Resort Review – Della, Lonavala

Wadup ya’ll?

I’ve been wanting to tell you guys about my stay at Della Resorts for the longest time! I live tweeted during my time at the resort and posted a ton of pictures on Facebook and Instagram, but haven’t gotten around to writing about it.. so here it is!

Chances are, if you live in Mumbai or Pune, you’ve already been to the stunning luxury retreat nestled between the hills of Lonavala for either a conference, a weekend getaway or a wedding. #AmIRite?

I chose a rainy, gloomy day to visit Della Resorts. It was actually a weekend getaway of sorts for my mother who’s birthday we celebrated that weekend. So I flew her down to Mumbai for a change of scenery and we made our way to Della – our home for the weekend. On the plus side, the rain made it a pleasant drive – with waterfalls every couple of meters and greenery upto the horizon.

GETTING THERE:

Della Resort is a couple of hours drive from both, Mumbai and Pune. if you’re going from Mumbai, you can choose to drive yourself, take a bus or a private cab from anywhere in the city (preferably Dadar) and it’s a pretty reasonable, cost wise. A seat in a bus would cost you Rs. 350 while your own private car would be anywhere between Rs. 1600-2000.

In case you’re going by bus, get off at Lonavala Bus Stop and take a rickshaw to Della. Its a 4 km drive to the main entrance, from where Della’s private cabs will pick you up and take you to the reception area.

THE RESORT:

Della is a designer resort that spans around 45 acres which is inclusive of three properties – the Adventure Resort, Luxury Resort and Camp Della. I stayed at the Luxury Resort – rooms that are located all the way around a long pool of fountains. The resort is known for its perfect balance of modern amenities within an untouched natural setting.

Della Adventure is India’s largest adventure park with over 100 activities including bungee jumping, paintball, zorbing and buggy rides. It is ideal for those seeking an adrenaline rush in the lap of nature. Camp Della (which I will hopefully stay at the next time) is my favourite! Air conditioned tents having a gorgeous view from the hilltop with amenities like a king sized bed, Jacuzzi, rain shower and private patio. Cool, eh?

Della also has a swimming pool, fully equipped gym, gift shop, salon and spa!

THE ROOM

My room, though!

I never wanted to get out of that ultra soft king size bed! *sigh*

My crib for the weekend was tastefully decorated in black and gold that gave it a rich appearance. While the bedroom could have been a lot more spacious in my opinion, it had everything one could possibly need. A mini bar, complimentary tea and coffee making facilities, free Wi-Fi, a polished writing table, satellite TV and complimentary sweets!

The bathroom was glamourous! I spent a good hour soaking in the bathtub with the Jacuzzi and croma therapy on! Apart from that, it had a walk-in shower cubicle and a closet with disposable slippers, an iron and a safety locker.

There a little patio with seating but since it was raining practically the entire time, we didn’t get to sit outside and people-watch!

The room-service is pretty quick and very helpful. It was also nice that they send a member of the housekeeping staff to every room to explain the amenities – however the orientation could have been better. Rather than just pointing out the amenities and stating the obvious (like “this is the bath tub”), it would be better if they explained what the buttons in the tub actually do.

It was a really sweet gesture for the staff to send over this cake for Mum as a surprise. We loved it!

THE FOOD

The resort has five restaurants to choose from – Café 24 being the most popular. Its a 24 hour coffee shop serving all kinds of cuisine and the morning buffet breakfast. I LOVED the horse made of sparkly stones that hung on threads of different sizes. I actually saw a lot of statues of horses around the property – maybe the owner is a horse lover!

PNF Restaurant and Bar serves Indian Food, Malwani Food and Oriental Cuisine while Crème Della is for those who are vegetarian. Parsi Darbar serves Parsi and Punjabi food and lastly, Sports bar for Pizzas and Pasta. There are also lounge bars and a nightclub, but I didn’t get to check them out because I was only there for one short night. Still, something for everybody, right?

Since we had a late lunch after arriving, we kept it light with peas pulao and butter chicken in Café 24. Dinner comprised of Dhansak at Parsi Darbar. While lunch was amazing, the Dhansak could have been way better. I have to say…  the portions are huge!!

The breakfast spread was decent. Croissants, donuts and breads featured on one side while there were South Indian and Italian items on the other. A live omelette station, cheese platter, cornflakes and muesli, hot beverages and waffles were a few of their items. I filled up on all things sweet 🙂

In the background was some amazing live instrumental music and the musician did a pretty good job! (oh look, another horse!)

The Cafe is really crowded during breakfast, so it’s best to go early. Come to think about it, the whole resort was full of people – families and corporate groups, mainly!

THINGS I LIKED:

The friendly service at every point – from the pick up at the gate, to reception to room service and waiters!

The rooms were extremely comfortable, and if the resort itself wasn’t so beautiful, I’d have gladly spent all my time lounging around indoors.

The variety of food served at the buffet breakfast and great value for money for other meals.

THINGS THAT CAN BE IMPROVED:

A room houses two people, yet there’s Wi-Fi only for one device. You can surely do better on that front, Della!

A lot of guests visit the resort with vouchers that offer them free meals and free stays. When these guests go to one of the restaurants for a meal, the host asks for the room number. On giving the room number, the host sees an indication that something is complimentary, but doesn’t know whether it’s the stay or the food. Then begins the arduous process of checking and cross checking while the guests waits outside the restaurant until the issue is resolved. It would be great if their systems showed what service is complimentary to save guests the task of clarifying this everywhere, as well as save on time and embarrassment.

A resort amenity is that guests can walk dogs that are kept at Della. But when I walked around the resort after breakfast, I saw these beautiful dogs – German shepherds, St. Bernards, Boxers – all in cages and since it was raining, the dogs were wet too. It was heart-breaking and I hope they can be kept in a much more humane conditions, if they’re required there at all.

That wraps up my review on Della Resort. If you’ve been there before, and I’m sure many of you have, let me know your experiences in the comments below!

P.S. Here’s a picture of Mum at the resort

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! I’m sure you’ll love reading my review of the fabulous weekend I spent at Phoebe’s Farm, surrounded by 60 dogs!

There’s so much happening this week, and I’m thrilled to have you with me on this journey!

See ya soon!

xoxo