Au Revoir

Packing Up! I've decided to migrate to wordpress. Blogspot has been good, but wordpress just seems better. Plus, I'll be merging both my blogs into one : typefarce
http://typefarce.wordpress.com/


Thanks to all the readers for sticking through! :)

Brand New

While Conde Nast comes out with its annual Hot Lists (for the best new hotels of the year), its time for an Indian round up of new hotels of the past year.


The Insipid


Swissotel Kolkata
Way out of the city in business-centre-suburbia, typically modern rooms, and a rooftop pool 'with a view' (of what?). Sad, seeing a city like Kolkata is getting hotels like its Gurgaon.

Swissotel Kolkata : Suburban views anyone?

The Claridges Surajkund, Delhi NCR
The location was promising - a wooded area near an ancient water tank. I was thinking urban retreat. Claridges though business hotel (seeing its atleast 10 kilometres away from ANY sort of business hub, it DOES make sense). Nothing remarkable about the hotel : a routine copy-paste affair. And it used Aaj Tak for a public launch. Classy. Somebody buy off the original Claridges before it turns into a Punjabi Central Delhi Farmhouse of sorts.

Claridges Surajkund : The Sign is probably not the worst the place has to offer.

Fateh Garh Palace, Udaipur
Despite the arrival of unique properties (as detailed below) Fateh Garh firmly remains classical (and a bad classical at that). Despite its great views over the city, the hotel is typical Rajasthani rip-off (gold colour domes, marble jaalis, carved furnitures, vintage cars and blue pools). Moreover, it was the site for Rakhi ka Swayamvar. Not a very promising romance. What more would you expect from a place that calls itself a 'Heritage Renaissance Resort'? Whatever that is.

Fateh Garh : Dimunitive, in all aspects.

Suryagarh, Jaisalmer
What is it with Rajasthani hoteliers hell bent on creating theme park hotels? Suryagarh is the latest pseudo-palace with air-conditioning and sub-stations, opened in Jaisalmer. 

Suryagarh : Just in case you were wondering, that is the 'coat of arms' dug into the ground and lit from underneath.

The In Betweens


Leela Kempinski New Delhi
A Rs. 600 crore property deal is transformed into a Punjabi Baroque nightmare complete with crystal chandeliers, silver gilded armchairs, posy pattern linen and so on. Clearly Leela has lost all sense of chic after the Goa property. Thankfully, service standards are high.

Leela New Delhi : Once you get over the initial shock of things, thats quite a mirror on the right edge.

Leela Kempinski Gurgaon
Here's the opposite syndrome : There is absolutely nothing inspirational about the hotel (least in its on-top-of-a-huge-mall location by the side of an expressway). But conversely, it promises to only be a luxury business hotel and delivers well. Design-wise, its an interior-magazine-lookalike, but hey, it wasn't promising anything mindboggling in the first place.

Leela Gurgaon : The Greens out of the window are morphed. Expect an expressway or a parking lot.

Westin Gurgaon
Further along the expressway, next to a metro line. Better (but still not innovatively) designed. But its a Westin : good standards, but it could have well been a clone of a Westin in say Chengdu or Warsaw.

Westin Gurgaon : But it could very well be Westin Guangzhou as well.

ITC Royal Gardenia, Bangalore
No its not a manure-and-fertilizer setup. The country's first carbon-positive luxury hotel combines typical ITC design sensibilities (bigger, flashier) with the thankful service and great food. Like Leela, all sense of design gained at ITC Sonar Kolkata has gone down Bukhara's Tandoor.

ITC Royal Gardenia : Look, I'm a flashy green hotel!

Deviratn, Jaipur
Probably the country's most talked about hotel-launch in the offing, the sublime Devigarh ventures to Jaipur and creates a striking property indeed. The design is innovative, but somehow, overstressed. While Devigarh itself is muted chic, Deviratn jumps at your throats. I guess this place needs a proper launch and a bit of time before it goes down well with me. As of now, its just a stunt.

Devi Ratn : Once the shock subsides...

Rasa Resort, Amer, Jaipur
A sister setup of Devigarh and Deviratn, Rasa is slated to be a set of hyper-futuristic cubist tents spilling down along the hills of Amer. The website renderings, I warn, are a big turn off. Time will tell. As in Deviratn, there is nothing muted about the design tone. Think Cubist Lady GaGa without the notion of glitter.

Rasa Resort : Running away with itself?

To-be-classics


Westin Sohna Resort and Spa
The right architect can work wonders. Veteran Ashok Dhawan creates a beautiful country resort.

Westin Sohna : Return of the Architect

Leela Palace Kempinski, Udaipur
Thankfully, Leela's gaudy antics seem comfortably in place in Udaipur where nothing is quiet Rococo/Baroque/Gothic/Over-the-top enough. And its already the toast of international press.

