WelcomHeritage Fernhills Royal Palace

"The WelcomHeritage Fernhills Palace in Ooty, a magnificent 150-year-old heritage property once owned by the King of Mysore, offers a truly regal experience set across 50 sprawling acres. This colonial masterpiece showcases exquisite teakwood craftsmanship and elegant drapery throughout its intimate setting of just 18 rooms. Our check-in was seamless, and we were graciously upgraded to the Regent Suite – a stunning accommodation featuring a spacious living area, grand 10-seater dining table, bedroom, powder room, and luxurious bathroom. While the property shows some signs of its age, the staff maintains its historic charm admirably. The palace houses a majestic restaurant, a dedicated high tea area, and a bar (temporarily closed but reopening soon). Adding to its natural charm, peaceful Gaurs and wild pigs can often be spotted grazing on the lawns. The service was exceptional, particularly in the restaurant where Chef Iqbal Hussain went above and beyond, preparing special off-menu dishes at our request. The food quality was consistently outstanding. Though this grand palace would benefit from some careful renovation, it remains a remarkable destination. To enhance the guest experience, we'd suggest adding activities like barbecues, campfires, and children's programs to complement the property's inherent majesty."

The property is located in a very nice place close to all tourist attaractions. The palace turned into a hotel is a must visit. The rooms take you back the kings era, giving you the nostalgic feel. The rooms are well furnished with antique furniture, paintungs and carpets. The hotel is owned by the wadayar group. The thing which i noticed that stands out is that they have not appointed professionally trained staff. But the staff all are very courteous and helpful. They have been retained for over 3 decades each which shows how good the employers are. Over all the property is a must visit to get the royal feel. Great job done by the staff.

Had booked 3 night stay at this place, was allotted bharathpur suite which was very dirty and had to change to kodata suite, the place is mostly deserted and hardly handful of staff managing the property, the palace is lavish but it’s quite spooky as there are hardly people around, you’d get bad vibes pretty much most of the time, not sure if it’s ******* or not but sleep is disturbed and the whole purpose of rest and recoup on a vacation will be disturbed, book and stay at your own will. As the staff is barely there; the hygiene is questionable, cutlery used in dining area were visibly dirty with some weird ingrowths in them or lipstick stains, alcohol isn’t served in premises so it’s by-ob for which the wine glasses used were again dirty, warm water for bathing is limited to few hours in a day. Having said this, if you like isolation and want to live in a grand yesteryears palace this is the place for you