climb to the resort and had to stop by the gate, this meant the activities for the guests had begun even before the check-in :-)
But they pulled it off, ofcourse gasping for breath. We gave them refreshing wet face wipes from the freezer along with fresh water melon juice for a welcome drink. It was certainly well deserved after the steep climb.
The check-in process was smooth since we had arrived much before them and had tagged the names with the respective keys after doing the formalities. A quick shower, followed by a sumptous lunch was just what the doctor ordered. The spread was quite good with soups, salads, starters, main course and desserts. Icing on the cake was some chilled barley beverage ;-)
Ice break sessions and some team building activities were lined up post lunch. More than couple of hours were spent in this and just when they were beginning to tire, we served them the best coorg coffee ever. An hours break was to be followed by the bon fire. It had started drizzling by then and certainly threatened to spoil the game. We created a dance floor in the conference hall and began the show. The beverages kept flowing with some good pork, chicken and veg starters for company. Teachers, Smirnoffs, Blenders Pride & Bacardi music CDs were played non stop ;-) There was a request from the guests for a bon fire when the drizzle had just taken a break and we only had to oblige. But the staff at Porcupine castle pulled off a beautiful fire even with wet wood. Hats off to these guys who served the guests non tiringly.
A good dinner spread followed the entertaining evening, but the fire and music went on till 1 AM. Slowly everyone retired for the night and we shared a quick malt among the entire staff, a well deserved one for a job well done!
It was quite surprising to see a lot of early birds in the morning for the nature walk. We had arranged for a local guide who is very knowledgeble about the flora & fauna here. Also a lot of info on coffee growing was passed on. The guests thouroughly the enjoyed the morning walk cutting through a fresh, clean, cool breeze through out. Ceratinly something which is absent in the concrete jungles!
A round of tea / coffee followed by a wholesome breakfast. Again the spread was an interesting one with fresh juice, cereals, bread, fresh farm butter, inhouse fruit jam, farm eggs with coffee.
Another couple of hours of team bonding activities followed by some pep talks by the leaders in the group was followed by lunch. By now everyone had become fans of the cook. He never let us down!
A young lad from Tamil nadu who seems to have mastered the art of cooking at such young age was yet again a nice surprise.
Lunch done, refreshed and everyone check out for the return journey back to Bangalore. We could see no one wanted to leave this place, but their responsibilities back home were inevitable. After all work is what had brought them here.
The bus was populated and started rolling. We quickly settled a few additional bills and bid everyone goodbye , only to return with another good group!
We drove past the guests, took lead to arrange tea and hot bhajji's for the evening. The weather was a killer after the heavy downpour which we encountered enroute. The lead was taken again this time to arrange for the dinner at Empire, Maddur. The guests arrived just in time for a nice dinner and we bid them adieu after the dinner. The bills setteled and then it was a quick sprint back to Bangalore.
A great weekend with MetricStream had come to an end, but we look forward to having them again in future not once but many times!
UH was given the responsibility of organizing the whole thing and we delivered is an under statement! We left Banaglore early saturday morning the 13th Oct and were soon rolling for an unforgettable experience.
The location we selected for this was 'Porcupine Castle' in Pollibetta, Coorg and it justified our name "Unexplored Holidays" yet again. It is truely an unexplored destination nestled in the Kodava land.
Breakfast was at Adigas enroute followed by an uneventful journey to the resort. The bus driver couldn't negotiate the 70 degree climb to the resort and had to stop by the gate, this meant the activities for the guests had begun even before the check-in :-)
But they pulled it off, ofcourse gasping for breath. We gave them refreshing wet face wipes from the freezer along with fresh water melon juice for a welcome drink. It was certainly well deserved after the steep climb.
The check-in process was smooth since we had arrived much before them and had tagged the names with the respective keys after doing the formalities. A quick shower, followed by a sumptous lunch was just what the doctor ordered. The spread was quite good with soups, salads, starters, main course and desserts. Icing on the cake was some chilled barley beverage ;-)
Ice break sessions and some team building activities were lined up post lunch. More than couple of hours were spent in this and just when they were beginning to tire, we served them the best coorg coffee ever. An hours break was to be followed by the bon fire. It had started drizzling by then and certainly threatened to spoil the game. We created a dance floor in the conference hall and began the show. The beverages kept flowing with some good pork, chicken and veg starters for company. Teachers, Smirnoffs, Blenders Pride & Bacardi music CDs were played non stop ;-) There was a request from the guests for a bon fire when the drizzle had just taken a break and we only had to oblige. But the staff at Porcupine castle pulled off a beautiful fire even with wet wood. Hats off to these guys who served the guests non tiringly.
A good dinner spread followed the entertaining evening, but the fire and music went on till 1 AM. Slowly everyone retired for the night and we shared a quick malt among the entire staff, a well deserved one for a job well done!
It was quite surprising to see a lot of early birds in the morning for the nature walk. We had arranged for a local guide who is very knowledgeble about the flora & fauna here. Also a lot of info on coffee growing was passed on. The guests thouroughly the enjoyed the morning walk cutting through a fresh, clean, cool breeze through out. Ceratinly something which is absent in the concrete jungles!
A round of tea / coffee followed by a wholesome breakfast. Again the spread was an interesting one with fresh juice, cereals, bread, fresh farm butter, inhouse fruit jam, farm eggs with coffee.
Another couple of hours of team bonding activities followed by some pep talks by the leaders in the group was followed by lunch. By now everyone had become fans of the cook. He never let us down!
A young lad from Tamil nadu who seems to have mastered the art of cooking at such young age was yet again a nice surprise.
Lunch done, refreshed and everyone check out for the return journey back to Bangalore. We could see no one wanted to leave this place, but their responsibilities back home were inevitable. After all work is what had brought them here.
The bus was populated and started rolling. We quickly settled a few additional bills and bid everyone goodbye , only to return with another good group!
We drove past the guests, took lead to arrange tea and hot bhajji's for the evening. The weather was a killer after the heavy downpour which we encountered enroute. The lead was taken again this time to arrange for the dinner at Empire, Maddur. The guests arrived just in time for a nice dinner and we bid them adieu after the dinner. The bills setteled and then it was a quick sprint back to Bangalore.
A great weekend with MetricStream had come to an end, but we look forward to having them again in future not once but many times!
