ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad - A mountain of light, quite literally!

ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad - A mountain of light, quite literally!

An ode to the city of Nizam's

Hyderabad is known World over for the royalty and grandeur of the Nizam's and the famous Hyderabadi Biryani! 

A tour to the older part of the city is sure to take you back in time to the era where the noble-men of this city bathed it in their riches. Their love for luxury ensured that they leave behind stories that would resonate and inspire awe in generations to come-by. 

The grand Falaknuma Palace, the luxurious Chowmallah palace, the mysterious Golconda fort and the iconic Charminar are reminiscent of the times gone by. Hyderabad, currently the best city to live in the country is a city truly worthy of being called a rare jewel in the crown of India.

Which is the most famous diamond in the World? This!

Speaking of Jewels, Hyderabad has given to the World, perhaps the most desired diamond of all times. A piece of stone which was mined in the famed Kollur mines near Hyderabad, came into the possession of rulers from Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th Century and changed multiple hands before finally resting on the crown of the Queen of England!

For those who are still wondering which stone am I talking about, it is the "ill-fated", much famed Koh-i-noor!

A precious gift to the world from Hyderabad, Koh-i-noor is the Persian for 'a mountain of light'. 

While Hyderabad or for that matter India is no more in the legal possession of the stone, its beauty and uniqueness continue to inspire new stories about the legendary diamond.

ITC Kohenur, yet another iconic building that adorns Hyderabad

Inspired by this mountain of light, ITC Hotels have presented to the city of Nizam's, their own version of mountain of light in the form of a stunning luxury hotel, The ITC Kohenur!

Situated on the banks of Durgam Cheruvu, a lake that once served as the source of drinking water for the royal families of Hyderabad, the hotel is built in unique curvaceous shape which has already made it a landmark building in the Hi-Tec City.

The hotel that boasts of 'responsible luxury', has 271 luxury rooms on offer which include suites and service apartments. 

I had a chance to explore this marvelous piece of architecture when I visited the Golconda Pavilion, a multi-cuisine restaurant for a lunch buffet.

My first impressions of ITC Kohenur

The building is grand and there is no doubt about that. The entrance to the hotel has a vertical garden installed which straight away justifies the 'responsible luxury' tag which ITC hotels use.

The lobby area is welcoming and gives a pleasant first impression. 

Laced with a few statement pieces and a seating area, the lobby is just about sufficient to serve its purpose. My expectations from the lobby were however higher. Since the hotel is themed around the monuments of Hyderabad, they could have done a better job to make it a masterpiece. It lacks the energy and misses on the 'wow' factor.

My dining experience

The Golconda Pavilion is located at one end of the lobby, in a straight line with the entrance and is easy to locate. 

Serving multi-cuisine food, the pricing at which the buffet lunch is available currently is justified if you are a Non-vegetarian. Brace yourself for some disappointment if otherwise.

Speaking of the taste of food, well it was average from my taste buds point of view. Being a vegetarian, I was left luring for more. 

Vegetarian starters were pretty much non-existent. The soup (made out of peas) was an appetizer killer if not anything else. 

The salads were just not good enough to draw your attention and the main course was limited on options. To my utter disappointment, there was no veg Biryani on the menu for that day and for me, this was a deal breaker. All in all the vegetarian spread failed to excite me. The saving grace was the desserts! 

The spread looked good when it comes to Non-veg options. I am confident that the spread for vegetarians would be much better in the coming days.

One interesting aspect of the restaurant was the drinking water that they use. Apparently, the drinking water is purified in their in-house RO treatment plant, which reduces the impact on the environment. Once again, responsible luxury at work!

I also had a chance to visit 'Yi Jing', their authentic Asian restaurant. While I did not have a meal there, it looked good and the aroma was fantastic! Those with a taste for Asian food will enjoy!

Rooms at ITC Kohenur

The hospitality manager at the hotel was kind enough to show us one of the rooms in the hotel. 

If I were to describe the room that we toured in one word, I would say 'stunning'. The tech savvy room was an instant hit for me. Every square foot of this huge room had luxury written all over it. 

