A Heartwarming Farm Stay: Hospitality at Its Best

From the moment I heard Mr Kirubashankar address the host club, a visit to Vaksana Farms surpassed my bucket list of places to visit. The Airbnb super-host coupon well utilised!

From the moment I booked our stay, I knew this experience was going to be different.

We start the day on a 6 hr drive from my home town, yet beat the drudgery - a detailed message delivered from the host - Mrs Kasthuri - navigation guidelines with a request to share your live location, neat check-in instructions, farm guidelines, tips to safety, care for yourself and the habitat, house rules and the best of ameneties to enjoy. You can't miss to muse - reading between the lines - the commitment of a host, promise to create an everlasting expereince, the perspective of building responsibility to the guest and the best of impressions to professional hosting. Curious to know why it was requested to share live location - Kasthuri Amma was right there as we drove into the property with humility and grace - the namaskaram from a 75 year old was more than overwhelming! we were flattered. We already felt at home.

We were guided seamlessly to our dwell - they adorne multiple listings and our destination was "Tang"- the functional layout embodying comfort, utility, privacy and connectivity (unfortunate you have the ability to connect on an office call). Soon a knock at the door was so refreshing - in house delivered delicious, aromatic, nutritious, home - cooked meal that deciphered a tag "cooked with love". Lip smacking and enticing. Simultaneously there was a pre ordering option of tea/coffee at your convenient snack time - conveying "No waiting - just perfect timing".

Mr and Mrs Kiruba reached out to check on our comforts and a telephonic chat with Mrs Sujani Kiruba was an eye opener. The transformation of a wetland into a thriving orchard with the profound permaculture practices was inspiring. A collaborative family effort inorder to bring the Lady of the family (Lakshmi Paatti) to her ancestral village. There was a clear sign contemplating Mrs Sujani's remarks - every blade of grass glorified the sweat of Mr Kiruba Shankar. It wasn't just farming, it was a philosophy of coexistence.The essence so erupted an entrepreneur in the octogenarian - she did envisage that the farm accomodates and resonates to the world with a Homestay - thus was born "Vaksana Farm stays".

A well spent evening -sip of hot tea, guided farm tour, breath of fresh air, songs of the fowls, the naughty goat kid, selfie with Surya- the stallion, planting a sapling,leaving behind a tiny piece of ourselves in this beautiful land and the highlight - an heart to heart chat with Kasthuri Amma. She shared how hosting guests started as a small idea and grew into a passion. This land has raised more than just crops,she reminisced, eyes twinkling. It has raised generations, hosted strangers who left as family, and taught that real wealth is in the people we meet. Listening to her, we realised ”this wasn't just a farm, it was a living, breathing legacy.

Mr Kiruba Shankar drove in to add his professional narrative of creating hospitality and knowledge building on best practices @ Vaksana Farms. His books talk his style, tradition, technology and nuances of recent day hospitality industry. Not just hindsight but a hosting culture built on tested domains and expertise.

Morning arrived too soon, and with it, an early checkout due to our personal agenda. But not before another thoughtful touch - a steaming cup of coffee, served just as we liked it. As we started the car there was one last wisdom transferred with a safety note from Kasthuri Amma "honk as you leave - blind curve ahead".

Some places offer a getaway, this farm stay offered something more - an experience wrapped in warmth, stories, simple joys curated with love and insights.

A must be place to rejuvenate with responsibility, restore with relativity, nurture with sustainability. Celebrate Vaksana Farms.