Coco Lagoon by Great Mount

Coco Lagoon by Great Mount sits in a coconut grove on Meenkarai Road outside Pollachi, the market town south of Coimbatore that most travellers pass through on the way to Valparai's tea country. Stopping here instead is the better idea: a pond-side resort with villas, an infinity pool and the Western Ghats close enough for a day's birdwatching.

Rooms from lawn to pond to pool

Six categories run in a clear ladder. Executive Deluxe rooms are cosy and wood-accented, opening onto the lawn or a balcony. Tropical Suites come two ways: upstairs with a private balcony, pitched at couples, or at ground level with the living room stepping straight onto the open lawn, which suits families. The newer Pond View Suites sit right on the water, and the top rungs are the Plunge Pool Villa, with its own plunge pool and pond-facing balcony, and the flagship Private Pool Villas, of which the site lists just two, rooms 501 and 601. Every category includes breakfast, air conditioning and Wi-Fi.

This restaurant is best known for its authentic Tamilian cuisine dishes.

That is the resort on The Palm, its multi-cuisine restaurant, and it is the thing to order: Pollachi is deep Kongunad farming country, and a kitchen confident in Tamil cooking beats a hotel buffet every time.

Pollachi as a base

The resort leans into its region rather than walling itself off. Its excursions include a handloom tour and a handloom village visit, a palm jaggery tour, a tea tour at Valparai, kayaking and trekking at Thirumoorthy Dam, plus Monkey Falls, Aliyar Dam and a butterfly park nearby. On site there are bullock cart rides, boating, zorbing, cycling, a sports turf and a kids' play area, with a lifeguard on duty at the infinity pool at all times. For gatherings, the Zodiac hall takes around 120 to 150 people and there is an open-air amphitheatre. A grounded, good-value countryside resort rather than a polished showpiece, and for exploring the Anamalai foothills that is exactly what you want.