View from the top

Place: GURGAON

The rooms are to the right and the public areas to the left,
both fronting the pool at Oberoi Gurgaon

It’s been awaited with bated breath. The Oberoi Gurgaon, in the making for a number of years, has finally thrown up its steel and glass frame. Given that the group has made a city hotel after a gap of nearly two decades, the anticipation, and secrecy, about the project had been high.  

For those familiar with its sister brand’s hotel, the Trident Gurgaon, with domed architecture, lush picture-perfect gardens and adjoining water bodies, its new neighbour, The Oberoi is as unlike it as it could be.  

The challenge was to do up the Oberoi as differently as possible from its existing flagship hotel in Delhi. The Oberoi Gurgaon, built at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore over nine acres, has been imaginatively conceptualised and painstakingly built from scratch, largely by the in-house team led by PRS Oberoi, Chairman of the EIH group, arguably India’s top end luxury hospitality chain and RSP Architects. The group is on an expansion spree, and is adding five new properties to its existing 32.  

The new hotel, which is on a management contract for the group, has spared little to make itself a destination of choice for NCR’s elite. It opted for a clean look, prepared a freshly built hill topped by a forest, a vertical green wall, and a lobby at the top of the hotel. The hill, built on flat land, took about five years to complete, and trees were planted atop that with enough depth to ensure that no one can reach the massive 36,000 ft2 cobalt blue tiled pool in middle. Shades of blue, soft in most parts, with a touch of vibrancy here and there, surprise you as wander around the property. The hill also leads to the lobby, placed a la a property in hills, at the top level of the five-floor hotel. The retail section at the entrance is yet to come up, but will have brands such as Bottega Veneta and Jimmy Choo. The way up to the lobby will have the choicest of global luxury brands besides the Oberoi’s patisserie and deli.

Another F&B highlight is an extension of the Oberoi Delhi’s popular all day dining outlet, 360º. Only, Gurgaon goes several notches higher in its threesixtyoneº - which at about 10,500 ft2 is the largest of its kind in the country. It has three distinct sections – one each for Japanese, Italian and a combined Chinese and Indian. Even with its greatly spacious seating, it can accommodate 202, and being on the pool front, offers a spectacular view on nightfall.  It even has a poolside, but its prospective popularity, chances are slim that you will get seating there easily! There is also another fine dining restaurant, Amaranta, an Indian seafood restaurant. It has a live crabs and other sea food on offer, including the blue Saurashtra crab, fresh caught! In fact fresh catch comes in from Kochi, Chennai and Vizag every morning, even if the sea is a thousand miles away.

The hotel has, perhaps deliberately, not created a huge inventory of rooms, especially given the fact that there are luxury hotels already in the proximity, and many more in the offing. The smallest of the 202 rooms however measures a goodly 620 ft2, while the suites range from 1,240 to 5,300 ft2. Yes, the largest three have private pools, cantilevered outdoor heated pool deck. Yes, living experience justifies its cost. The hotel is all about experiential luxury. ‘Height, light and space’ are the three magic words he uses as he proudly points out the special features of the property. Which includes what the hotel claims as the largest green wall anywhere in the world, about 10,000 ft2. But the smallest, ‘deluxe’ rooms have all the amenities from electronic safes to I-pod docking stations and media hubs.

The hotel has all the facilities of a top end business hotel, with large meeting and banqueting facilities, with a separate entrance of its own. Did I forget to mention the Piano bar or the Cigar Lounge or the butlers trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers, the first Rossanno Ferretti salon in the country, the 150-odd black and white photographs of leading Indian monuments and numerous paintings by emerging Indian artists or the 24 hour spa or the 18,000 of conference facilities or an art gallery by Nature Morte? Take out some time when you come to explore NCR’s latest and last word in hospitality till date.

Bridges can be pink too

It's a long drop to the bottom, don't even think about the jump, 
there's too much time to reflect en route! 

Place: SEVOKE

Yes, that's the super impressive Sevoke bridge over the Teesta in north Bengal. And its got a recent coat of paint.

Now called the Coronation bridge, it was opened in 1941. Named to commemorate the coronation of King George VI in 1937, it has since been a crucial link linking north eastern India to Bengal.

As it was built over a fast flowing river, it was apparently never an option to get any help from the river in construction, so the two sides of the river are anchored on the rock ranges on either side. It's a very long drop to the bottom - note the size of the vehicles on the bridge to put its size in perspective- and for the adventurous, there are some roughly hewn steps down to the river bank.

For decades, it has been one of the most important tourist spots near Shiliguri, though there is very little place to spread out - it is in the Himalayas. The bridge offers spectacular views of the Teesta as it flows through a narrow gorge.

There's a popular temple nearby. But you will have donate elsewhere too - the bridge has monkeys that are ready to snatch any eatables you might display! Experts at eyeing their targets - chips packets, bananas, corn, etc, the speed at which they approach can be disconcerting. 

Period piece

Glenary's reputation continues to attract visitors

Place: DARJEELING


Glenary's in Darjeeling is definitely among the places where time has stood still. Here the days of the Raj continue to hold sway as the entire ambience of this restaurant is geared towards maintaining it.

The main eatery still has items like meat pie on the menu. Try the cakes and pastries on offer. The best - look out of the window to get a great view of the Himalayas.

There is even a bar, The Buzz, on the floor below, though today it plays more local music than anything else. Along with the rest of this once glittering city, this restaurant has been in decline since the separatist Gorkhaland movement has affected the region.

May its halycon days return soon, for it is too precious too be permanently lost. 

Before the climb

Place: SUKNA

The Sukna forest at the foothills of the Himalayas on the way to Darjeeling is a quick getaway for those tired of Shiliguri's rampant commericialisation.

Where have you heard the name Sukna? Well, it has been in the news for a massive scam in the army due to sale of land in the area!

The forest, formally called the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, is just north of Shiliguri. Known much more its elephant herds, it also has lost of peacock and deer. This terai forest is famous for its rich variety of birds, making it a favourite haunt of birders. 

PLTs

Place: NORTH BENGAL

Hill flowers are just amazing. Or rather, flowers in the hills are amazing. just beautiful - the colours are vibrant, they last longer, all due to the weather of course.

Of course, we plains folk only see them in summer, not when they are asleep in winter.

This is somewhere enroute to Darjeeling on an April early afternoon