Lively and soaked in tradition, India is a melting pot of culture, colours and stunning coastline. However, Mumbai speaks a more westernised language of this sub-continent, where you'll find beautiful skyscrapers, bright local markets, artists and servants, fisherfolk and crorepatis, and lots and lots of people. You will find India's most prolific film industry, Asia's biggest slum, some of the world's most expensive homes, the largest tropical forest in an urban zone, and, of course, the exotic local cuisine. Whether you're planning a far-flung family holiday or exploring this dreamy city with your partner, you have the best of all worlds - sun, sea, city, forests and urban city. And when it comes to choosing the right hotel/resort, both hospitality and the opportunity to experience a culture are key for me. I experienced this recently at The Resort.
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Located on Madh Island, this beach-facing resort is perfect for family holidays as well as if you want a weekend getaway with your partner. The Resort is a well-designed resort with two placid pools, two restaurants, one wellness centre, and a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities, and much more. Aksa beach is, of course, one of the main tourist attractions of the place that brings hundreds and thousands of tourists every year and the accessibility to this famous (and clean) beach from the resort makes it, even more, tourist-friendly.
Rooms at The Resort
The rooms at The Resort are bright and breezy with private balconies/porch to soak in the stunning ocean views. There are four categories of rooms and suites - Standard Room/Non-Ocean Facing, Deluxe Room/Ocean Facing, Suites and Villas. You can take your pick from these categories and get ready for the ultimate pampering. I stayed at the Deluxe Room/Ocean Facing, which is one of their popular categories. It came with an expansive balcony facing the ocean and pool. A spacious room, comfortable enough for a family as well as for a couple. The rooms are stylishly furnished and quite comfortable for longer stays.
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Food And Drinks
The Resort offers one restaurant - High Tide, one bar - Upper Deck and one poolside dining.
High Tide: As the name suggests, High Tide is an ocean-facing restaurant that redefines fine dining with a fresh and contemporary ambience. The restaurant can accommodate approximately 116 guests on a busy day. The restaurant has a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea and is also connected to the garden and pool. You can take your pick from its extensive multi-cuisine menu or directly go for a buffet which includes a salad bar with two soups, four non-vegetarian dishes, eight vegetarian dishes, five desserts and one live counter.
Upper Deck: Upper Deck is a bar that connects you to the High Tide restaurant. Just like High Tide, the bar offers a stunning view of the ocean and pool. On a busy day, the bar can host up to 32 people. Serving a wide variety of wines, spirits, cocktails and cigars, you will definitely be spoilt for choices. Ideally, you have your drinks at Upper Deck, order some interesting cocktails along with some snacks, move to the restaurant for the main course, and have desserts poolside under the stars.
Pool and Spa at The Resort
The Resort has a sizable pool. After a sweaty day of touring the city, returning to this calming blue pool-surrounded by comfortable chaises -is just plain heavenly. There is a kid's pool right next to the main pool so that your kids can have some fun too.
And you could spend your afternoon at their fully-functional spa that specialises in Ayurvedic treatments too. Located on the first floor, The Bodyscape Spa offers therapies like Swedish massage, Balinese massage, Hot Stone Therapy, and Aromatherapy, as well as nail services. For kids, the spa provides head massages and foot massages.
I will pen down by saying that The Resort effortlessly combines a popular party atmosphere with stunning beach, good food and outstanding hospitality, meaning it's a great destination for laid-back days and lively evenings - without being too much on your pocket.
Where: 11, Madh Marve Road, Aksa Beach, Malad West, Mumbai - 400095.
About Shubham BhatnagarYou can often find Shubham at a small authentic Chinese or Italian restaurant sampling exotic foods and sipping a glass of wine, but he will wolf down a plate of piping hot samosas with equal gusto. However, his love for homemade food trumps all.