Retreat into luxury

Isn’t it time to overhaul your idea of the perfect holiday? Wouldn’t you like to visit a resort that combines serious luxury in an equally seriously, out-of-the-box location?

You could, perhaps, put your feet up in a super-luxury resort that’s tucked away in a remote corner of the Himalayas with towering conifers all around — with single malts for sustenance.

Or you could land up in a scuba paradise in the Arabian Sea where the yellow fin tuna that you meet below the waters might just end up on your plate a few minutes later.

These high-end retreats are scouring the great outdoors for stunningly picturesque locations and teaming them with plush interiors, gourmet meals, personalised service — the works.

So, here’s a boarding call for travel junkies who want to take a walk on the wild side but also demand all the deluxe touches that mankind can dream up.

A new destination

Far-flung and upscale. That just about describes the Himalayan resort 360 ° Leti which promises a travel experience like no other.

Located at a height of 8,000ft in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas, Leti is as remote from civilisation as it gets. There are no helipads or motorable roads to get you along the last stretch to Leti’s doorstep. So, you’ll have to walk the talk in the mountains and pant your way through a 90-minute walk.

Once there, you’ll find bedrooms with glass facades on all sides so that you can lie in bed looking at the mountains and trees all around. The glass and stone buildings have been built by a joint team of Indian and foreign architects Bijoy Jain, Roy Katz and Jeffrey Johnston.

The resort has four large cottages called Ramganga, Hiramani, Gola and Leti, which all have private sit-outs where guests can get a refreshing whiff of the mountain air. The property aims to offer a luxurious country house feel with limestone flooring and walls complementing the warm wood tones that frame the glass windows. Plush upholstery and tasteful accent pieces like antique lamps, wooden chests and window sills lined with books constitute bliss at extreme heights.

What more? Alcohol is included in the tariff and you can take your pick from a meticulously chosen selection of international wine and beer labels. Also, fine dining is the order of the day with Continental, Asian and Indian cuisine forming an elaborate banquet.

With the towering snow-capped peaks of the Nanda Devi range forming the backdrop, the luxury retreat is just four and half hours from Almora which can be reached either by train via Kathgodam or by flight via Pantnagar. Expect to shell out around Rs 18,494 per person per night.

Exclusivity is the watchword at all these vacation destinations and they aim to offer experiences that cannot be replicated. If you are about to visit Corbett National Park and would like a resort that offers the best things of life after you’ve been tiger spotting, one luxury option is the Hideaway River Lodge — a clutch of luxury tents on the banks of the Ramganga river.

Hideaway also has one unique claim — it’s the only accommodation inside the national park since it’s the result of a partnership between the Uttarakhand government and a private company. But the resort isn’t cheap: your wallet will be lighter by Rs 30,000 per couple for a 2-nights and 3-days package for a Deluxe Tent and Rs 34,000 for a Superior Tent.

Even jungle retreats are upping the ante and providing accommodation that is quirky and one off. Travel to the heart of India where luxury has set up home in the wilderness. Go Big Cat spotting in Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh. And what better way to soak up the forest flavour than to stay perched up at an exotic tree house right in the middle of the jungle.

Yes, that is exactly what Tree House Hideaway, located on the fringes of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve offers. It has all the trappings of a five star address (it comes fitted with attached bathrooms with running water, power back-ups and air conditioning).

At Tree House Hideaway, the cost is Rs 20,000 per person for double occupancy in the Jungle Plan which includes all meals, non-alcoholic beverages and jeep safaris with naturalists.

Celebrated national parks that usually offer very basic facilities for serious wildlife freaks are now some of the hottest locations for luxury properties. Even hospitality major Taj has just thrown open the doors of its upscale project Banjaar Tola at Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh. A joint venture between CC Africa and Taj Hotels Resorts, Banjaar Tola is 90 acres of sprawling wilderness overlooking the core zone of the national park.

This property aims to spoil you rotten in the wilderness. The tented suites have bamboo flooring and glass doors leading on to verandahs that look out onto the Banjaar river. Inside the tent, there are Bastar artworks made of bell metal and chic camp-style furnishing. Once out of the tents, there are dining decks within the jungle retreat overlooking the River Banjaar. You could dine next to the pool or surrounded by sal forests.

For Taj Banjaar Tola, the tariffs are Rs 30,000 per night per person on a twin-sharing basis during high season.

Far out in the ocean, holiday experts are promising vacations of a different kind. They have taken a combination of luxury and adventure sports to the faraway Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. Out of the cluster of islands that constitute Lakshadweep, two (Bangaram and Kadmat) have been selected as scuba diving sites.

The intrepid traveller who wants to combine scuba diving and premium vacationing at one go, can stay on either of the two islands. At the Bangaram Island Resort run by the Casino Group of Hotels you can now become an underwater expert. The premium holiday retreat offers 360 degree views of the Arabian Sea from all its rooms. The room tariff is approximately Rs 20,000 per person per day during peak season.

And down south, you have Orange County Kabini, an ultra-luxurious resort on the banks of the River Kabini. The resort has bespoke huts that come with their private pools and Jacuzzis.

The accommodation here is concept driven with the architecture of the tribe Kadu Kuruba forming the central theme. With bottle gourd lighting, ethnic furniture, giant four-poster beds with tribal patterned furnishings and animal calls forming the perfect background score, this is just the place to be. At Orange County Kabini, the tariffs are Rs 20,000 per couple per day on weekends for Pool Huts and Rs 17,000 on weekdays.

What’s on the itinerary?

All these resorts aim to offer more than just luxury. So, they plan a host of activities to keep you busy during your deluxe holiday. Bangaram Island Resort, for instance, has tied up with a scuba diving project called Lacadives that offers diving training to amateur scuba divers. Newcomers can opt for the internationally recognised basic courses in scuba diving spanning four days.

At the completion of the course, one gets a lifelong licence to dive at any underwater destination of the world up to a depth of 21m. The course fee includes both instructor and diving equipment charges, which have to be paid in addition to accommodation charges.

Back in the wilderness, at Orange County Kabini, there’s a variety of activities on offer. Firstly, the resort organises jeep and boat safaris at the nearby Nagarhole and Bandipur National Parks. It also takes tourists on visits to the tribal villages dotted around the area. Then, there’s bird watching and elephant rides along the banks of the Kabini River. If you aren’t afraid of being close to the water, a coracle ride is also the order of the day.

Even Leti arranges plenty of nature walks, like the Waterfall Walk via the picturesque Gogina Village. There’s also the Ramganga River Walk and the Shiva Shrine Walk along with cooking sessions with the resident Tibetan chef Yeshi and Yoga and meditation sittings.

Taj Banjaar Tola on the other hand sets up safaris at the Kanha National Park with CC Africa trained naturalists in specially designed 4x4 safari vehicles. There are also options for viewing barasinghas and gaurs as well as elephant rides for tiger spotting.

Hideaway River Lodge too arranges for Kumaoni village walks and interactions with the locals. An added incentive is getting to sample the authentic Kumaoni cuisine rustled up by villagers in one of these walking jaunts.

Can you be reached on your Blackberry at these resorts? Can your minions back at head office send hundreds of emails that need an instantaneous reply? If you’re settled in a Jacuzzi or sipping a malt whisky out in the wilds, you’re so far from the madding crowd that you’ll cease to care about it all.


The Personal Telegraph