DebasishRoy's Travel pages, Trip activities, hotel reviews, photos & videos

About Me

I enjoy travelling very much. I think I am an unofficial chef who collects recipes on the go and recreates them at home. I enjoy watching travel related programmes on television too.

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DebasishRoy
Male, Age Range: 36 - 45, India

Trident Cochin Kochi (Cochin)
5		rating
11 People reviewed this Hotel View all reviews

What would you feel if you arrive at your hotel in Kochi, tired after a four-day stay in... .. What would you feel if you arrive at your hotel in Kochi, tired after a four-day stay in Bangalore and straining for a bit of meat, sea-food and soup, and get presented with a steak, which has been pressed out of its aroma and tastes of tamarind juice? Now, tamarind is an essential ingredient of any south Indian dish; so are curry leaves, grated coconut and coconut milk. However, if you are served something that any road side stalls in Kochi or Kerala would serve, then you wonder if the hospitality industry has lost focus. A luxury hotel and an attached restaurant are all about recreating the atmosphere that the guest would like to enjoy from back home. An Englishman would like English mustard with his soft boiled egg and rashers of bacon even if he sits in Norway or Antarctica. The Japanese would still ask for his sticky rice and the local produce and condiments be damned. This is all about luxury tourism, which is totally divorced from cultural or educational tourism. The Travancore staff is excellent and provides the best of service. Owing to low occupancy of the Trident, Kochi, they may be caught napping for a few seconds as the restaurant is abandoned save a steward to pick up the phone; but they soon deploy forces whenever a guest is pottering around. The same however, cannot be said about their knowledge of cuisine and food engineering. This extends to the kitchen staff too. Even in Bangalore, which is a more cosmopolitan city, the steward in the Masala Klub restaurant at the Taj West End asks if I want my roti kadak, as he has successfully surmised that my roots are from North India. When you settle down among the classy cutlery and crockery at the Travancore, you are asked with the most polite of smiles if you would like some idlis or dosas for breakfast. Well, this is a luxury hotel of the five star variety and they know where I come from: the rough Aravallis of Delhi where the Turkish Army settled and married the daughters of the Mughals. If they still don't get it right, then I get the feeling that I am spending time in a college hostel canteen. As I wave aside all suggestions to increase the tamarind levels in my blood stream, I happily hear that the restaurant can offer me some sausages. I ask for eight to an incredulous Anthony who is serving me. He bows and rushes to inform the chef. A good half an hour later, I am served five with no hint of the balance three on standby. When I devour the five in five gulps, George, Anthony's colleague on the restaurant floor passes by and raises his eyebrows in wonder. The Delhi appetite is somewhat similar to the legendary Texan appetite and I stand vindicated of this truth, yet again. More » « Hide

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Floatel Hotel Kolkata
4.6		rating
8 People reviewed this Hotel View all reviews

The Floatel hotel is a lost opportunity. It is a unique concept anywhere in the world but the... .. The Floatel hotel is a lost opportunity. It is a unique concept anywhere in the world but the hotel management should have done a little more to make it a landmark in this 350 year old city of Kolkata. For one thing, the ship on which the hotel stands is quite small and the lobby itself is more of a tug than a luxury entry to the hotel. The gangway from the mainland is quite tilted and anybody who is either too old or too young will find it extremely difficult to either enter or exit from this hotel. The small parking lot just allows 18 cars. The small lobby does not allow a lot of elbow room. The lobby is on the mainland and the ship begins after you cross the lobby and scale a small area behind it. More » « Hide

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Trident Udaipur
7		rating
58 People reviewed this Hotel View all reviews

Udaipur was a surprise. The Trident, Udaipur was a greater surprise. I never knew that Rajasthan... .. Udaipur was a surprise. The Trident, Udaipur was a greater surprise. I never knew that Rajasthan had wet stretches with greenery all around on low lying mountains. I thought the whole of Rajasthan was like Alwar, Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur - dry and dusty. Although, I like these above mentioned cities a lot for their quiet solitude, I loved Udaipur for its rainy climate and green carpeted mountains and within Udaipur, the Trident, Udaipur was a lovely oasis. We had asked for a chauffeured car from the hotel. A phone call from Delhi to confirm that resulted in a nice conversation with Niyas Desai (A Gujarati gentleman with a Malayali accent) at the front desk and Amit Kaul (Manager-at-large with Kashmiri roots with a London drawing-room accent). They said they were sending an Innova. Santosh, was waiting for us with the car as we got down from the small ATR-72-900 aircraft at the tiny Udaipur airport. The drive, as he told us, was 45 minutes and 37 kilometers long. It really took only 35 minutes and the way was green at every corner. The city has a population of less than one million and it is sparsely filled in the street corners and roads. We suddenly came upon the Trident inside a narrow lane and the hotel and its lush environs burst upon our senses. It was lovely to say the least. The staff is over courteous and takes extra pleasure in making sure you are at home every second. We didn't get the room just as we landed. Sonam at the reception insisted that I just sign on the form, which already had my name, office address, designation and phone numbers laser printed on it and then relax at the lounge adjoining the reception. The view from the lounge was astounding and my wife smiled from ear to ear looking at the massive garden. Her holiday had begun. She was relaxed just looking at the broad green expanse. Sonam walked up to us to announce the room was not ready yet. She was deeply apologetic and suggested we have lunch at the coffee shop cum restaurant, Aravalli, while we wait for the room. We walked towards the restaurant and were pleasantly shocked to see the superb view from the French windows in the restaurant. The skies were rolling with dark clouds perched over a hilltop spreading out to hundreds of kilometers. More » « Hide

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Udaipur, Rajasthan
DebasishRoy, , Posted Date: 15th August 2011

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Sariska Palace Hotel Sariska
5.4		rating
12 People reviewed this Hotel View all reviews

Sariska Palace Hotel is a house of a rich man converted into a hotel. God knows who owns this old... .. Sariska Palace Hotel is a house of a rich man converted into a hotel. God knows who owns this old decrepit looking mansion in the middle of the forest but one can safely say that the website and the marketing hype created around this hotel amounts to misrepresentation. Rich people of Rajasthan who own large old houses (which can be passed off as palaces) believe in this myth that the whole world is interested in their customs and their culture. Well, it is time they realized that they are not. A hotel is a hotel is a hotel and Sariska Palace Hotel is not subject to any exceptions. An entry fee of Rs 500 which can be adjusted with the dinner or lunch fee is fine as long as the lawns are maintained and the staircase that you climb does not look like a monument’s. Well, it does. The house looks like it has been abandoned for years. When you really get to enter the covered premises after climbing a lot of stairs and then pushing open a rickety door, the staff is on edge to understand whether you want a room, a meal or just a few drinks. A smile does not cost them anything but it is missing at the reception. More » « Hide

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