Mookanana luxury Resort stay in Sakaleshpura

I spent two nights at Mookanana Resort in Sakaleshpura, Karnataka. Mookanana is a luxury resort in Karnataka's Switzerland (Sakaleshpura in Hasana district) and is well equipped to give a great holiday experience to you and your family. Mookanana was opened two years back. After about one year of operation Covid issue kept the resort closed for several months and now Mookanana is back in business, ready to welcome you to Sakaleshpura.

This post shares my experience and observations at the resort.

The name: Mookanana is derived from two words. Kanana in Kannada means forest. Move in English means Go. Mookanana is meant to represent "Let us move towards the forest".

Welcome treat: As we arrived, we were greeted with a traditional peta, (headgear), a garland and rose. Refreshers (welcome drink) were given. Wet towels/wipe would have been nice but they are not that eco friendly- rest rooms are available for guests to fresh up quickly, so no complaints.

Above: Mookanana main reception and parking area, a bit away from rooms and restaurant.

The room types at Mookanana Resort: 

1. Mallige and Sampige: Named after popular flowers , the standard or base category rooms at Mookanana are of a unique design. One building block that you see below consists of two room units. Each room can accommodate four adults-there is an elevated section accessible via steps where probably kids or younger, healthier members of the family can stay. Rooms get a balcony view. spacious washroom and a a bamboo themed curvy roof.

I spent 2 nights in this room. Comfortable beds, well equipped with AC, TV, kettle, cupboard with mirror and other standard facilities. Fan is of a modern design.

Bathroom gets a portion with glass roof, letting in natural lights. I first thought it is the shower unit, later realized that shower is inside, only geyser is outside.

2. Parijatha Pool Villa: Pool Villa is a luxurious version of the cottages explained above. Pool villa includes a private pool with forest view, accommodation for about 8 people in different rooms. Villas also get a kitchen unit so that you can cook some basic stuff yourself.

3. Parijatha Villa: This room is similar to Pool Villa but misses the pool. All other facilities are available.

I found a unique design cottage like below- was told this is also standard room.

Activities at Mookanana Resort:

1.Large swimming pool: Like all resorts, Mookanana also has a large swimming pool next to the restaurant, with rest rooms and kids area. 

2. Hanging bridge: A nice hanging bridge can keep you excited for a while- safe and wide for kids to play, you can use the bridge to travel from your room to restaurants.

3. Trekking & sightseeing: Resort will organize trekking and sightseeing to nearby hills, waterfalls and viewpoints. You may need to be transported in local 4x4 vehicles. I have a separate post coming up on places to explore in Sakaleshpura. Kaginahare viewpoint, Tippu viewpoint, Bisile Ghat view point, Patla Betta, Hosahalli Gudda are some of the popular destinations nearby.

4. Boating: A heart shaped lake is made near the resort, boating can be organized here (except for seasons when water level is too low). I saw someone ziplining across this lake as well.

5. Adventure activities: A range of adventure activities such as rope walking are available in the resort premises.

6. Candle light dinner: Can be organized on demand.

7. Spa: Coming soon

8. Jungle walk, Bird watching

Food:

The restaurant offers amazing view and serves great food, with special focus on local delicacies. 

As I spoke to resort management, I was briefed that following things are in their plan and will be coming soon

• Couple of buggies (electric carts) for guests to move around within the resort (now drive your own vehicle, or walk or ask to be transported in resort jeep)
• Plan to provide RO treated drinking water instead of mineral water in bottles
• Plan to use compost and various other eco friendly measures
• Their website soon will have online booking feature.
• About 8 more rooms are under construction and will be ready to accommodate more guests soon

Internet connectivity:

Jio dongle had decent speed. Restaurant has WiFi, airtel sim had almost no signal in the campus. Overall net is decent- mail, chat, photo upload etc worked fine but may not be 100% reliable for heavy duty work or super important meetings.

Rates: Mookanana resort rental starts at about 9000 INR + 18% tax. Of course the rates may vary depending on season, weekday/weekend, room type, any ongoing offers and so on. Do check official site (https://mookanana.com/) for details

Location: Mookanana resort is located about 10kms away from main road that connects Subramanya to Sakaleshpura via Bisile Ghat. From Sakaleshpura town Mookanana resort is about 38 kms away. Consider 1 hour drive from Sakaleshpura town to resort.

Overall, it was my first stay in Sakaleshpura and it was a great experience. All these years I used to commute between Bengaluru and Mangaluru on bus or in car etc, only passing through Sakaleshpura with quick stops. If you are looking for a luxury stay experience in Sakaleshpura, do consider Mookanana. 

Let me know if you have any questions about Mookanana resort. I will try to answer.

Nearby: Bisile Ghat viewpoint * Patla Betta * Hosahalli Gudda * Kaginahare viewpoint * Tippu Viewpoint * Waterfalls (best suited during Sep-Jan time period) 

Other resort options in Sakaleshpura: Eka Resort * Machaan Plantation Resort