Blackberry Hills

On a ten-acre ridge above Munnar, Blackberry Hills looks out over tea gardens, shola forest and plantation villages folded into the Western Ghats. The estate sits on Kannan Devan Hills, five kilometres from town, reached by a road that climbs past terraced slopes. Suites and villas open onto private balconies facing the valley, each fitted with a living area, minibar and rain-shower bathroom. It is a quiet perch above the tea lines. From the balcony you can watch mist lift off the valley floor at dawn, and hear birdsong carry up from the forest below. A heated infinity pool holds the same view, and Sisal Spa, the resort's Ayurvedic centre, runs oil massage and steam treatments alongside international therapies. The Hornbill restaurant serves Kerala dishes built on local spice and seafood, with tables set indoors or open to the valley air. Guided walks lead through the estate's own trails, tracing paths used for tea tasting, birdwatching and short hikes into the surrounding forest. The grounds run on solar power for water heating, and gardens are planted with native species rather than a single tea monoculture. Vetiver grass lines the steeper paths to hold the soil against monsoon rain. Check-in and the drive up both make clear this is a working hillside, not a manicured lawn.