Leela Udaipur : Design-wise, nearly.

The Oberoi Gurgaon
The Oberoi rarely does a wrong, and that is not expected out of the new Gurgaon property. While the design may not feel that great (being located next to the fabulous Trident), it isn't all that bad either. And the once awful 3D renders on the website have been replaced by much more promising actual photos. Another luxe-ist constant in the offing.

Oberoi Gurgaon : Loads of Promises

Raas, Jodhpur
A gem. Great design. superb old city location and innovative in its concept. And the name is oh-so-lovely.

Raas : Rajasthani Renaissance?

Samode Safari Lodge, Bandhavgarh National Park
Taking a leaf out of Taj Safaris pursuits, Samode's safari setup is promising: ethnic styled mud bungalows with a very colonial feel once inside. Quite the newcomer.

Samode : Return of the Classic Rustic

Ranvas, Nagaur
While other chains build new palaces, these maharajas turn a part of the Ahichhitragarh Fort into a great boutique hotel. There is no royal brouhaha in terms of design : its kept a very attractive simple and contemporary. This is no Devigarh, but it is a quiet charmer.

Ranvas : Subtle Style

Mihirgah, Somewhere near Jodhpur
New Palace again, but the design is good (albeit classical). And the equestrian-centric idea? Thats posh.

Mihirgarh : Somewhere in the dusk

The Park, Hyderabad
The Park remains hip as ever, with its striking Hyderabad property. Full on modern funk.

The Park Hyderabad : Funk Odyssey

The Park on Vembanad Lake and the Motor Vessel Apsara
Soft launch indeed. The nearly unheard of Park in the Kerala Backwaters remains a subtle funk trip.

The Park : Kerala gets a new chic

Alila Diwa, Goa
South East Asia's fabulous Alila chain arrives! Great design but a slightly disappointing countryside location as opposed to the beach. But still, its likable enough.

Alila Diwa : Another Goa

The Serai, Jaisalmer
Tented camps near Jaisalmer are hopeless, but The Serai is otherwise. Part of the same chain that runs quietly charming Sherbagh in Ranthambhor and the equally desirable Clairmont in Mashobra, The Serai is a great effort in middle-of-the-desert-tented-luxury. And that Relais & Chateaux affiliation sounds equally great.

The Serai : The Tents are equally good.

Pashan Garh, Panna National Park
Probably the most conventional of Taj Safari's exquisite lodges across Madhya Pradesh, Pashan Garh is a superb set of stone cottages with a funky safari chic design at work. Sadly, the park itself has lost its tigers.

Pashan Garh : Too good for the park?

Vivanta by Taj, Bangalore
Smart. Interesting design, and excellent marketing. Vivanta is here.

Vivanta Bangalore : Smart

Vivanta by Taj Dal View, Srinagar
Smarter, if possible. If the brochure is anything to go by, I'm dying to return to Kashmir.

Vivanta Srinagar : Paradise Regained

Nadesar Palace, Varanasi
The sacred city gets its uber-luxe palace, courtesy Taj.

Nadesar Palace : Benares in Luxury

Trident Bandra Kurla, Mumbai
Smart business chic. Now if Trident could turn its attention to the Nariman Point behemoth.

Trident Bandra Kurla : Business Choices galore

And the Subliminal


Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai
Opened after a lengthy, post 26/11 renovation, Taj Bombay returns, and how. Designs are varied and inviting, and the standards slated to be higher. The queen of Indian Hospitality returns.

Taj Bombay : Back, and how!

Aman New Delhi
Soft Launch-Hard Launch riff raff aside, this is now the King of Indian Hospitality and is a concept literally unheard of among Urban Luxury Hotels. Orgasmic is the word, and Aman New Delhi delivers a multiple.

Aman New Delhi : Ooh La La

Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad
Move over, wannabe palaces. Falaknuma, surfacing from a lengthy possession battle and a lengthier restoration effort has resurfaced as the epitome of megalomaniacal luxury. No contemporary chic here - its unabashedly decadent, and how. Awestruck is what it'll leave you as.

Falaknuma : Now thats a Palace

Banjaar Tola, Kanha National Park
Taj Safari scores again with this divine set of tented suites along a meanderingly lazy jungle stream. Nothing like this anywhere else.

Banjaar Tola : Like No Other

100 Jouneys Before I Die : 20-1 : Conclusion

Before I leave for Ahmedabad for 4 months of internship, here's a post to conclude my 100 journeys series. The score, as last time, is 13.


