When I travel to a stunning destination & I have to write an article about it, I always wonder how I am going to describe what I saw & felt because words aren’t enough. Being a Visual creature, I prefer images over articles but hey, without words I cannot weave a story. In this article, you will notice that images overpower words because that’s how magical Hampi is!
As you might be aware, I traveled to Hampi with Orange County Resorts last month. Unlike my usual trips, this one was quite different as I took my Mom along. She’s never traveled with me on a work trip and I wanted to show her a piece of my little world. This was the first time in Hampi for both of us so we were quite thrilled! Once we landed in Bangalore, we were promptly picked up from the airport by the OC team. We were told that it was a 6 hour journey to Hampi. After a long journey, we were welcomed at Orange county with wide smile, a warm greeting “Namaskara” and delicious coconut drinks. “Namaskara” is the world you will always hear from the staff at Orange county. By the end of the trip, even I started greeting people by saying “Namaskara”
“Namaskara” is the world you will always hear from the staff at Orange county.
We noticed that every corner of the resort was inspired by the glorious Vijayanagara Empire.
ROOMS
Orange county Resort has an old world era charm mixed with 21st century service, convenience and design. We noticed that every corner of the resort was inspired by the glorious Vijayanagara Empire. From the floors to the taps in the bathroom, every single detail was inspired by the 14th century kingdom. When it came to the rooms, there were 4 types – Nivasa, Nilaya, Zenana & Jal Mahal. Every room came with a bathtub & a Jacuzzi. The rooms came with a bunch of fresh fruit baskets, local sweets, cookies & more. The sweets were stored in a traditional Indian wooden box and were restocked every time the house keeping made a visit to our room.
Compared to the hotels in other cities, Orange county has spacious rooms. Being from Mumbai, space has always been an issue for us. However, in OC they follow the policy “Go big or go home!” I wish I could have stayed in the room forever because it was breathtaking. Our private terrace was huge with a view of the beautiful entrance. At times, we would notice the monkeys play around in the balconies. We were told to keep our balcony doors shut while we were out because the monkeys are known to steal food from the rooms.
One more thing I noticed was that the hotel was environment friendly. They didn’t use plastic. Our rooms were equipped with drinking water filter taps instead of plastic bottles. Even when it came to the Shampoo & conditioner, it was stored in little bottles.
FOOD
The way to my soul is through good food. Orange county boasts of two restaurants that serves unique cuisines – Bahmani & Tuluva. We tried dinner at Bahamani one fine night and were blown away by the Veg Biryani that they served there. Of course, non vegetarians have a wide variety of options available but it’s quite a task to find a good Vegetarian Biryani, isn’t it?
Tuluva is the restaurant that we opted for most days as they had Breakfast Buffet available. Although the food was delicious, It would have been great if they could have included more local dishes in the Menu or perhaps in the buffet. Needless to say, the service was impeccable and the staff went out of their way to cater to our needs.
SIGHTSEEING
While staying at the hotel all 3 nights would have been ideal, we weren’t in Hampi just to lay in our beds or roam around the beautiful hallways of the hotel. Hampi has a lot more to offer. The folks at OC arranged 3 hour trip to discover the ancient ruins of Vijayanagara empire. We visited the magnificent Lotus Mahal & the Elephant stables which are highlights of the Zenana enclosure. Of course the trip wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the well-known Stone chariot. The OC team also took us to the markets in the tiny lanes near Virupaksha temple which is a great place for tourists who want to purchase souvenirs.
Here’s a little tip: Wear comfortable shoes because you have to walk a lot.
VAIDYASALA
What does one need after a long day of travel? – A relaxing body massage. Orange county offers various Ayurvedic massages that relaxes your body & soul. I got one of their popular full body Ayurvedic massage and it felt like I was floating on clouds. My body has never felt better! The masseurs are well-trained and they know exactly what you need. My mom got a foot massage and she loved every bit of it. I would highly recommend you to try their full body Ayurverdic massage as they’re spas are quite well-known for it.
Overall, my first trip to Hampi was definitely made special because of Orange County resorts. The service was impeccable & the resort looked like it was straight out of an Indian fairytale. Well, if you plan to visit Hampi anytime soon, do check their website out HERE for details.
Photography: Gia Kashyap, Her Mom & the Tripod
