Majestic Experience

Archana Ravikumar checks out The Taj West End, Bangalore

The Taj West End, placed in the heart of the city and spread over 22 acres with a golf course boasts much more than the century old buildings. The lobby is brought alive by abundance of plants and balustrades and sunlight filtering through a central glass atrium. The Taj Group of Hotels has been a pioneer in many respects and some of its efforts have been showcased in the property.

The Presidential Suite introduced recently is an unique, independent duplex block, first of its kind in the country. A spacious 4,000 sq. ft. blend of luxury, the living room is lavishly furnished with Persian carpets while the study is packed with state-of-the-art amenities. The suite also boasts of a separate dining and well-equipped pantry while the master bedroom has a four poster bed laced with Italian frette. Other features include Plasma TV with a DVD, treadmill, beautiful paintings etc. The bathroom is a prefect place to rejuvenate, as it is equipped with a Jacuzzi and massage shower columns. The highlight of course is the exclusive plunge pool with a dual access from the bathroom and bedroom. All in all a majestic experience.

The rooms, 117 in three categories: Gulmohar or the Luxury Suites, Western Premium Block and the Presidential Suite are the heart of the hotel. Well anointed with modern amenities, many rooms also have a lounge and an alcove ledge with a panoramic view. Apart from this, all rooms boast of an unique pillow menu exclusively designed for personalised relaxation. The menu includes stress free pillow (feather down, poly fill, cotton pillows) tranquility, energy, happiness aromatic, peace and baby pillows.

Taj West End also claims to have pioneered the concept of Express Lunch. Introduced recently, Express Lunch guarantees a perfect lunch in about 45 minutes for a tempting price of Rs 475 and is available in all three restaurants of the property: Blue Ginger, Mynt and Poolside Barbeque. The Blue Ginger, billed as the first ever Vietnamese restaurant in India is perfectly placed as a little island with mood lighting, artifacts and colourful lanterns creating an enchanting ambience. Chef Loan from Central Vietnam and Chef Tu from northern Vietnam and Chef Sandeep Kachroo, who is specially trained in Vietnamese cuisine serve diverse, healthy, aromatic and light dishes. Accompanied by traditional music of Vietnam, the meal at Blue Ginger is an unforgettable experience.

Mynt, the 24-hour multi-cuisine restaurant sports a bright and contemporary look. Tall bay windows lead out to a garden side alfresco dining space. Mynt is much more than a coffee shop; a lifestyle option that gives guests a complete interactive experience with live kitchen The accent is on healthy styles of cooking. The restaurants serves authentic Lebanese, Mediterranean and Indian cuisine. The pool-side Barbeque set in idyllic surrounding is known as the finest place for kebabs in the city.

After a series of renovations, Taj West End has come up with Blue Bar, an open-air bar set amidst lush landscaped gardens and surrounded by water bodies. The architecture is predominantly Southeast Asian with solid teak flooring and tiled roofing. It has modern furniture with natural stone tables with wrought iron chairs, all blended with classic and yet contemporary look. Blue Bar boasts of about 50 varieties of cocktails and with Buddha Bar, Lounge and Retro music playing in the background makes it the perfect place to de-stress and unwind.