This room was one from their 'wellness rooms' category, a unique concept where the rooms are designed keeping in mind well being and fitness of the guests. 

The view form the lake facing room was mind blowing. The Golconda fort, the Qutub Shahi tombs and the Durgam Cheruvu lake, all visible at one go with the impressive skyline of the city in the backdrop. Wish someday I get to live in that room staring at the gems of the city.

We were informed that the biggest room in the hotel is the ' Grand Presidential Suite', a whopping 4730 square foot in size. Well, it comes at a price tag that is equally whopping! 

All-in-all, the hotel surely re-defines luxury! A visit to this hotel is a must if you are a resident of Hyderabad and a must stay if you are travelling to Hyderabad! Staying true to its 'responsible luxury' tag, this ITC hotel is certainly a rare gem in the crown on ITC hotels.

Book Review - Origin by Dan Brown!

Origin by Dan Brown 

You can also watch the Dan Brown Origin book review on my YouTube channel- https://youtu.be/8xXnclkUUAw

Introduction:

Where do we come from? Where are we going? – The fundamental premise of Dan Brown’s latest religio-political conspiracy thriller – Origin.

Origin is the fifth installment featuring the protagonist Professor Robert Langdon, the World renowned professor of religious iconology and symbols. Like in the previous books, Robert Langdon finds himself amidst yet another controversial event involving a murder followed by a cryptic chase to find the killer.

The Dan Brown bandwagon moves to Spain in this latest installment and the story begins with Edmond Kirsch – a futurist, a world renowned billionaire scientist and an outspoken atheist making a startling claim, a discovery which promises to wipe out all the religions and bring about a paradigm shift in the thought process of the people by answering two of the most important, unanswered questions in the history of mankind – where do we come from? And where are we going?

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain is where the Who’s who of the World have assembled to watch Edmond reveal his discovery in a live event. The audience includes Edmond’s erstwhile teacher and a good friend – Professor Langdon himself.

A view of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao - Spain

Dan Brown - Origin - The plot

The event begins with an astounding video about the timeline of mankind and the key events in history that have altered the life as we know it forever.

The audience is intrigued and the suspense is at its peak when Edmond walks on to the stage to reveal his discovery. Edmond is in the middle of his presentation when, to the utter shock and disbelief of the world, he is shot dead by Admiral Avila, a former Navy commander who is being guided by a shadow called “regent”.

Prof. Langdon is joined by Ambra Vidal, the director of the museum and the fiancée of the future king of Spain, who is also in shock as she witnesses the horror unfold. Together, the two embark on a chase to find out the password to Edmond’s presentation so that they can trigger it and make his discovery public.

They are joined by a special individual named Winston – who is the most advanced piece of AI that Edmond has produced. A computer assistant who is capable of getting anything and everything done and is a formidable partner for the two during the chase.

The plot picks pace with different individuals getting involved and the duo un-raveling mysteries en-route their journey to solve the murder case.

My thoughts about the book

To begin with, the story line is bulky and there are many parts in the book which would not enthusiast the reader. While the chase has its fair share of thrills, suspense and tense moments, the flow is stemmed by parallel stories about the King, the Prince, Ambra Vidal’s love story amongst others that fail to hold the attention of the reader and are sort of inconsequential to the outcome of the book.

Dan Brown seems to be in love with Tesla as reference to its AI enabled car is given several times. A good product placement may be.

Unlike his previous books, this one is not an out an out page turner. At many places, I felt the urge to skip reading and fast forward.

Giving credit where its due, every time the story turns towards Robert Langdon, you feel the thrill and anticipate something exciting is about to happen. Langdon is up against a formidable opponent who is one step ahead at every stage. There are several attempts to murder Langdon and Ambra Vidal and the way in which they survive these threats is exciting.

Previous editions of Brown novels were high on describing various conspiracy theories about famous museums, churches and Christianity as a whole. While this book is also on the same lines, it unfortunately is not as informative as the previous books. After reading all the Dan Brown books, your expectations are bound to sky rocket and this one might disappoint you as you are left yearning for more.

