|
Let’s Start with a Brief Description
The Westin Sohna-Gurgaon, Resort & Spa is a five-star resort located in a rural country setting just 45 minutes from Gurgaon and 60 kilometres from Indira Gandhi International Airport. The property is situated on 35 acres of lush landscaped gardens and is ideally located for a weekend getaway. It is also a refreshing, innovative venue for meetings and conferences. The resort offers 97 deluxe rooms and standalone suites, as well as naturally lit meeting facilities equipped with Wi-Fi and state-of the-art audiovisual technology – all in a scenic, rural setting where peacocks roam freely.
The Westin Sohna-Gurgaon, Resort & Spa has soothing touches, including a subtle earth tone décor, mood music, and ambient lighting. The full range of Westin signature services is also available including The Westin Heavenly Bed®, Heavenly Spa by Westin®, Westin WORKOUT® Powered by Reebok, and the Westin Kids Club®.
Our Experience
There are two ways to get to the resort from the capital – one is via NH-2 and Faridabad, and the other is via Gurgaon and Sohna. We chose the latter and found the route to be well-posted with signage directing us to the resort.
The architect who designed the resort must have realised that first impressions are everything. We say this because after disembarking from the car, we were escorted over a small wooden bridge and into the reception area that is situated in small building centred in a shallow pool containing water lilies. We exited on the other side over another bridge into a huge courtyard where we boarded a small electrically powered vehicle and were driven to our standalone deluxe suite by a nice young chap who gave us an aural lay-of-the-land as we passed landmarks within the resort; that’s the amphitheatre; this is the livingroom; there’s the gift shop; etc.
Our accommodation for the weekend was a standalone bungalow-type suite with livingroom, bedroom, bathroom and small patio. There was a mini-bar and large flat screen TV in the livingroom, but the main attraction was the four poster bed with fluffy white comforter in the bedroom. The bathroom actually had a glass ceiling that let in beams of sunlight. Our suite with one bedroom was for a couple, but some contain two bedrooms and will thus accommodate an entire family.
Being news buffs one of the first things that we do when checking into a hotel or resort is to check if the television system is tuned into BBC World and CNN. We weren’t disappointed in this regard; it had these plus all the other popular English channels. We then took a leisurely walk to the lawns near poolside where, after crossing a wooden arched bridge over a water feature, we sat down for brunch, which was in full swing.
Brunch consisted of Continental, Oriental and Indian cuisine, with some items like steaks barbequed to order. Guests who hailed from all parts of the world (South and East Asia, Europe, North America) were serenaded during brunch with easy listening music by Julie Cascioppo (all the way from Seattle) who, besides having a great voice, was also quite witty. We took in the brunch on both Saturday and Sunday. What a treat!
In the evening we had some hard choices to make; where would we have supper? There was so much from which to choose. Would it be the Living Room where we could choose from buffet or á la carte cuisine with a mix of continental, oriental, and Indian dishes, or would it be Xiao Chi, an open-air pavilion featuring Chinese cuisine? With brunch still weighing in on our stomachs, perhaps snacks or nibbles were in order, which were available at Splash located next to the pool, or Mix overlooking the landscaped gardens? Judging from our experiences so far, one thing was certain; we were confident that which ever we chose, we would not be disappointed. We finally went all out and dined at Xiao Chi.
After breakfast the next morning we drove over to Damdama Lake – only about twenty minutes from the resort – for a little bird watching. Being the time of year for migratory birds, we were fortunate enough to see kingfishers, terns, egrets, cormorants and cranes. We were back at the resort in time for another fabulous brunch, after which a massage at the spa and horseback riding topped off the daylight hours – Linda took in a massage at the spa and William hooked up with a little filly named Daisy.
We stayed over at the resort on the Sunday night and went straight to work the next morning after breakfast – a feat that was accomplished with ease thanks to the recently opened Gurgaon Delhi Expressway.
All in all, our weekend getaway was simply splendid. We therefore recommend the Westin Sohna-Gurgaon, Resort & Spa to our readership.
|
