Positioned within the premises of Kempegowda International Airport, Taj Bangalore stands as an enchanting retreat on the outskirts of the city. Offering a harmonious blend of luxury and tranquility, this hotel is a heaven for travellers seeking respite from the bustling cityscape. From the exhilarating road trip on a Hyundai i10 Nios from Whitefield to Taj Bengaluru to the warm hospitality and captivating experiences within its premises, let us embark on a journey that unveils the delights of Taj Bangalore and beyond.
I have been thinking to visit the Bengaluru airport for quite a while during the night time just to enjoy the long drive from the city and experience the atmosphere outside the Terminal 1. The thought of staying at Taj Bangalore which is just opposite to the airport clicked a long time back. My wife and I love to travel and explore new hotels and places. Our wedding anniversary was nearby and I thought that would be the perfect opportunity for us to stay at the hotel. I not only planned the stay but also planned a surprise for my wife. Are you curious to know about the surprise? Just hold on for a few moments and you will get to know as you read along!
Even though my mind was stuck at visiting Taj Bangalore, I was looking at other options as well. After extensive research, I could not find any other hotel that would fit my budget and also provide an enthralling road trip experience to reach there. Hence, I booked the hotel from the official website of Taj hotels for 2 nights. I chose the Half board option as there was no plan of travelling outside of the hotel. The Urban Getaway package which Taj is still offering seemed to me a value for money option and hence I went ahead and booked it.
I booked Taj Bangalore 4 days before visiting there. My wife was not aware of it. Then I started all the planning on how to not let her know until she enters the hotel room. I would like to extend my heartiest gratitude to the Cafe Manager, Mavella, at Cafe 77 East who has immensely helped me in making the surprise worthwhile. I wanted the hotel room to be decorated before my wife enters there. So, I sent her some photos and asked her to decorate the room with balloons and few of our photos. Also, asked her to inform the security team to not take out our luggages when we arrive there so that my wife could not guess that we would be staying there.
Just 1 day before our trip, I informed her that we will be going out for 2 nights but did not reveal the hotel name. This much revelation was required as we need some extra time to pack our bags. Moreover, we have a little kid. Hence, some planning is required before we leave our home. She kept asking me where we were going and I replied that I would reveal you on the day of the anniversary although she was aware that she would be visiting Taj Bengaluru as her brother requested to go there for some coffee and tea before he catches his flight later that night from Bengaluru airport.
Day 1
Well, the D-day came and I was praying to God to help me in getting my surprise executed perfectly. As planned before, she knew that we were going to Taj Bangalore just for coffee and some snacks. We started on our journey to Taj Bangalore in Hyundai i10 Nios at around 1.15 pm in the afternoon. We decided to take the Kadugodi-Budigere route. The journey was quite smooth although in few places, the roads were not great. We reached the hotel after 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Soon after we entered, the security did not ask whether the the luggages need to be taken out. The security guys were aware of the car registration number before. I already informed Mavella to share my car number with them so that they knew what to do when the car arrived. If the security team would have taken out the luggages, my wife could have easily guessed that we were going to stay at the hotel.
We ordered coffee at Cafe 77 East. They served refreshing coffees with few cookies. After the long journey, it was really refreshing. Soon after we sat for the coffee, I went out from the cafe saying my wife that I was going to the rest room. Instead, I went to the reception to complete the check in formalities. My brother-in-law was aware of the plan and he tried misleading my wife till the time I returned to the cafe.
My plan was to tell my wife that the Taj staffs agreed to give us a room tour. During the check in I shared my plan with the receptionist. So, almost one hour after we sat and had the coffee, I told my wife that we could go for a room tour. I knew she would agree to this as she is also fond of visiting luxurious hotels. I asked the staff before to show that room only as a part of the tour where we were going to stay.
Our room was in the 4th floor. We all headed to that room. The staff from Taj guided us and opened the door although I had the key with me already! My wife opened the door and she found lots of heart-shaped balloons. She was saying that the Taj staff might have taken us to a wrong room. But soon, she saw her pics along with an anniversary cake. She was dumbfounded and not sure how to react. She then figured out that we were going to stay here only.
It really felt good that I could execute my surprise. My brother-in-law really helped to mislead my wife. She knew that we were going out for 2 days but had no idea where it was. She was speechless for a day. Next day, she revealed she liked it a lot. I am very happy that she liked it. There was a lot of planning involved to execute the surprise. It did pay off! Basically, when you want to do something for others and if that makes them happy, your joy knows no bounds.
The room was quite luxurious and the view from the room was spectacular. The Kempegowda International Airport was right in front and we could see the take-off of various flights as the runway was pretty nearby. The night view was even more amazing. Do look out at few pictures below.
We had our anniversary dinner at Cafe 77 East. There were a lot of options available in the buffet. We fed our 14 month old daughter. She was also eager to try lots of varieties. She ate and roamed around and then again ate. The cycle goes on everyday like that 🙂
We had a good dinner. Our baby was also tired as she could not sleep for long during the daytime. After we finished our dinner, we thought of going for a stroll outside but unfortunately, it was raining. So, we went back to the room and were busy to make our baby sleep.
Day 2
We had a good sleep the previous night and went for our breakfast at the same cafe. Again, there were a lot of options in the breakfast. I overate that day as I was unable to control myself with so many options available.
There was a slight delay in the room cleaning service but their manager later apologised for the delay and I believe to keep us happy, they kept some toiletries in the bed after the room cleaning was done. Even they gifted my baby with some soft toys. That was a nice gesture from them. This shows that they take feedback seriously and customer satisfaction is so much important to them.
We thought of visiting some nearby areas such as Devanahalli Fort but it was pretty sunny outside. So, we cancelled our plan. My wife went for spa in the evening. She enjoyed it so much that she slept for the entire session.
The dinner was again at the same cafe. The buffet menu was a bit different than it was the previous day. We had a great dinner and then we headed to our room. From the corridor, there is a spectacular view of Terminal 2 as well.
Day 3
The morning of day 3 was kind of emotional as it’s the day for checking out. We sat at the sofa and once again enjoyed watching take-offs for few flights. I went to the gym to do some light exercises . After having our breakfast, we started packing and then checked out at around 1.30 pm.
The trip from Taj hotel to our home was quite comfortable and we reached in one and a half hour. As my baby was sleeping inside the car, we took a longer route to reach home so that she could sleep longer.
Conclusion
Taj Bengaluru is a paradise not only for business travellers but also for people who come for leisure and sightseeing. Even though we had some inconveniences, the hotel’s manager made sure that we had a comfortable stay. Overall, I felt that the in-room dining service could be improved but apart from that, it was really worth visiting.
If you are looking for a cheaper option, you can check my review on another Taj group hotel – Vivanta by Taj.
