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Druk Air
Druk Air- Royal Bhutan Airlines is one of the only flights allowed to land in the extremely difficult Paro Airport. These flights currently in India leave from Delhi and Kolkata but they plan to extend to Mumbai in the near future. This is Bhutan’s national carrier.
There are 2 classes – Business and Economy. The Business class has a sufficient amount of leg room. The seats however do not recline. The seats are comfortable but basic and on a 4 am flight; I really needed to sleep. The welcome drink is a mocktail or cocktail ( a signature recipe).
The crew is polite and unobtrusive. The food service is quick and silent and the coffee is strong!
I really wanted to sleep but I’m glad I was kept awake because the landing in Paro is spectacular. In fact the visibility was so bad we had to take a second round just to land. When you land on the strip bordered with the most gorgeous mountain ranges; you forget about the seats and the mush that masqueraded as food and you marvel at the pilot brave enough to land.
All in all Druk Air is an airline that has a wonderful crew. The airline passes muster. As a national carrier, it rates as above average.
Gurgaon Bound… with The Westin!
It was time to explore…Back to Delhi but now to try out a new hotel ( or a new hotel for me!) so I decided to try another favourite hotel chain the SPG (Starwood Preferred Guests) Property. Now you’ll remember i’ve had some wonderful trips with SPG in the past- In Naka Island, In Athens and even in Amsterdam to name a few but hadn’t really stayed in any SPG property in India…so it was definitely time for me to try one out!
We were checked in at the Westin Gurgaon and I upgraded myself to a Royal Suite… After all I love a bit of luxury, even if it was a work trip… I thought I might as well indulge myself a little. The lobby was kind of disappointing- cold and aloof ,I was a little worried as to what my room might be like.
There was absolutely no need to worry. the Royal Suite is exquisite. With a large living room, complete with a sit down area , dining table and bar to entertain – it is MASSIVE! With a glorious view of the bustling Gurgaon below! Straight past our living room was a beautiful bedroom with the much talked about ‘Heavenly Bed!’ The Westin prides itself on their Heavenly beds and I must say after a fabulously restful night I can understand what the fuss is all about! The room was massive but still had the personal touches of a Nespresso coffee machine,a media centre and freshly baked cookies and savoury items that were sent to our room every few hours.
The pool is rather small but surrounded by lush greenery. Compared to the starkness of the Westin structure it is rather oasis like and therefore attractive. The spa is far too hidden and tucked away and was a bit too secluded and low lit for me ! 🙂
A couple of meetings and a rather hectic day later, I found myself in the Westin Lounge. A two level lounge, don’t sit on the second level. the food stations, servers are all on Level 1. The cocktail hour and snacks had everything from sushi to fried chicken more than made up for my long day! Ending it ensconced in a gloriously large bath tub with the perfect scented salts completely revived me and I was back to the lounge later that evening for a warm cup of green tea and some biscuits!
My one day trip to Delhi was made less hurried and a lot more fun with this quick luxury break and the Westin Gurgaon! Definitely one of my new favourites!
Cost-:Approximately $500 upwards… UPGRADE yourself especially if you have family or need a relaxing break ! Definitely worth it especially if you have work in Gurgaon…!
Best times to Travel-: September to November and February for cool weather. Delhi is awfully hot in Summer and bitterly cold in winter… I like the monsoon as well but with the traffic on the road, its fun watching the Delhi monsoon from inside a room rather than from outside!
Travel with Divya 