Ramgarh Heritage is a resort that has been painstakingly restored to its 325 year old glory! It is a luxury property in Panchkula. It is a beautiful place to visit, if you wish to relax over a weekend. It will also work for you if you wish to break your journey while heading to the mountains ahead.
I spent two nights there and I had a good time. I had a nicely done premium room in Jagjit Mahal. My room was large, in a city a smallish flat can be cut out in the same space! The bathroom was huge too with modern amenities.
The resort is well spread out. There is a Krishan Temple within the premises. It is an old temple and it lends to the charm of the property.
They have large lawns, pool side area and dedicated halls for conferences and weddings. The resort is popular for weddings and events.
The restaurant used to be the old Diwan Khana and it still goes by the same name. I quite enjoyed my food and beer at Diwan Khana. I mostly went with Indian food and liked it, though I am sure my calorie counter went through the roof.
I still remember their khasta paratha, it is so tasty. Their bati is amazing too. In desserts Shahi Tukda was fantastic. The Diwan Khana has a bar too.
I went for a village walk on one of the mornings. Even though the village is developed now, there are signs of the old days.
There are temples, old houses, dharamshalas to remind us of the old days. I had the best and the freshest ever chach (buttermilk) at a local home.
I was eating so much that I went to the pool on the second evening. The pool area is beautiful, ideal for holding a party. The pool is on the smaller side yet I managed to get a workout by swimming continuously.
Ramgarh Heritage is an excellent place to relax at a long weekend or to break your journey if you are heading to the hills.
PS. I was invited by Ramgarh Heritage to experience the property.
I stayed for two nights at Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort which I will call simply Sofitel Krabi in the post. It is a beautiful property and has a magnificent swimming pool, a pool which is the biggest in Thailand. The architecture of the hotel is in colonial style.
I had a lovely room at the third floor, the top story of the hotel. It was a pool facing room, which gave a peak of the ocean beyond. It was a large, spacious room with a work area and a cozy chair for reading or if you prefer watching TV. I would take the stairs to my room but there is a lift too in the extreme corner of the floor as well.
The bathroom was luxurious too, with products from L’occitane for use. The bath tub was beautiful and deep. Everything was maintained well and I really had a comfortable time.
The highlight of the hotel was the pool for me! I heard of it even before reaching there and I was so looking forward to swim. But my itinerary was such that I could find time to take a dip only once! It is a 700 meter pool and I have not made a typo.
I knew I would didn’t had enough time to swim around it all but I surely wanted to walk around it. I could not even do that! The short swim that I managed was wonderful. It was a favorite hanging place for many guests. There were hammocks in the lawns around the pool and they too found a lot of takers.
I used to take my breakfast at Maya and the spread used to be huge. I checked out a few things only from the buffet. My standard was fruit and juice followed by either pan cake or eggs. I liked their organic muesli too.
One night I was so hungry I ordered a veg Pizza as there were not too many veg options on the room service menu. I do not what it was, whether I was so hungry or the pizza was so good or a combination of it, but I polished it off all alone! And it is a record of sorts!
Their Spa is called So Spa in association with L’occitane but I could not try it out. They arrange various excursions for their guests on shared or private basis. I visited Hong Island with them on a private speed boat trip. It was so much fun and such luxury. Do click the link and check out the post on Hong Island too. They have a golf course too as the name suggests, but I only caught a glimpse of it while driving in and out of the resort!
The beach is right across the road to Sofitel but it is a public beach. I loved it, I was lucky to see two amazing sunsets on it. But due the location, the hotel cannot have an exclusive beach. But I have a feeling that this is true of other hotels in the area as well.
The lobby of Sofitel Krabi had a lively environment. Whenever I was coming or going, someone from the staff would say a kind word to me, or simply greet me. If you are looking for luxury in Krabi with a lively atmosphere, you will enjoy Sofitel Krabi. I had a truly lovely time with them.
I was invited by TAT New Delhi to visit Thailand and I lived in such luxury on this trip!
When our driver Rajendra ji pointed out the Pratap Palace, Ajmer in the distance, like true Rajasthani architecture it blended with the surroundings.
Pratap Palace, Ajmer is a Keys Resort, situated on the Ajmer Pushkar road. It is surrounded by the Aravalis and away from the hustle and bustle of both the cities. It is a luxury property and I was invited to visit the hotel.