A little spoiler for those who are yet to read the book – the answers to those two fundamental questions are not at all mind boggling, nor is the antagonist a big surprise.

All in all – I would recommend you to read this book only for Robert Langdon and if you are new to Dan Brown, do not start with this book.

 Dan Brown Origin Price - You can buy it on Amazon for around INR 480/-

Travel to Sri Lanka on a budget – A complete guide to help you navigate through the beautiful island

Travel to Sri Lanka on a budget – A complete guide to help you navigate through the beautiful island

Last year, my wife and I traveled on a 5-day tour to Sri Lanka, the tiny tear-shaped island located at the tip of India, in the Indian Ocean. The primary reason why we choose to visit this place was that it is not very expensive.

Just to give you an overview before diving deep into the details, the 5-day trip cost us INR 80,000 (A little over 1,100 USD for two persons, including return flight costs from India) and we spend some real good amount on our hotels as well.

Proper planning and prior research about the places to visit in Sri Lanka will help you immensely in saving money, without compromising or missing out on any of the key attractions.

Through this blog, I will give a detailed break up of things to do in Sri Lanka and things to avoid in Sri Lanka if you are traveling on a tight budget.

How much does a flight to Sri Lanka cost?

First things first, flight ticket will probably form the biggest chunk of your total expenses.

Our flight route: We took a Jet Airways flight from Hyderabad to Colombo, via Bangalore.

Total cost: The tickets cost us INR 36,000 (USD 520 appx.) for two persons.

Tip to book flight ticket for cheap:

1.     You can save on your flight cost by booking the tickets well in advance.

2.     Flights with layovers are generally less expensive than direct flights. If you are okay with spending time at the airports, then this could save you some money.

How to apply for Visa to Sri Lanka?

Next comes the visa application. Getting a visa to Sri Lanka is not difficult. It is an online process which will take you about 10 minutes in total.

FAQ 1: Does Sri Lanka give visa on arrival?

Answer: Except for the citizens of Singapore, Maldives and Seychelles, individuals from every other nationality are required to apply for the visa online via the Electronic Travel Assistance (ETA) system. While there is an option to apply for Visa at the port of entry in Sri Lanka, it is expensive and NOT RECOMMENDED.

FAQ 2:  What is the cost of Visa for Sri Lanka and how much time does it take to get a visa for Sri Lanka?

We spent USD 20 per person to get the visa. Since India is a member of SAARC, the visa cost is less compared to the cost for other nationalities. However, the cost of visa has been hiked and the table below shows the latest cost of getting a visa to Sri Lanka:

You will receive the online copy of your visa on your registered mail ID almost immediately.

You can use the following link to apply for Sri Lankan visa online: https://etagov.com/slvisa/visainfo/eta.php

What is the best way of traveling from Colombo airport to Colombo city?

Our flight landed at around 2:30 AM in the morning and by the time we reached the exit after completing the immigration formalities and collecting our bags it was close to 4:00 AM.

There are various cab service provider counters at the airport. We first checked on the Govt. approved cab service – and the lady there was kind enough to admit that the Govt. cabs are more expensive and there is no scope for bargaining. We turned to a private cab service and booked a cab to the city. The distance from the airport to the city is around 35 KM’s and it took us 40 minutes in the morning to get there.

FAQ 3: How much does a cab cost from Colombo airport to Colombo city?

Well, we ended up paying 2,000 LKR (1 USD = 160 LKR appx.) which was way too much. Before leaving India, we had done all our research and every article said that anything more than a 1,000-1,200 LKR is high. At 4:30 AM in the morning, having spent the last 9 hours in transit, we just wanted to get out and reach our hotel!

FAQ 4: What is the best and cheapest way to get to Colombo city from the airport?

If you are looking for a best and cheapest combo, then I would say hiring UBER is the best choice. It should not cost you more than 1,000 LKR.

If you can forgo the comfort and speed, then the cheapest mode of transportation is the local bus service. Getting from the airport to the city will cost you not more than 80 – 100 LKR but it will take forever to reach the city, especially if it is during the peak hours.

What is the best place to exchange currency in Sri Lanka

Probably the most important activity on reaching Lanka is to exchange your currency for the local currency.

