Golden Ridge Mountain Resort - an awesome holiday resort in Munnar
Are you looking for a true vacation resort to spend your holidays in Munnar? Read my awesome experience with Golden Ridge Mountain Resort, Munnar.
When you spot Golden Ridge Mountain resort from far, what you notice first is the architectural beauty of the building and how well it blends with nature, hills and valleys around it. The first thing I asked the hotel manager when I got a chance to have a talk with him was, who is the architect of the building. And he smiled and replied, "the resort is constructed and owned by a professional architect". No wonder, the entire property looks so professionally handcrafted with attention to details everywhere.
Check out the official website of Golden Ridge Mountain Resort (www.goldenridgemunnar.com)
Before I go deep into my review of Golden Ridge, here are some of the highlights:
Golden Ridge is a small beautiful resort, located in Chinnakkanal, one of the most beautiful areas of Munnar. It is built on top of a small hill and has an excellent view of valleys and mountains. The rising mist passing through the wide open corridors of the resort is an awesome experience to remember for the rest of your life. 
Small, but beautiful resort
All the rooms have an excellent view of the valley in front of the resort and mountains at far. If you have a choice, choose one of their suite rooms which are very spacious and comes with a jacuzzi. The Honeymoon suite is one of their best rooms. Check out the room details.
Beautiful outdoor seating area, with excellent view of valleys and mountainsTasty food, plenty of choices and reasonably priced
They have a very good restaurant, serving awesome food at reasonable price. You can enjoy the excellent beauty of nature while having your food in the restaurant. The staff in the restaurant was very friendly and the chef was very keen on making sure we get our choice of food. When my son asked for the availability of a Chinese dish which was not on the menu, we tried to discourage him but the friendly restaurant manager assured him of preparing anything that he can name or describe!
Authentic, fresh cooked food, served by friendly staff
The breakfast was pretty simple, which included the typical Kerala items like Idly, Dosa and Poori. My children asked for toasted bread with cheese and they weren't disappointed. All the dishes including chutney tasted fresh. For dinner, we asked for a couple of Chinese dishes and they prepared some of the best tasting Chinese food we ever had in a resort.
Wide, open corridiors allow mist to pass through
Candle light dinner - the candle light dinner set by them was really awesome. Our 3 boys who are always talkative even in the dining area fell into a different mood, set by the candle light ambience in the restaurant. The roof of the restaurant is filled with reflective stars, which gives us a feeling that we are under the open sky.Very clean, calm and quite place, in the midst of natural beauty
The entire resort is very well maintained and very clean. You won't notice anything that is not needed. There are beautiful creepers, bushes and flower plants all over. This is a new resort and the trees are still growing. Paved walking trails mixed with natural stones and Mexican grass adds to the beauty of the resort. The only sounds that break the silence of the surroundings are the chirping sounds of the birds. There was no vehicle movement anywhere nearby. 
Amazing view from every room
Every room has a balcony opening to the awesome natureIndoor and Outdoor activities
There are plenty of outdoor seating area, making it more comfortable to stay outdoors than locking yourself in the comfort of your room. Right in front of our room, there were a couple of wooden benches to sit and relax. I sat on the bench with my wife till midnight, enjoying some warm coffee. A cup of wine would have been ideal, but unfortunately, alcohol is not allowed in common areas of any resort or hotel. 
Playing carroms in the indoor play area
If you feel lazy to leave the resort, then you can enjoy indoor games like snooker, caroms, foosball, which will keep you occupied throughout your stay. During our stay in Golden Ridge Mountain resort, we decided to stay all day in the resort. Our children were busy playing table football and snooker, while I sat with my wife and enjoyed the beauty of nature. 
Playing Foosball in the indoor play area in Golden Ridge
During a casual chat with the resort manager, I was told about the "Muniyaras" (centuries-old man-made burial chambers, made using large layers of rocks) which were just a couple of minutes drive from the resort. I couldn't control my curiosity and I was on the road in a few minutes. The resort manager offered to accompany me to show the route. After a few minutes drive and a short walk through a rocky hill, we reached a place where several "muniyaras" were located. It was very interesting to listen to the stories from the resort manager. I will leave it to you to listen directly from them when you visit Golden Ridge resort. 
Royal bed in the suite roomLocation of Golden Ridge
TripAdvisor won't warn you about the location and accessibility of the resort when you search for a room. In fact, some of the resorts that look very attractive on the website are located at remote hills or in the middle of the forests where normal cars can't reach. Even though some of those resorts arrange their own 4-wheel drive jeeps, it may come as a surprise to many. Families with small children may find it uncomfortable to stay in resorts in remote locations. On the other hand, many people, especially foreign tourists prefer resorts located far away from the town so that they can enjoy the beauty and silence of nature at its best.
Golden Ridge Mountain Resort has a right mix of both. It's far enough from towns and highways and is located in absolute silence (except for your snoring partner!). Of course, the chirping birds are everywhere around the property and they start their job early in the morning! If you don't like birds and mist, don't go for Mountain Ridge.
Watch this video of Golden Ridge resort
Golden Ridge is located 23 km from Munnar town towards Munnar - Kumily - Thekkady Road. This 23 km Highway is one of the best scenic routes in the region. However, be aware that it is called "highway" only in the name but the road is pretty narrow. You can see cars stopping all over the sides of the narrow roads to capture pictures of moving mist and beautiful landscapes covered with tea gardens. One side of the road has tall hills and other side have steep valleys, which could be dangerous unless you have an experienced driver. 
From Munnar - Kumily road, you have to take a deviation and drive about 2.5km through a tarred, well maintained local road to reach the resort. Be careful if you are arriving in the night. Mist can cover the roads any time without notice and you will have zero visibility until the mist completely uncovers the road.
Our kids were expecting a bumpy ride but they were disappointed since the roads were well paved till the entrance, even though it goes through forest land on both sides of the road.Overall review of Golden Ridge Mountain Resort
When we saw the photos in their website, we were concerned that this is a small resort. However, after experiencing their hospitality, the ambience and beauty of the nature surrounding the resort, we were extremely happy that we chose Golden Ridge. In fact, during our Munnar - Kodaikanal - Valparai trip in March 2017, we stayed in 4 different resorts, including a 4-Star property at Kodaikanal. Among all the resorts we stayed, Golden Ridge stands above all, beyond any doubts. Their strong point is their dedicated team of staff. The management should be very lucky to have such a dedicated team who do their best to make sure their guests are more than happy.
Spacious bathroom
I would recommend Golden Ridge for honeymoon couples, families and small groups who love to enjoy the holidays in the lap of nature.Booking Enquiries
You can contact the hotel directly for booking enquiries. Check out the contact details here.
Address: Golden Ridge Mountain Resort Periyakanal, Chinnakanal P O, Munnar. Kerala, India
Phone: +91- 4868 249600 / 249700 / 249800, +91-9446279800
Email: info@goldenridgemunnar.com / reservation@goldenridgemunnar.com
