Villa
The Dunnottar Bungalow Kodaikanal Lake
- 15 Guests
- 5 Bedrooms
- 12 Beds
- 7 Bathrooms
The Dunnottar Bungalow is a boutique five-bedroom heritage villa on a one-acre lakefront estate — directly on Kodaikanal Lake, on Lake Road near Bryant Park.
Great For:
Groups of 10 – 15 — the whole house, privately booked, no other guests
Family reunions — grandparents, parents and children under one roof
Celebrations — birthdays, anniversaries and milestones, with bonfire, wood-fired pizza and home-cooked feasts
Wedding stays — the private home base for the couple's family and close friends during a Kodaikanal wedding. Eeveryone together on the lake, minutes from the celebrations, with the meals cooked through the stay. We host the stay and the quiet moments around the wedding.
Golf trips — a short drive from the 1895 Kodaikanal Golf Club
Corporate offsites — the whole house as a quiet, private base to work and connect
Creative retreats — music, food, writing, art — a maker's house with a one-acre property, nature and no crowds
Directly on Kodaikanal Lake, near Bryant Park, on the quiet side of town
The house is a 19th-century Scottish heritage bungalow that has been in the Puliyadi family since 1947, carefully restored to preserve its original character while adding contemporary comfort. The bungalow is divided into two self-contained wings within one larger house: North and South. Each wing has its own bedrooms, living and dining spaces, and a separate entrance, so larger groups can stay together while still having natural separation between families, generations, or friends. During your stay, the full property and grounds are yours, with no other guests on the estate.
Inside, the bungalow offers five ensuite bedrooms for up to 15 guests, three living rooms, two dining rooms, and two studies. Outside, the one-acre grounds open into patios, lawns, garden terraces, hammocks, bicycles, bonfire spaces, and a wood-fired pizza oven.
The house has Wi-Fi, room heaters, updated bathrooms, and the practical comforts needed for a longer stay. Breakfast is included for every guest. Lunch, dinner, snacks, tiffin, grill, and wood-fired pizzas are available from the bungalow kitchen on request and charged separately.
The property is staffed, with the Bungalow Manager and team on site to help with meals, bonfires, the pizza oven, transfers, taxis, and practical questions during the stay. Parking is available on site.
The Dunnottar has always been a house shaped by family, the lake, the trees, and time spent together. Opening it to guests is our way of letting that tradition continue.
As featured in Condé Nast Traveller India, Architectural Digest India, Vogue India, and Design Pataki.
Bungalow at a Glance
Ideal for family holidays and reunions, celebrations, a private base for the family during a Kodaikanal wedding, golf near the 1895 Kodaikanal Golf Club, and small corporate or creative retreats. Bryant Park, the boat club, the bazaar and cafés are a few minutes' walk.
North Bungalow
- The Dunnottar Suite — sleeps 4, private entrance, sitting room with fireplace, dressing room, ensuite bathroom
- Master Bedroom — sleeps 3, ensuite bathroom
- Sun Room — family room, forest-facing views, access to main lawn
- North Library Room — living room with fireplace
- North Study — work desk, books, natural skylight
- North Dining Room — garden views, access to main lawn
- North Lawn — main bungalow lawn, long wooden table
- North Fireplace — outdoor bonfire area
South Bungalow
- The Rose Library — sleeps 3, ensuite bathroom
- The Boiler Room — sleeps 2, original boiler history on the wall, ensuite bathroom
- The Old Study — sleeps 3, writing desk, ensuite bathroom
- South Living and Dining Room — open loft-style room with high ceilings and forest views
- South Study — work desk, books, board games
- South Patio — outdoor seating with garden views
- South Garden Terrace — vine-covered outdoor patio with a long wooden table, hammock, and wood-fired pizza oven set into the stone wall
About the neighbourhood
The Dunnottar sits on Lake Road, directly on Kodaikanal Lake and near Bryant Park. This is one of the most useful parts of staying here: guests can step out for a walk around the lake, walk to the boat area, cafés, bazaar, and lake market, and return to the house without needing a car for every outing.
Kodaikanal is a small hill town, and The Dunnottar is placed at the heart of it. Bryant Park, the boating area, lake market, cafés, bakeries, the bazaar, and the historic Kodaikanal Club are within easy walking distance, while Coaker’s Walk is a short walk or drive away. For guests who want to visit Pillar Rocks, Green Valley View, Guna Caves, Pine Forest, the Kodaikanal Golf Club, waterfalls, viewpoints, or other popular sites around Kodaikanal, taxis and local transport can be arranged. Many of these places are around 10 to 25 minutes away by car, depending on traffic, weather, and the time of day.
The advantage of the location is flexibility. Guests can stay close to the lake and walk out when they want, or plan short drives to the surrounding viewpoints and picnic spots. Most popular places around town are a short car or taxi ride away, depending on traffic and weather.
At the same time, the house feels set apart. The one-acre grounds, eucalyptus, pine, lawns, and garden paths give guests space to return to after being in town. It works well for families and groups who want access to Kodaikanal without depending on a car for every small plan.
Kodaikanal sits at about 2,100 metres in the Palani Hills, so mornings and evenings can be cold, especially outside summer. In the wet season, rain often arrives in the afternoon. We recommend carrying warm layers and planning outdoor sightseeing earlier in the day.
