In the rolling hills of the Western Ghats, a fifth-generation coffee planter and his wife have turned a century-old British-era bungalow into the most lovingly kept secret in Karnataka — and the place that quietly put Chikmagalur on the traveller’s map.
There is a road out of Chikmagalur town that winds uphill through coffee estates and pepper-vine-draped forests, past villages where the air smells of roasting beans and woodsmoke, and eventually delivers you — after about forty minutes of the kind of driving that makes you forget why you were ever in a hurry — to Woodway. The bungalow sits at the top of a rise on Hullikere Estate, looking out over the rolling Western Ghats with the easy confidence of a building that has watched a great many things come and go since 1904, and found most of them unremarkable.
Woodway is widely regarded as Chikmagalur’s first heritage homestay. It was built in the British colonial era and has passed through several owners over the decades, arriving eventually in the hands of Shreedev — a fifth-generation coffee planter whose father was the property’s third owner — and his wife Susmitha. The couple’s stated intention when they opened the homestay was simple and ambitious in equal measure: to put Chikmagalur on the map. By any measure, they have succeeded.
The Bungalow
The bungalow is the kind of building that takes your breath away quietly rather than loudly. Intricate wood-carved panels, antique doors worn smooth by generations of hands, wide verandahs that look out over the plantation in every direction — it is a place of exceptional character, where every surface tells you something about the people who have lived here. A gentle stream runs through the property. The lawns are open and generous. A glass-walled room creates a particular kind of magic on rainy afternoons, when the mist rolls in off the hills and the world outside turns every shade of green simultaneously.
The estate itself stretches across 150 acres of coffee plantation, with pepper vines climbing the shade trees and the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary forming the larger wilderness beyond. There is no cell phone signal on the property — something Woodway mentions matter-of-factly and its guests consistently describe as the single best feature of their stay.
The Rooms
There are seven rooms, each named after something drawn from the estate and its surrounding forests, and each carrying a personality as distinct as the landscape that inspired it.
Minivet — the most deeply Woodway of all rooms — has a fireplace, a plantation deck chair, and a Singer sewing machine vanity that feels like it belongs in a short story. Sleeps two. Kaffea has a fireplace facing the bed and an Athangudi writing desk at the window: made, as the estate puts it, for slow mornings. Caneflower offers a working fireplace, a carved four-poster bed, and a reading alcove in what is said to be the warmest room in the house. Shola is anchored by a floor-to-ceiling carved torana mirror and a blue-teal bathroom that gives you nothing to rush towards. Ficus has a two-zone layout — partitioned king and queen — for three guests with no compromise on character. Bhadra, named after the sanctuary it overlooks, takes two king beds and a generous floor plan and turns it into the ideal retreat for families or groups of four. And Birdwing, the newest addition, has an exposed stone wall, a stained glass bathroom, and a private balcony that opens directly into the garden — raw and beautiful in equal measure.
All rooms are priced from ₹7,000 per person with all meals included.
Eating Here
Food at Woodway is not a feature — it is a philosophy. The majority of what reaches your plate is grown on the estate itself: homegrown, fully organic, and aligned with the season rather than a menu. Meals are prepared in the traditional Malenaadu style — the regional cuisine of the hill district, with its coconut-forward gravies, rice-based staples, and the kind of quiet, nourishing flavours that city restaurants have been trying and failing to replicate for years. The coffee, freshly brewed from beans picked on the very estate you are sitting in, is reason enough to visit.
Evening bonfires, long lunches on the verandah, and early morning cups of coffee watched by the hills are as much a part of the Woodway food experience as anything that comes out of the kitchen.
What to See
The estate itself is the primary experience. Guided walks through the coffee trails — led by the estate staff who know every tree, every bird, and every turn in the path — are among the most memorable mornings available anywhere in Karnataka. The plantation is in full, fragrant bloom between October and November; the harvest season from November to January brings the estate alive with activity that guests are invited to participate in.
For those who want to venture further, Mullayanagiri — the highest peak in Karnataka at 1,930 metres — is within reach, as is the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary with its tigers, elephants, and extraordinary birdlife. Chikmagalur town, with its modest but characterful bazaars, coffee curing works, and the ancient Kodandarama Temple, is about forty minutes away by road. Shreedev is always reachable to help organise treks, transportation, and suggestions for paths that do not appear on any map.
Why It Stays With You
Woodway works because of the people at its centre. Susmitha and Shreedev are not running a resort — they are sharing their home, their land, and the knowledge that comes from five generations of living in these hills. Guests speak of conversations that stretched long past dinner, of being taken on local hikes by the staff, of small gestures of hospitality that cannot be manufactured. The estate has earned a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence and over 369 reviews that consistently return to the same themes: warmth, authenticity, extraordinary food, and the particular peace of a place where the phone does not ring.
Come for a weekend. Leave wondering why you ever need to be anywhere else.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Jakkanahalli Post, Chikmagalur — 577 130, Karnataka Contact: Susmitha / Shreedev Phone: +91 96630 71775 · +91 9448245201 Email: info@woodwayhomestay.com Website: woodwayhomestay.com Booking: Direct via website or through The Almanac booking portal
Check-in: 12:00 PM · Check-out: 12:00 PM
Rooms: 7 — Minivet, Kaffea, Caneflower, Shola, Ficus, Bhadra, Birdwing Rates: From ₹7,000 per person per night, all meals included Meals: All meals included — fully organic, Malenaadu-style home cooking Note: No cell phone signal on the property. Download Google Maps directions before leaving Chikmagalur town.
Getting There — Mangalore Airport is the nearest international airport, approximately 100 km away — around 2.5 hours by road. — Hassan Railway Station is the nearest major railhead, approximately 55 km away. — From Bengaluru: approximately 240 km via Hassan — around 5–6 hours by road. The most scenic route passes through Sakleshpur. — From Chikmagalur town: approximately 10 km to Jakkanahalli village — a 40-minute drive on winding estate roads. Contact Shreedev in advance for detailed turn-by-turn directions to the property. — Taxis are available from Chikmagalur town and can be arranged through the estate.
Nearby — Mullayanagiri Peak: 20 km · Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary: 35 km · Chikmagalur town: 10 km · Belur & Halebidu temples: 40 km · Baba Budangiri: 25 km