Without much ado:


20. The Lost Cave of Vietnam


Sample this : A recently discovered mammoth cave straight out of the wildest Indiana Jones and the Virgin Rainforest fantasies. National Geographic hasn't even finished surveying it yet. It helps that its in Vietnam - home to some exciting villes a la indochine (Hanoi and Saigon), apart from a string of excellent beaches and the spectacular Ha Long Bay.


The cave itself, christened Han Son Doong (Mountain River Cave) comes with its own rainforest, mountains and streams. I'm game. This is pure Indiana Jones / Lara Croft territory.

19. Honeymooning in Bora Bora

Who wouldn't? Yes its cliched and yes every celebrity worth his or her salt has romanced in this tropical paradise, but there's a darned good reason behind the same. This is eden as it was first imagined - a sparkling blue lagoon, a volcanic island, white sands, luxurious resorts, blah blah blah. 


And to stay? A million options to choose from. Aman's Bora Bora Hotel, Orient Express' Bora Bora Lagoon Resort and Spa, Four Seasons, St. Regis. Here's one place where I'm convinced I'm positively lost about making recommendations.

18. Carneval de Rio di Janeiro

If the most beautiful city in marke ting campaigns is not quite enough, there is the option of a million sexy Brazilians to satisfy all orientations going wild in the world's largest party. 


Copacabana Palace is the grande dame; Fasano is the vanguard.

17. The Silk Road

Don't expect luxury. For one, you're headed to little heard of and near dictatorial Uzbekistan. And then you end up in cities you'd vaguely remember from history. Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand lead the pack in what promises to be a fascinating cultural circuit through this Central Asian wasteland : Three jeweled cities that were once the pride of the trading world and are now evocative towns crammed with architecture that I, for one, will never get bored with.


Authenticity? You won't find any reconverted mansions a la Damascus in these places : You still have the option of camping it out in a Medresse or a Serai!

16. Adriatic Cruise


Probably the last bit of sunkissed coast in Europe, and its the most stunning at that. Think cliffs, turquoise waters, sandy coves and medieval ports; and a nifty little yacht to ferry you between all of them. You can start off at Venice, and sail on to Athens (Piraeus) by way of Trieste (Italy), Piran (Slovenia),  numberless Croatian (Brac, Hvar, Bag, Dubrovnik), Montenegrin (Sveti Stefan, Kotor) and Greek islands (Cephalonia, Corfu). Lots of fancy places en route, including the Aman at Sveti Stefan.

15. Nanda Devi and the Valley of Flowers


The Valley of Flowers is romantic enough : A lost, misty valley covered with a seasonal swathe of wildflowers. Add to that the Nanda Devi preservation zone which is one of the last bits of pretty Himalayan territory left (so much so that entry into the zone has only recently been allowed with not more than 20 visitors into the park at a time). This is wild at one if ts bests.

14. Bhutan


Thank god for restrictions : the cap on foreign tourists means that Bhutan retains its esoteric Buddhist enclave in misty and lofty mountains charm. The country is impossibly pretty, the culture impossibly charming, and the hotels impossibly luxe. Amankora, Uma Paro and Taj Tashi are star offerings.

13. Stargazing in the Atacama


Two rainless centuries mean that the Atacama has the clearest sky on earth and the most picturesque desert to boot. Landscapes here are often suspected to have staged clips of the NASA Moon Mission, and places like Valley of the Moon up the extraterrestrial ante. The landscape opens up to a vast, unhindered sky with the best stargazing possible on earth.


Explora en Atacama's lodge is an amazing place to be in, but there is a fast growing clutch of stargazing retreats.

12. Hiking through Arunachal Pradesh


This is India's Shangri-La. Rainforests hugging steep mountains above tumoltous streams crossed by root bridges to semi nomadic tribal settlements that move to avoid winter snow and share a deep faith in the lofty Tawang monastery set amid pine forests and glacial lakes parts of which are part of amazingly diverse national parks like Namdapha. Whew.


Arunachal is virgin territory. These are untouched forests, unclimbed mountains, uncharted rivers, un-documented peoples we're talking about, and if that isn't enough, the place is spectacularly beautiful to boot.

11. Pangong Tso by the Full Moon


Three Idiots nearly signed the lake's death certificate by turning this superbly picturesque lake into a bonafide safari destination in Ladakh. All is not yet lost, though, as visitor amounts remain regulated and the crowds vanish by dusk. Time your trip to a full moon and you might just be camping in the most ethereal spot on the planet.

10. Bungee Jumping at Victoria Falls

Can it get any better? this 111 metre jump uses the falls as a backdrop and is arguably the most thrilling one available. Not only does this mean travelling to the quintessential 'Once Upon a Time in Africa' locales, you get to see a natural wonder and experience it in a way like no other.


Add to that are amazing luxury hotels strewn on both sides of the falls, like the colonial era Royal Livingstone.