The Room with a Jhula (Swing)
After the check in where we were greeted with the traditional tikka and welcome drink. I headed to my room after a quick check-in. I quite liked the idea of the jhula in the room. I am not sure how men folk would react to it but I loved it. The room was big, even bigger than what I am used to in luxury hotels. There was tea in the room, which is the first thing I look for in any room.
There are some teething troubles with the TV and some cell phone operators as the hotel is new. But I am sure these things settle down with time. There are 86 rooms in all in the hotel. One entire floor dedicated to suites.
A Beautiful Courtyard
Pratap Palace has a beautiful courtyard at the back which has the swimming pool too. Surprisingly for May it was still not too hot in Rajasthan and I went and soaked in the atmosphere for a while. I wanted to go swimming but as there was a dust storm in the morning they had put chemicals in the pool. They advised me not to swim. At the end of the pool a local artist was painting on the wall.
Beautiful Paintings, Good Food
There is a lovely mural on the wall of the main lobby which depicts a large procession. At first glance it looks like a painting but it is carving in marble. I wanted to click a selfie here but missed it somehow.
An entire wall in the palace café depicts a wildlife scene. I noticed only later that it depicted a hunting scene. It adds a lot of color to the dining room.
Now that I am talking about the dining room, I should take the opportunity to talk about food too. I had Indian food mostly and it was good. I tried Jodhpuri Gatta Pulao for Rajasthani and cream of mushroom soup for continental. Both were done well. They also serve excellent cookies with tea
Meeting the Owner, Mr. Pratap Rangwani
The owner of the hotel Mr. Pratap Rangwani was at the premises and he took out some time from his busy schedule to interact with us. I could easily see the passion behind the project. He is from Ajmer though he now lives abroad. He said next time if a dignitary came to Ajmer to visit the dargah they would have a luxury place to stay, and need not go back to Jaipur. He said the Ajmer Pushkar belt needed a luxury hotel and it was his attempt to fill the gap with the Pratap palace.
His staff was also stated that Ajmer is coming up as a wedding destination and the hotel has already organized quite a few wedding. They have a huge banquet hall and an attached garden to it to cater to the wedding and MICE segment.
This resort would work for you if you are looking for a relaxed, luxurious place away from the cities. The key attraction the Brahma Temple in Pushkar and the Ajmer Sharif Dargah are in 15 km vicinity of the hotel.
Last week I visited Jaypee Greens Golf Resort and Spa for a bloggers meet. The property is in Greater Noida. While having a chat with their personnel I asked who were they targeting? With a 18 hole Greg Norman golf course I knew that was the main attraction. But then I am no golfer and I was wondering what else could be on offer?
I asked them if someone like me turned up at their property and wanted to try their hand at golf will they be able to accommodate that request? I was assured that they could handle such a request albeit at their practice range and not at the main golf course. The golfing kit could be hired. The other way was to think of them as a short weekend destination when you needed that vacation but you didn’t have leaves. They have Six Senses Spa spread over three floors in a separate complex complete with a Turkish Hamam and an bewilderingly large array of other treatments. On the familiarization walk, I would have got lost in the spa if I was not escorted at all times.
I am always fascinated by the water bodies at golf courses and Jaypee Greens has blooming lotus and water lilies all around its golfing water bodies. Being family oriented they also have a big play area for kids called wet feet.
I saw the rooms at the resort as well, they were big and spacious and looked well appointed. They stressed that as they are spread in 450 acres space was not a constraint for them!
They have a bar called Matrix and many fine dining restaurants. They have made use of natural light throughout the resort. I was told that they are a popular choice for celebrities during F1 racing season, given their proximity to the circuit.
I had a lovely meal at the cafe- Eggspecation. I had gone for a pasta till the chef arrived and convinced me to try Quesadilla, a Mexican dish. It was a substantial dish and I could not finish it alone. The dips of sour cream, avocado and tomato went really well with the dish. I was happy that the chef intervened and I tried something new, which I liked a lot. The tea was nice at all times when I had it.
There are days when we long for a vacation but we can’t take off far away due to various reasons. If you are looking for luxury, spa and golf or any other combination of these and you are in the National Capital Region, Jaypee Greens Golf Resort and Spa could be an option that gives you all that at a short distance from your home. If you are a golfer you of course know the value of the place much better than me.