Hautels: Retreat to Vivanta in Kashmir, the Taj Group’s Latest Luxury Resort

For those who like to relax and vacation just off the beaten path, the illustrious Taj group of hotels has opened the Vivanta by Taj – Dal View, Srinagar an opulent resort in the picturesque summertime destination in India. Boasting the best of the country’s gorgeous landscape, retreat from it all with forest, lake, hill, and greenery views as you enjoy the best in luxury leisure atop Kralsangri Hill, overlooking the mesmerizing Tulip Garden, Dal Lake, and the Royal Springs golf course with the lushly forested Zabarwan Hills in the background.

Only 20 km from the new Srinagar International Airport, the gorgeous getaway offers panoramic views of many historic sites, such as the Sankaracharya Hills, the shrine of Sheikh Humza Makhdoom, Sharika Devi Temple, and the Hazratbal Shrine. Features of the resort include ergonomically designed guestrooms with work stations, LCD TVs, large bathrooms with tubs and rain showers, and private balconies, with the rest of the hotel boasting an all-day dining restaurant, a tea lounge, expansive spa and fitness center, large banquet facilities, business center, and the resort’s high-end specialty restaurant, Latitude, which has employed full-length glazed windows in their design on three sides so that diners need not miss their incredible vantage point, even while dining indoors.

Chef Vijayan, who has been with the Taj group for the past 28 years, is an expert in fine South Indian cuisine, and has taken care to make sure that the food at Vivanta’s Latitude remains authentic, personally bringing in stocks of the finest curry leaves, onions for the sambhar, and other such ingredients from Chennai to ensure the top quality of the cuisine. Another chef at the resort is Muhammad Abbas, whose specialties are in Italian, Lebanese, and continental cuisine. Says Abbas of the resort’s culinary prowess, “Prawns, lobsters, crabs, prime steak. You name it and we cook it like nobody else does.”

So if you’re looking for a luxurious resort full of serenity, great golfing, surrounded by spectacular landscapes – but without the hustle of swarms of tourists – the Vivanta is the ultimate in leisure. For more information, visit www.vivantabytaj.com.

[Source: The Times of India]