FAQ 5: Is it worth getting currency exchanged at the airport?

Not really, currency exchange at the airport will pull you down marginally as the exchange rates are not as lucrative as they are outside. However, the exchange rates at counters at arrival hall are not too bad and you can get a few dollars exchanged to meet your initial expenses.

Once in the city, you can approach various private currency exchange vendors and negotiate the best rate.

Tip to remember: Before going out to exchange currency, check the current prevailing exchange rates on any trusted website (I use Oanda.com). This will give you a fair idea of what to expect.

Also, USD and Euros are widely accepted. Exchanging any other currency might be a challenge.

Shopping for essentials

Like most South Asian nations and unlike the European countries, Sri Lanka is not very expensive when it comes to essentials such as water, food, local transportation, SIM cards etc. You can walk into any general store and buy these items easily.

What is the best way of traveling from one city to another in Sri Lanka?

So, on our 5-day trip we visited the following places:

1.     Colombo

2.     Galle

3.     Unawatuna

4.     Bentota and

5.     Colombo

Our first journey took us to Galle in the famed Rajadhani express of Sri Lanka. I booked the tickets for this train online beforehand. (If you are looking to travel in first class, then there is limited capacity and it is better to book in advance). The trip cost us around 2,000 LKR per person and took us four long hours to reach Galle (takes 2 hours by road).

I must admit that I was partly confused and partly shocked when our train arrived at the Colombo Fort station. Confused because the entire train was actually a second class train where the crowd was overwhelming. Some noble soul informed me that only the first bogie was AC First class.

Shocked because the First class turned out to be a deal breaker. The seats were old and not very comfortable, the AC was not a centralized AC system, instead, a split AC unit was installed inside the bogie (beat that). To add to the woes, the train stopped with a big thud every time. If you are standing without support, you will surely fall.

Luckily for us, the First Class was empty. There were a few more foreign tourists, but that’s it. Moreover, the train route to Galle must be one of the most scenic in the World, for the entire rail line runs parallel to the ocean and the route is dotted with small, beautiful villages and settlements.

Tip to remember:

I would definitely recommend that you take the Rajadhani at least once (FIRST CLASS and nothing else). If you do, then book seats in advance and have a print out of the tickets handy.

Important note: Rajadhani train is under renovation currently (thankfully, much needed) Visit this website to check the status - https://rajadhani.lk/

How to travel from Galle to Unawatuna?

Galle to Unawatuna is hardly any distance. We hired a Tuk-tuk that took us there and got us back to Galle for 400 LKR. Unawatuna has a lot of beach activities on offer and the cost is not too high. It is a good place for those seeking water adventures (more details in my Sri Lanka travel blog).

Traveling from Galle to Bentota and back to Colombo

On our way back, we took the local AC bus to Bentota, stayed there for a night and took the local AC bus back to Colombo. The bus is extremely cheap – it cost us only 60 LKR per person on each of these routes and took us 2 hours each time. However, if you have luggage, the bus supervisor will charge for one extra seat (although the bags will not be kept on a seat. Who minds giving 60 LKR’s extra?)

While going back to the airport, we took the local AC bus from the city. It took us almost 2 hours to get there. So if you want to save on some money by using local AC bus, start well in advance for the airport.

Hotels in Lanka

There is no dearth of budget hotels in Lanka. Whatever your budget may be, there is a place to reside available. The hotels that we stayed in were not very budget friendly (cost us between 6,000 and 15,000 LKR). This was because I looked at the hotel bookings a little late and all the good, economical stays were sold out!

Tip to remember: Planning everything well in advance makes the trip a lot cheaper and you get the best deals!

Getting around Sri Lanka is by and large safe. Thankfully we never faced any tense situations in regards to our safety or being scammed by any local. Must appreciate the hospitality of the Lankans, they do go the extra mile to make you feel comfortable and welcomed.

(This blog is dedicated for information about the best and the cheapest way to get around Lanka, in my next blog, I will take you through my travel experiences in Sri Lanka).

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how much money to take sri lanka

is sri lanka cheap