By Arati Thapa

The suite on the 10th floor opened up to a beautiful sprawling garden and I could see a glimpse of the sky while still being enveloped with tall plants and sweet fragrance of the flowers. "This is the Garden Suite, where you will be staying", said Shruti, the very lively Marketing and Communicatin manager of  Hyatt Pune, who had invited me for a staycation at the hotel.

As she left me to explore the suite I went around the garden that had two relaxing loungers, table and chairs and a privacy that I absolutely covet on such trips. Inside the suite the bedroom looked warm and relaxing. The drawing room was complete with a beautiful welcome tray mapping the well known places of Pune, all made in chocolate and a big basket of fresh fruits.

Located just three km from the airport Hyatt Pune, is a luxurious business hotel that offers you the best that you would want in your stay in a city 5 star hotel. Once you enter the hotel you won't feel you are in the city. It's just perfect for a staycation.

Dining is a beautiful experience. The hotel has Eighty Eight, the 24 hour café where I chose to have my food mostly. The breakfast served here is lavish and the seating outside on its terrace is beautiful with flowers and tall plants surrounding you, completely blocking the city noise. It’s the best place to have your coffee. On the same floor is the Baan Tao, the Pan Asian restaurant, which was on renovation while I stayed but the Executive chef Amol Patil made sure that I got to taste the cuisine it served.

I was pampered with delicious Sushi and some pan fried noodles on my first day among the many others that they served. On a personal request the hotel agreed for my visit to Shirdi, for a pilgrimage. It's a 3 hours drive from Pune. We began early and the chef graciously packed us some hot bakes, flavoured curds and soft drinks for the road, while sweetly offering us the room service on return. Couldn't have asked anything better for my mom who was with me for the trip.

Next day seemed busy but entwined with lovely itinerary - a day at their beautiful spa and a city tour. Although this was my third trip to Pune, I hadn't been able to explore much in my earlier trips. I looked forward to my busy day. So my spa treatment began with a Tibetan Singing Bowl Therapy under the guidance of Kedar, the spiritual healer at the Spa. A treatment of 45 minutes where your stress disappears with the soft sound of the music emanating from the brass bowls kept there in different sizes.

Soon after we were whisked off to an ancient Ganesh temple and then to the market for local shopping. On the way back was a stop at the Aga Khan Palace, a majestic building right beside the hotel and a must-visit. It was here Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba Gandhi, as well as Sarojini Naidu and Mahadev Desai were held prisoners. It is now the headquarters of Gandhi Memorial Society and houses important history of India's freedom movement. It also houses the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi.

Back at the hotel I could order room service which is 24 hours a day, but I wanted to spend some time at the beautiful outside seating area of Eighty Eight  and opted to eat at the restaurant.  Best thing I did while I was joined by Chef Amol and we ended up chatting endlessly about his passion for cooking and my love for cooking.

Would I go back? Absolutely and opt for the Garden Suite again.

The Garden suite on the 10th floor

The Garden suite view

My room welcome

Cafe Eighty Eight

The seating outside the cafe

The Baan Tao restaurant

The marble corridors of Aga Khan Palace

By Arati Thapa