Madurai Airport is about 3 to 3.5 hours away, Coimbatore Airport about 4.5 to 5 hours, and Kodaikanal Road railway station about 1.5 hours; transfers can be arranged on request and charged separately.
Since 1947
The house has been in our family since 1947, when it was purchased by Puliyadi Kuppuswami Iyer from Lord Chamberlain, a Scotsman who left for the United Kingdom with two suitcases. Almost everything else stayed — the furniture, the paintings, the bookcases, the brass.
For four generations, the Puliyadi family has returned here to spend time slowly: walking through the grounds, eating together, sitting by the fire, and gathering under the trees. The one-acre grounds are part of the house’s rhythm — space to walk, read, picnic, play, or do very little at all. Mornings often begin outdoors, with breakfast in the garden. Afternoons move between the verandah, the lawn, and the lake. Evenings gather around the wood-fired pizza oven or the bonfire.
The Dunnottar has always been a house shaped by family, the lake, the trees, and time spent together. Opening it to guests is our way of letting that tradition continue.
Highlights
Parking
Half board
Wireless Broadband Internet
Pictures
Amenities
Parking & facilities
Parking, Parking option included, Private garden, Shared garden, Pack 'n Play/Travel crib, Hammock, Outdoor dining area, Outdoor furniture, Patio or balcony, Single level home, Private living room
Services
Breakfast included, Laundry service optional, Cleaning available during stay, Meal plan half board
Policies
Accept credit card, Accessible 24/7, Children welcome, Pets not allowed, Smoking not allowed
Entertainment
Bicycles, Books and reading material, Playroom, Board games, Children's books and toys, TV antenna, TV cable
Kitchen & dining
BBQ charcoal grill, Kitchen, Blender, Coffee machine, Kitchen stove, Kitchenette, Microwave, Oven, Refrigerator, Spices, Toaster, Cleaning Products, Baking sheet, Barbecue utensils, Coffee, Cooking basics, Dining table, Dishes and silverware, Freezer, Hot water kettle, Wine glasses
Location features
Lake, Town
Bathroom & laundry
Bathroom and laundry room, Bed linen, Blow dryer, Clothes dryer, Essentials, Iron and board, Shower, Towel set, Washbasin, Washing machine, Body soap, Conditioner, Shampoo, Shower gel, Clothing storage, Drying rack for clothing, Extra pillows and blankets, Hangers, Mosquito net
Heating & cooling
Electric heating
Internet & office
Wireless Broadband Internet wireless
Home Safety
Fire extinguisher
House Rules
Pets not allowed
Smoking not allowed
Credit cards accepted
Children welcome
- Check-in02:00 PM
- Check-out12:00 PM (noon)
Location
Lake Road, Kodaikanal, India
The Dunnottar is on Kodaikanal Lake Road, Kodaikanal — 624 101, Tamil Nadu.
📍 Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VaSHXNAV2GFntZGz5
From Madurai Airport (nearest — approximately 3.5 hours by road)
Take the Madurai–Kodaikanal highway via Batlagundu. Once in Kodaikanal town, head toward the lake.
From Coimbatore Airport (approximately 5 hours by road)
Take the Pollachi–Udumalpet route via Valparai, or the Palani route. {Confirm preferred route with caretaker}.
From Chennai (approximately 7–8 hours by road or overnight train to Kodai Road station, then 1.5 hours by road)
Policy and notes
Payment Schedule
100% of the total amount is due at time of reservation.
Remaining balance: Due later
Cancellation Policy
100% of paid prepayments refundable when canceled 30 days before arrival or earlier.
0% refundable if canceled after.
Security deposit
A pre-authorization of 10% is held on 0 days before arrival and voided on 0 days after departure
Availability
Select check-in date
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Reviews
About host
The story of our Bungalow starts many decades ago in post-independent India. It was 1947 when the property came into our family when a Scotsman by the name of Lord Chamberlain sold The Dunnottar to our grandfather, Puliyadi Kuppuswami Iyer, a businessman and philanthropist from Madurai.
As the story goes, he and his wife left for the United Kingdom with just two suitcases, leaving behind all their belongings and furniture in their Kodaikanal home. While much has changed to the interior of the bungalow, there are still many artefacts that remain from the Chamberlain era, which can be found dispersed around the house.
From 1947 onwards, ‘The Dunnottar’ has served as the main holiday home in the hills for us. Every year, we would descend upon the lakeside property and spend weeks enjoying the cool summer breeze, long walks, and elaborate family picnics, which often extended outside Dunnottar and into the lake where the kids would have their row boats parked.
For an hour everyday though, we would find ourselves seeking shelter inside the house. The afternoon showers forced us to find other ways to entertain ourselves - the elderly turning to cards, while the kids played board games. There were still those of us, old and young, who preferred staring out the window listening to the sound of the rain pouring down on the galvanized iron sheet rooftops. Just as fast as the skies greyed, they would turn blue again.
Times were simpler then, but what remains true till today is what the home stood for. It was a place where the family could escape the stress of everyday urban life, a place where we could recharge, but most importantly a place where we could reconnect with family and friends.
Many special memories have been made here and we hope that by opening our doors to you, you will continue this tradition by creating memories of your own at Dunnottar.
—
The Puliyadi Family
Contact us
- Email:[email protected]
- Phone:+34699882862
- Website:https://www.thedunnottarkodai.in/