Dussehra holiday planing started earnestly well in advance, as all holiday plans should, however it ended up as a last minute trip.
This year we had planned to visit the Wagah border, the golden temple in Amritsar and a few days @ Dharamshala. We worked through the details with Veena's parents and then with our friends Vivek and family. Eventually everyone had to bail out for one reason or another and we were close to the holidays with nothing on hand. A quick trip to Singapore with Sridhar & fly was considered and dropped. Finally it came down availability of train tickets to the historic town of Hampi, with the Hayatt offering a relaxing getaway with a trip of the ruins that finalized the trip.
We took the Hampi express from Bangalore @ 10 PM and reached Torangulu station @ 6:30 AM and did an early check-in to the hotel. The Jindal Steel Works housing complex was pretty huge, well maintained and impressive. The roads and facilities inside the township could easily match that of any developed city abroad.
On Day 1 we just stayed @ the hotel, drove around the township and enjoyed the facilities.
Day 2: We toured Hampi
we had lunch @ the Mango tree restaurant of one of the shanty roads off Vitalla Temple.
Day 3: One down 3 to go....!
Towards the end of a hot and dry tour of Hampi Veena was down with fever and she was beginning to show symptoms of catching something. Day 3 was Dusssehra and we pretty much spent the day @ the pool and enjoying the sumptuous food at the hotel.
Kids spent a good 4+ hours in the pool and towards the evening we headed out to the township where the festivities were happening. We witnessed the victory of the good over the evil and subsequent fireworks to celebrate Dussehra.
We stopped by Kaladham a 3 D cultural and art exhibit by the hotel in the Vidhayanagar township and snapped a few pictures.
Finally the most awaited event, the lighting of Ravan:
Day 4: Final day
The morning was spent in the pool. We checked out by 2 had our lunch and headed to the Tungabhadra dam. We spent a good 3 hours and returned to the Hospet railway station to catch the Hampi express.
One of the best hotels that I have stayed in so far, I must rate the Hayatt, Hampi and the food as excellent.
As the years roll, another Dussehra goes by, the biggest difference we now see is our vacations do not fit into a single family room any more... !
This year we had planned to visit the Wagah border, the golden temple in Amritsar and a few days @ Dharamshala. We worked through the details with Veena's parents and then with our friends Vivek and family. Eventually everyone had to bail out for one reason or another and we were close to the holidays with nothing on hand. A quick trip to Singapore with Sridhar & fly was considered and dropped. Finally it came down availability of train tickets to the historic town of Hampi, with the Hayatt offering a relaxing getaway with a trip of the ruins that finalized the trip.
We took the Hampi express from Bangalore @ 10 PM and reached Torangulu station @ 6:30 AM and did an early check-in to the hotel. The Jindal Steel Works housing complex was pretty huge, well maintained and impressive. The roads and facilities inside the township could easily match that of any developed city abroad.
On Day 1 we just stayed @ the hotel, drove around the township and enjoyed the facilities.
Day 2: We toured Hampi
 |
| Nishanth with flowers of the water Hyacinthe |
we had lunch @ the Mango tree restaurant of one of the shanty roads off Vitalla Temple.
Day 3: One down 3 to go....!
Towards the end of a hot and dry tour of Hampi Veena was down with fever and she was beginning to show symptoms of catching something. Day 3 was Dusssehra and we pretty much spent the day @ the pool and enjoying the sumptuous food at the hotel.
Kids spent a good 4+ hours in the pool and towards the evening we headed out to the township where the festivities were happening. We witnessed the victory of the good over the evil and subsequent fireworks to celebrate Dussehra.
We stopped by Kaladham a 3 D cultural and art exhibit by the hotel in the Vidhayanagar township and snapped a few pictures.
Finally the most awaited event, the lighting of Ravan:
Day 4: Final day
The morning was spent in the pool. We checked out by 2 had our lunch and headed to the Tungabhadra dam. We spent a good 3 hours and returned to the Hospet railway station to catch the Hampi express.
One of the best hotels that I have stayed in so far, I must rate the Hayatt, Hampi and the food as excellent.
As the years roll, another Dussehra goes by, the biggest difference we now see is our vacations do not fit into a single family room any more... !
