Kanana -A homestay holiday in Sakleshpur- Review on Mums and Stories

This hill station was on our travel list for close to a year. Being an accessible destination from Bangalore either by road or train, it seemed like we could cover it anytime. But travel too happens when you are destined to visit the place and not anytime earlier.

( Morning mist that spells out chill and fresh air. Photograph by Mums and Stories).

So finally when we had decided for the umpteenth time on visiting Sakleshpur, it was time to choose a stay. We decided on a homestay as we were travelling in large groups, with more families.

So, after scouting enough on the Internet, we came to see this homestay called Kanana . This was already spoken among other known friends on social media and it seemed like a perfect place where groups can go.

( Kanana homestay at Sakleshpur. Photograph by Mums and Stories)

This was one holiday where literally five families stayed together in this homestay and we would recommend homestay visits to be done by groups unless you really want to dwell in the ‘we time’.

The road from Bangalore to Sakleshpur, a quaint hill station is quite good and if you leave by 7am , you are likely to reach Sakleshpur by 12 noon even after a break for breakfast.

(Roads in Sakleshpur, Karnataka).

The homestay is in a location that is quite enviable and admirable. The best part of the stay was the huge amount of greenery and lung space for kids to indulge in outdoor activities.

From our experience of homestays elsewhere, the menu is limited and strangely not tasty too. But Kanana exceeds those expectations and serves a good and wide spread of South Indian food.

If you are a group of four to five mums or boys you could take up one of the rooms as this homestay is designed for large groups. As we travelled in a large group the entire homestay was ours which worked for us as it became our private space.

( Paddy fields at Sakleshpur, close to Kanana homestay)

You can go for a short trek assisted by the staff of the homestay to a nearby hill or go for long walks to the fields or to the nearby streams if you have a vehicle at your access.

( Stream flowing at Sakleshpur. Makes for a good picnic spot. Advisable for those who are willing to walk/climb).

Sakleshpur is a small hill station and when we travelled the mornings and late evenings were chill and it was in fact hot during the day. The town is like a space wrapped in a bubble of a time that doesn’t have much access to modern amenities and thus retains its own charm.

Kanana has the advantage of a huge lung space at its premises that is so rare for many city dwellers even to experience it.  There’s even a swing that can make many who stay there to forget everything else and sit in it for hours.

( Open space with swing at Kanana courtyard).

The quietness is great and that’s why we recommend to stay in groups or else it could get challenging as you need to plan your stay with board games, a trek, reading a book and so on.

( Morning coffee at the homestay.)

Again if you are planning to go as a couple or solo and want to have your quiet time, you can go in for that option too at Kanana as they do have rooms two with five beds each and one with four and one for a small family.

( Coffee seeds laid in the nearby village home for drying. Spotted and photographed during a trek).

We at Mums and Stories felt it was a worthy stay for its experience of huge green space, opportunity like to walk through fields, going for a trek, clean homestay with absolute no gadgets like even television available. The opportunity to talk, spend time with family and indulge in group games and activities like cricket, kho kho and relish authentic and tasty Karnataka cuisine.

( This was a personal trip but we are open to travel collaborations and reviews for child friendly spaces and unique destinations that can be of interest to mums. Email at mumsandstories@gmail.com).