The pandemic has brought us all to do one thing at home! Work 24X7! So much so that you have plenty of offers to go to a five star and work from there just to give you a change of environment.
I have no qualms with that. My only grouse remains- How many of us actually got off work on time to relax at home that one can do so at a property? Let’s be honest. The Indian work culture is built to squeeze out as much as one can from an employee. Since we work from home, one is expected to jump from bed to their systems and back to bed post ungodly hours.
In times like these, a weekend get away without the worries of work is a much needed activity. So what if one can’t travel outside the city? It is absolutely fine to go to the other corner of the city and book a stay at a luxurious property, enjoy a nice Sunday brunch and return fresh enough to battle another week.
A couple of weeks ago, I did the same with my wife & kid. We made the journey all the way unto Aloft Bengaluru at Cessna park for a weekend filled with bliss and some much needed family time. The property is a fairly new one I could say. Opened in 2014-15, it has been one of my favourites for its quirky interiors and some lipsmacking food.
We decided to check in on Saturday morning and spend sometime, first, sleeping, and then taking my 2YO swimming since the pool there was open to guests! Unfortunately the pool at our apartment has been shut since the start of the pandemic and so we were particularly excited for this as he is a total water baby.
Thanks to the wonderful guys at the property, Sushma, Rahul and their wonderful Chefs, we particularly enjoyed some human interaction over high-tea and some wonderful cocktails as part of their then ongoing Gondhoraj Cocktail Week. If that “high” start to the evening wasn’t enough, we made our way into a particularly cold pool in the evening around 5.30 PM and got our feet wet in the pool. My kiddo enjoyed the experience and refused to get out of the pool despite the fact that he was shivering all through 😉
Dinner was planned and a 5 course meal laid out for us, specially curated by the wonderful team. A wine pairing with delectable food brought us in the right mood for a Saturday evening. They were also extremely kind enough to bring a special meal for my kid. Starting off with a super crunchy & tangy Avocado salad paired with some sparkling. Second course was a warming tomato basil soup followed by one of the best dishes we had in the day, a Mushroom bao, so tasty, we had us licking our forks off! Appetizers were some juicy veg kebabs and followed by an Indian affair with a Saffron & garlic naan, Paneer Pasanda & Palak cheese koftas in a sweet & spicy curry paired with a red wine.
Our tummies so full, we requested the team to send out the dessert back to our rooms because that meal, needed us to go for a long stroll and make space for it. Desserts were no less either. Wonderful chocolate orange mousse with some coffee liqueur to wrap up our fun evening. The food story doesn’t end yet! Our morning was made with the largest spread of breakfast sent over to our room at our preferred time to keep guests off common spaces and also enjoy it in the comforts of our bed! The huge spread brought with it, South Indian dishes like Dosa, Idli, Vada, Upma, English breakfast of cereals, boiled eggs, Eggs to order and fruits & baked goodies.
With the sun out and bright that morning, we headed back to the pool for one last dip before getting ready for the famed Sunday brunch.
The Sunday brunch is a wonderful affair at the property and a total value for money. A large spread of both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes coupled with boozy cocktails will keep you around there for a good number of hours before you decide to retire again!
Now you see why I prefer a staycation over a workation? Not yet? Head to aloft & you will know why!
