The city of Nizams and lip-smacking good Biryani, the monumental Charminar, and luxurious Pochampalli silk sarees…the chosen city for India’s first IKEA store!
Hyderabad, an enthralling place, popularly called ‘The City of Pearls,’ is one of India’s many bustling metropolitan cities and one that offers visitors an array of things to do and see. I finally made my maiden trip to India’s newest state of Telangana – with the city of Hyderabad being my first stop. Whilst traveling to a new city, comfort and luxury is paramount, until I feel comfortable enough to check in to AirBnBs or hostels.
Novotel Hyderabad Airport was my gracious host earlier this month and I visited them to partake in their Ramadan Food Walk, something I was eagerly looking forward to! Food in a new city? What could be more exciting!?
GETTING THERE
While the hotel is an easy 5-minute drive from Hyderabad Airport, it is around 45 minutes away from the city. Luckily, the two are connected by a well-maintained flyover and if you have to travel to main Hyderabad, over 80% of your drive will be smooth and painless. Its proximity to the airport makes it a wonderful place for a short layover, destination wedding or conference, whether exploring Hyderabad is on the cards or not.
ABOUT NOVOTEL HYDERABAD AIRPORT
Okay, it’s a hotel close to Hyderabad Airport – that means it’s just a check-in-check-out kind of place, right?
Wrong!
I was surprised at how lavish this ‘Airport Hotel’ in Hyderabad actually was. Spread over 7 acres, it boasts of over 300 rooms – great for a large destination wedding! Along with having regular amenities such as a well-maintained swimming pool and restaurant, it had a conference hall, banquet area, sports arena, herb garden, spa and gym. So while it can cater to business travelers, its array of services and space make it suitable for a family vacation, too.
Being an Airport Hotel, Novotel Hyderabad Airport also had a flight check-in kiosk on the premises so you can complete your web check-in before getting to the airport. And if you’re passing through the city for a short while, you can even check in to a room for a few hours to rest or for a daycation. Who wouldn’t like an affordable stay in a luxury five-star hotel in Hyderabad before proceeding on to other business?
MY ROOM
What makes a hotel more than just a place to halt? It’s the hospitality. And my stay at Novotel Hyderabad Airport was my first experience with the Accor brand of hotels and the experience really set the bar high.
The welcome amenity made me squeal with joy – an entirely edible set up comprising of chocolate stands, on which dry fruits, nuts and chocolates were stacked. All popular social media and app logos were printed in fondant and stuck to the chocolate stands – apt for a social media junkie like me. How thoughtful!
My room, with wooden accents and Olive green elements had a calm effect on me, a tired traveler. It came with a queen-sized bed, a work area, satellite TV, Internet access, a hairdryer and ironing board + iron, tea/coffee making utilities and a mini bar. Depending on which side of the hotel you are on, you’ll either have a view of the pool below, or, what looks like barren land with a factory storage unit. My view was the latter.
The tidy en-suite washroom was stocked with toiletries and comprised of a rain shower and towels, but what was a first for me, was that the closet in the washroom could be opened from two sides – one set of doors could be opened from the washroom and the other set of doors opened out into the entrance of the room – a little thing that, turns out, is so convenient you wonder why no one else thought of it before.
This luxury hotel in Hyderabad also offers inter-connected rooms for groups and families travelling together.
THE FOOD
The Square is where foodies unite. A massive restaurant with such an expansive spread of food that always has you wondering where to begin from. Breads, cheeses, fruits and salads, Indian fare and Italian, Continental. Grills, local delicacies, live counters – everything looked absolutely tantalizing. And oh, the desserts!
Chef Varun and his team of chefs consistently blew us away with an unimaginable selection of food. On one of the mornings, we indulged in breakfast in the herb garden before it got too hot to even stand. Summers in Hyderabad can get unbearably hot from 9 AM onward, and so we quickly ate a breakfast of tea/coffee, biscuits and pastries, eggs and sausages before hurrying back indoors. Whilst heading back to the comfort of the air-conditioning, I noticed the care taken to grow tomatoes, cauliflowers, basil and other herbs, chillies and more – completely organically!
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What really was the icing on the cake was the lavish spread the chefs prepared for us, a select group of food bloggers in India. A Ramadan Feast in the courtyard, it was so lavish that I felt overly full just by looking at it. “Try out what we have to offer in terms of Iftaar delicacies,” said Chef Varun, “before you experience the same kind of food in the Old City during your Ramadan Food Walk tomorrow. And tell me which experience you like better.” I just love a challenge like that!
As we were served, the Chefs proceeded to explain the ingredients and processes used to make each one. Being a luxury resort in Hyderabad, they explained how, while keeping the authenticity of cooking methods and ingredients intact, they shun the use of methods that are not FDA approved, methods practiced by street vendors and some restaurants.
We feasted on the fare of the Nizams – from Haleem to Kebabs, Bheja to Paya Soup, Biryani to Samosas – a grand total of 28 items! TWENTY EIGHT! No matter how big one’s appetite is, it is physically impossible to eat that much – and so I merely sampled a spoonful of this and a pinch of that, just to get a taste. (I have around 50 pictures of that Iftaar feast alone, but will share only a couple of them here.)
In terms of gastronomy, Novotel Hyderabad Airport definitely gets a 10/10 from me! You will not only be spoiled for choice, but you will have absolutely no opportunity to feel hungry – the team make sure of it!
Before I wrap up this post, I’d like to send a massive ‘thank you’ to Mr. Harshvardhan, the Marketing Manager, Mr. Ravi Khubchandani, the General Manager, and Chef Varun – for not only putting together the experience and executing it with the utmost care, but also for the genuinely interesting conversations that gave me an insight into the culinary heritage of the city of Nizams.
I don’t know what the highlight of my trip was – experiencing the hospitality of Novotel Hyderabad Airport or the Ramadan Food Walk they organized. I’ll share more about the food walk in my next post. Until then, check out my Ramadan Food Walk in Mumbai and drop in to say ‘hey’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! You may also like to check out some more of my hotel reviews – here is the Elgin Mount Pandim in Sikkim and Cinnamon Villas in Agonda, Goa.
