My Taj holidays

I am a hopeless roamer. I hang my kid at my side and just follow my husband wherever he goes. Be it the godforsaken places where I do not get to see pizzas or malls for a very long time and make myself comfortable with the knowledge that home is where heart is.

Fortunately my life is not as bad as I make it sound. Recently I had a very luxurious spoilt experience at Taj. And its not the Taj Mahal at Agra, though I plan to see that soon. I am taking about the Taj Hotels. Its not just one place I have been to but so many places and so many beautiful structures with facilities that just makes you feel like a queen (or a king).

My first Taj start with Hyderabad. My hometown yet I saw it in a different light this time. Taj Vivanta at Begumpet makes a very grand generous service to the army crowd. The welcome drinks were refreshing too. They gave us huge rooms and meals that would delight your palate. I never thought I would have momos for breakfast or barbequed prawns for lunch or perhaps have steamed fish for dinner. There was no way I would step out in the June summery day to miss all this. The swimming pool area was cozy and armed with beautiful ornamental trees and cane chairs. The people were warm and I left a happy customer.

We landed in Bangalore. Bangalore as a city simply boggles my mind. The Taj Gateway at the Brigade road was perhaps more of a cooperate hotel. It didn’t warm my heart right away. Though the breakfast area outdoors was a treat to sore eyes. The waterfall and the lotus in the pond made me ignore the dried idlies and overcooked dosas. I am more of a foodie. I decide the reputation of the hotel with its delicacies. The beat part was the walkable shopping area. I browsed through the junk jewellery and the clothes sipping on my soda. Sky Bar @ UB city is a sure place to see. The lunch buffet the next day was a delight. They realized we were a group of very hungry people. The bread pudding and the biryani were great.

Taj Gateway at Marine drive, Kochi would perhaps be the best located hotel so far. I could view the sea from my room. I don’t know how long I stood there just watching the lush green palm trees, swaying away to rain
and wind. We took a walk towards the ferry and I could picturize some cheesy Hindi song as I watched the couples holding hands. Love here meant, a woman wearing a saree, her head full of fragment flowers and she could be more on a heavier side but the guy holding her hand looks at her like his life depended on her. The food with its traditional rasam-rice was the only thing that made me love coming down for lunch. Breakfast was a grand affair here. Somehow, getting down all dressed with so many options makes you never go into your kitchen again.

Pune was the next destination. We didn’t stay at the Taj and we got so used to the expensive free toiletries that I didn’t have the heart to touch what Sun n Sands had displayed in their bathrooms. The hotel was beautiful, the food was great but the service lacked warmth. The hot kettle (where my son’s milk depended on) was placed all wrong and it felt like a normal room to me. Perhaps they need to raise their standard a little more. Food was great. I especially loved the salad they had to offer for lunch. And the Maharashtra cuisine in breakfast was great too.

Taj Vivaanta near Khan Market at Delhi was again a treat.  Khan market is a great place to shop. You see all the delli girls in their latest fashion, the foods around was great. I even saw a local politician having lunch just out from a CBI investigation (I got an update from the news). I was received by a Moroccan manager at Taj. She was more than happy to know me. She offered me a crib for the baby and insisted that I tell her more what I needed. Milk and cookies for my son while I sipped on my masala chai. The room was huge (I have a thing for huge rooms and space) and I slept fitfully.

Taj Usha Kiran Gwalior felt like I was in a movie. I was actually in a heritage palace. A guest rooms for the VIPS during the times of kings and queens was not turned into a five start hotel. The room as soon I entered was perhaps bigger than my own house. The bathroom had two rooms, the bedroom looked like a playground and I was simply ‘wowed’. The elevator was as ancient as the palace. There was history everywhere and I just soaked in the luxury. The swimming pool was another story. This needs a separate introduction all together as we saw the birds chirping, the trees bowing above the water      and the rose petals in a copper bowl. The huge lions and the steps that took you into the pool was all carefully preserved to show how to live the ancient times beautifully.

Taj truly made me feel out of home and treated me like the princess that I think I am.