09. Meet a Geisha in Kyoto


The Japanese fantasy makes it to Number 9. In simple terms, travel to Kyoto ('The Most Japanese of Japanese Cities'), soak in all things Nippon and round it off with a delicate tea ceremony hosted by a Geisha. Culture curry indeed.


Junk the luxurious hotel. Opt for a luxurious Ryokan, a traditional lodge. Think total zen : tatami floors, wood soak tubs, delicate gardens, futons and so on. Tawaraya is the pick, being old, famous and oh-so-luxe.

08. Horseback Riding in Patagonia


A  spectacular windswept landscape that sits amid mountains, glaciers, stormy seas and absolute desolation? I'm game. Straddling across Chile and Argentina, Patagonia is positively awe-inspiring and equally rewarding. Its rich history of ranching makes it an amazing place to hone your equestrian skills.


Explora en Patagonia Hotel Salto Chico is the darling of regional awards, and has an excellent equestrian holiday up its sleeve as well. And what to say about that jaw-dropping location...

07. Trek from Padum to Darcha


How do you get to Padum? Being at the heart of Zanskar, India's most isolated inhabited region, it means almost a week of continuous travel out of Delhi, by road, across the highest passes on earth. And that too for only 4 months a year. Once you do reach there and be numbed by the sheer scale of the landscape, you start trekking across it. En route are more spectacular landscapes, higher mountains, more desolation and awesome monasteries. Searching for Shangri-La? Well, you'd be walking right through it. This is a 7-8 day trek and fairly popular with those who have the will to reach the Zanskar valley. Warning, a new road promises to reduce the travel time by a day but it would also mean that unwanted tourist influx. Do it while you can.

06. Roadtrip through Spiti


Moving further south, this lost valley in the higher Himalayas escapes definition. Its surreal, to say the least, and a roadtrip through it is probably the biggest adventure of it all. Roads, at places, are literally carved out of vertical cliff faces. In other places, they dont exist at all. In still others, its a moonscape like stretch in small plain. The sky is endless, the mountains high, the air fresh. Throw in some nifty monasteries and some absolutely awesome lakes (the Chandratal) and you've got me shouting Woah! Again, this is a place which is reachable for only 4 months a year. Shangri-La list extended.

05.  Basejumping at Geirangerfjord


Being one of the largest Nordic fiords give Geirangerfiord some veritable credibility. Once you reach it and appreciate its raw beauty, you can choose to jump off it. Try BASE jumping, the simple act of freefalling off a reasonably high position and the parachuting off to safety. You can't do it alone, and training procedures are very rigorous. Find a trainer and away you go. 


The Juvet landscape hotel is not exactly nearby, but is arguably the most amazing fiord-stay you can find, with its collection of hi-design timber boxes with picture windows seemingly plonked in the heart of Nordic wilderness.

04. Feeding Penguins in Antarctica

I like how they walk. Plus, they mean heading to Antarctica. If there is any virgin territory left on earth, it is this. And though it'll probably kill me, I'd like to make it in winter to be able to catch Aurora Australis. The sheer geology of the frozen continent leaves many wonders up for exploration, if you do manage it somehow. 

03. The Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge

The Tsangpo originates in Tibet and follows a linear path across it to suddenly take a U-turn and swing into India, becoming the Brahmaputra, descending almost 4000 metres in a tiny speck on the map. This is one of the least explored places on earth, the gorge rumoured to be the largest, and the landscape legendary. Few expeditions teams have crossed it, and they don't have a high mortality rate to boast of either. My appetite is whetted.

02. Mansarovar Yatra

Dream of the devout? I'd come solely for the landscape and the cult. Venturing into Tibet to the holy mountain and see its reflection in the lakes below. To add to the mystique are the origins of the lake : the virtuous Mansarovar, and its twin, the antichrist, Rakshastal. This place is surreal, literally.

01. Chadar Trek

To cap my fascination with Trans Himalayan traverses, there's the Chadar Trek. In the winter, the Zanskar river freezes (as does the whole of Ladakh and Zanskar). While temperatures dip 20 to 30 degrees below 0, the people come out and celebrate a multitude of festivals (while being locked to the outside world). And while Zanskar slips into icy desolation, the frozen river turns into an icy highway connecting it to the bigger towns of Ladakh and the Indus Valley. The intrepid fly in and attempt a two-week long walk in and out of the valley on the frozen Zanskar. You sleep in caves behind frozen waterfalls, battle breaking chunks of ice, and discover a winter landscape like no other.

Ta-Da

That wraps up the 100 journeys I so want to take. Hopefully this summer will help me wrap up most of my Himalayan desires.

Now, I leave for Ahmedabad for a 4 month training. Lots of sidetrips expected. Luxe-ist, as is cheesily said, will be back!