Woodway Estate, Chikmagalur: Two Nights in a 1908 Coffee Bungalow

The first thing I think of when I think of Woodway is the lawn. Late afternoon, nothing on the agenda and no reason to get in the car. The second is the inside of the house: mosaic floors and old wood everywhere.

We stayed two nights in September 2026, in two rooms, on what was meant to be another Chikmagalur weekend with a stop at Halebidu on the way home. It turned into a weekend at Woodway. I've been coming to Chikmagalur for about ten years, and this is the first trip where we spent most of our time on the estate itself.

A 1908 bungalow, still in the family

Woodway is a homestay on a working coffee estate, built around a bungalow that's more than a hundred years old. According to the owners, it was the first homestay in Chikmagalur. The family still owns it; Almanac now runs the homestay side.

The fuller history comes from Condé Nast Traveller India: the bungalow was built in 1908 as a guesthouse, the Hulikere family has had it since the 1970s, and it opened to guests as a homestay in 2003. It sits on a 60-acre Robusta estate and has six bedrooms.

The interiors are the reason to stay here rather than somewhere cheaper down the road. Mosaic tiles, heavy wooden furniture, a corridor that catches the light in the evening, and a seating area full of carved wood and bright cushions.

The lawn, the estate, and not doing much

We got in around 2 pm on a Friday and the pattern set itself quickly: eat, sit on the lawn, walk the estate, eat again. The walks were the best part of it — once in the crisp morning air, and again in the evening when the light turned golden, coffee in hand. The estate dogs came along for most of them: Cleo, and, we were told, her grandkids Simba and Luna. September is still green here, and the coffee was already turning red on the plants.

I flew the drone over the estate as well.

Evenings end around a bonfire. On the first night the moon came up over the trees while we were still outside, and the next evening there was mist over the hills beyond the hedge.

The food: all local

Every meal came from the estate kitchen — two lunches, two dinners, two breakfasts — and it was all local. The fish fry was the standout, and very fresh. The pork was just as good. The surprise was the gulab jamun. It stood out more than I expected dessert to.

The people who run it

The staff have clearly been there a long time, and it shows in how the place runs. On Sunday, just before we checked out, we met the owner, a fifth-generation coffee planter, who spent a while telling us about his old estate. It was the kind of conversation you only get at a place that's still somebody's family home.

What it costs, and whether it's worth it

It isn't cheap. We paid around ₹14,000 a night per room, which worked out to about ₹7,000 each. That's well above the ₹2,500–5,000 a typical Chikmagalur homestay costs for two, and you'll feel it.

We still thought it was worth it, for one reason: this is a place to stay in, not a base to leave from. If your plan is Mullayanagiri at dawn, a jeep safari and a full day of viewpoints, you'll be paying for a house you only see at night, and a simpler homestay will do the job. If you want two days of good food, a lawn and an old house to settle into, that's what the money buys.

Practical notes

• Booking: we booked directly with the estate. It isn't listed on Agoda.
• Meals: all meals were at the estate. There's no reason to plan restaurant stops.
• Coffee harvest: Condé Nast reports a full-day harvest programme between December and February. We were there in September, so we haven't done it.
• On the way back: we stopped at Halebidu. Go early or late; by noon the stone is properly hot. Entry is free and parking is ₹70.

For the rest of the region, the Chikmagalur guide has the first-trip itinerary, and the Kudremukh and Samse tea garden loop is the second trip. If you're planning around a long weekend, the weekend trips from Bangalore guide has the 2026 holiday calendar.