A friend and I, along with Little A, availed of the hotel's cab service to get to the hotel. It being a Saturday and still early days of the demonetization drive, the roads were relatively empty, with most of the crowd at the ATMs and banks. Arriving at the hotel a few minutes shy of an hour, the first thing you notice on entering the hotel is how the noise levels are instantly cut off. This despite being placed on a main road, next a large mall. The acoustics are brilliant and you feel instantly relaxed. We were served a litchi welcome drink and were through with the front desk formalities for check in a few minutes. The keycard provided comes with a WiFi password included on it. Take a look at the video tour of our room. This room is priced at Rs 7500++ inclusive of breakfast, WiFi and a free airport pick and drop.




Once we were settled in our rooms, we were taken a tour of the hotel, coupled with an interaction with Chef Bose, who took us through the thought process of the creation of the hotel as well as his specialty, the food. This conversation took place at a spot in the hotel that is now casually being called the Library. A lovely nook, with a skylight placed a few stories higher giving a lovely hue to the space. From the classic Victoria Station clock, to an old gramophone to the ornate dial pad phone - the space is a lovely one. Whether you are looking to read from the collection of books in the glass door wooden cupboard or play a game of chess with some really beautifully designed chess pieces, this is the space to do it. We were told that the area will soon be converted to a whiskey bar and I can't think of a better use for the space.

At this point, Little A got a little tired of hanging around with the grown ups and requested permission to go up to the room. Paranoid mum that I am, I hesitated, only to be told that the hotel is home to a lot of children, who are quite comfortable navigating on their own. So whether A wanted to go to the room or the restaurant or even the lobby, she would be safe, sound and happy. Nevertheless I did send her along with my phone, which I am happy to say she never used.

The hotel has a pool and gym on the campus but a highlight is Sohum Spa. A small outlet, with just 2 rooms, this spa offers massages and facials. Ever willing to surrender to experienced hands for a massage, I went in for a 30 minute back massage. The petite young lady who took me on has magic in her hands and I can say, for fact that I was reduced to a puddle of happiness, the glow of which lingered long into the night.

A lovely nook in the hotel is Chef Bose's little herb garden. Small it may be, but the staff, as does he, take great pleasure in coming here, picking up some fresh herbs for garnishes and to muddle in drinks. Of course there is nothing like a green corner in the hotel to retreat to when you need a break.

Next up on the tour was Nest, the 24 hour restaurant of the hotel. Walking up to it, you cross a little coffee shop to get to the reception table. Adorning the wall behind the reception table are engraved plates - each depicting nests in various trees. A very subtle and nice touch to the decor. In fact, the hotel is peppered with such small decor elements that give the hotel that classy touch. From the chandeliers in the private dining spaces at Nest, to the cove lighting above the bar at the in-house bar adjoining Nest, to the table tent that says "happily committed" instead of "Reserved", the decor at HoJo is subtle but very impressive.

Now coming to the food at Nest - We had the Saturday lunch buffet and the Sunday Brunch. Both times, the spread included a range of salads, meat and vegetarian, some served straight up, a few others with simple dressings. While the Saturday buffet gives you the choice of a vegetarian or a meat soup, on Sunday you will find a specialized soup such as a Laksa being assembled before you. Sunday also sees the addition of sushi to the spread - simple ones of salmon and vegetarian. You then have a mixed board of Indian, Chinese and Continental, this last being the strong suit of Chef Bose. The dessert spread also offers a mix of Indian and international sweets.

Sunday Brunch sees the addition of live counters serving up pasta, kothu paratha, kheema pao, and paniyaram. But with these counters placed in closed confines, the aromas can get a bit too heady. You will also be served a host of starters at the table - a really good ones was the Chinese Fish that was served which saw multiple helpings being called for. The kebabs were also quite pleasant.

The dishes that stood out for me on Saturday and Sunday were a superlative Baingan Bharta that I had with a simple Lasson tadka dal and rice. The Eraichi Kuzambu and the Fish curry were also quite impressive. In the continental section, the Chicken au Gratin stood out. The Kothu paratha and Kheema pav on Sunday were both really good. Among the desserts, the bread and butter pudding as well as the Chocolate Financier, though not in its classic version, were wonderful treats. Sunday Brunch also offers you drinks from the bar.

Overall, across both meals and the launch of the new menu, it was the Indian food that stood tall for me.

Howard Johnson makes for a nice getaway if you are looking for something in the city. It is also perfectly positioned as a business hotel, ensuring that you have everything you need close at hand. In fact, the hotel soon plans to launch car pooling facilities for its long term guests and will coordinate pick ups and drops to prominent business locations to also do their part for the environment. We spent a great weekend there and had a wonderful mother-daughter getaway.

Here is a link on how to get to Howard Johnson

 Top Left - the massive lobby of the Crowne Plaza that greets you on entry. Top Right - One of the sprawling lawns on the premises for those outdoor events. Bottom Images - our welcome nibbles. Loved the personal touch of a separate cookie platter for Anoushka. 

 One of the unique aspects at the Crowne Plaza Bengaluru is its rooms in the Quiet Zone. Two floors - the 8th and 9th, have rooms that are placed away from the humdrum of the streets outside (not that you can hear it from the rooms that we were in). These rooms have superior sound insulation, ensuring that you have the peace and quiet you need - whether you are working late into the night or are coming in after a late night of working and need your rest. Of course we did not need anything like this and were allotted the King Club Room (Rs 11,250 ++ for room alone. Prices subject to dynamic pricing).

One major grouse I have against most places offering a brunch is that they have no breakfast dishes on the menu in most cases. That is why I did a double flip when I saw the table tents proudly announcing waffles, pancakes and eggs made to order. Now that's a good start to a brunch.

The overall ambience of the buffet is created such to make the most of the glass enclosed restaurant. so bright light, lots of greenery, yet the comfort of air conditioned environs. The live counters except for the pasta counter is placed on the outside. But if you prefer the joys of being pampered at the table, everything can be requested to be brought to you.



In terms of entertainment for the little ones, there is pottery, there was a play section with colouring and craft but Anoushka did not find the person in charge despite checking several times. But she had fun making her own pots and of course with Alan, the Mentalist, who was doing the rounds of tables. What fun he is!

The Sunday Brunch is priced at Rs 1300 ++; the ​cocktail brunch Rs 1950 ++; for children, the buffet is priced at Rs 750 ++.

Crowne Plaza is a brilliant escape from the city. Here are the prices you can avail of (Correct as of time of publishing this post)
1. Room Only - Rs 6000 plus taxes (Single / Double same )
2. Room + Breakfast - Rs 6499 plus taxes (Single / Double same )
3. At Rs 6999 plus taxes (Room+Breakfast+ Lunch or dinner, it also has the below inclusions (Single / Double same )

Buffet Breakfast, Welcome Drink on Arrival, Comp Wi-fi, Either Lunch or Dinner, Bottle of wine, 25% Discount on all Food and Soft Beverages, 25% Discount on Sunday Brunch, 25% Discount on Spa, 25% Discount on Laundry, Complimentary Room upgrade subject to availability at the time of Check-in, Early Check-In by 12: 00 hrs and Late Check-out

Here is a link to help you get to the Crowne Plaza

Arriving in Pune (my first time at the airport), the emptiness of the airport despite a full flight coming in was a little disconcerting, but I was forewarned by friends not to think twice about it. Anyways, luggage in hand, we found a waiting cab for us and settled down to a leisurely hour's drive to the Four Season's Chateau. The roads, being the early hour that it was, were relatively empty and the highways broad and smooth.

I try to run away from Bangalore at every given opportunity. In fact, one of the first things I do each time the new academic calendar comes in for Little A, is to mark out all the long weekends and plan to do something on each one of them. One such time when I was looking for a quick long weekend escape from the city around 4 years ago, I chanced upon Mugilu at Saklespur. It seemed like exactly what we wanted - not too far from the city, not too fancy, smack in the middle of nature and with the promise of being cut off from the world. Have always loved the drive through the ghats in Saklespur since I am from Mangalore, and we drive down often. Mugilu is before the Shiradi ghats, but the views are worth a drive down at least half the way, or if you are visiting from Mangalore, then all the way up.


Chandan and Sapna Gurukar, a couple who have done their tours of duty as professionals in Bangalore, decided to give it up and live the farm life in Saklespur. Their estate is accessible from Saklespur town, if the roads are in decent shape, or by another route from Hassan, which Chandan will guide you from. The idea is to get to this now, not-so-little-board that says Bugadahalli and turn in onto a pathway for a while till you hit the estate gates.

Mugilu is literally the last estate in the line here and beyond its gates is a small hill, that turns lush green post the rains and a lovely hue of brown in the summer. A few cars can be parked inside the gates of the estate and those that remain out are equally safe. A steep slope down and you see some graffiti leading to the sign board that directs you to the cottages, of which there are four. There is also a covered outdoor area for dining and the lounge area, complete with books, an emptying hanging frame, power points to plug in your kind of music, and large lounge beds - all that you need to make this a wonderful getaway. This area has some lovely ambient lighting in the nights that makes it an even more comfortable place to hang out at.
The beauty of Mugilu is the fact that it gives you that rustic, being-in-the-middle-of-nature feeling, without altering the look of the estate too much. This homestay has four cottages, built down the length of one section of the estate - each cottage has a colour theme to it - blue, green, orange. The cottages face the rising sun and each morning your room will be bathed in the colour it is decked in, thanks to sunlight streaming in.