November was a manic month for both of us – after 4 months of continuous travelling around North and Central America, we had a whole list of assignments that needed completion. As a result we spent most of November hunched over our laptops in complete isolation. What a welcome to India eh?! As December rolled in, we promised to book ourselves an impromptu weekend getaway somewhere in India – convenient flights and a few stray comments left by Bruised Passports’ readers in Bengaluru prompted us to choose Bengaluru.
A couple of days later we found ourselves there, with a romantic staycation voucher at Shangri-La Bengaluru on us. To be honest, we were just expecting to stretch our limbs, explore a city neither of us had ever visited, sample some local food, and fly back to New Delhi. As it turns out, the weekend had MUCH more in store for us. Read on to find out 8 things that made our weekend in Bengaluru special:
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I) Personalised welcome – with fresh flower crowns!
You know what I always say – I’d rather be found with flowers in my hair than diamonds on my neck! It’s no secret – I love prancing in flower crowns. So imagine my surprise when I found out guests are greeted with bespoke flowers crowns made from fresh flowers at Shangri-La Bengaluru – rest assured, I checked in with the hugest smile on my face and kept my yellow & purple flower crown by my bedside during the length of our stay there.
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II) THAT Spa
2 of our closest friends live in Bengaluru. When we asked them for suggestions before our trip, they gave us the names of lots of different local hangouts and hole-in-the-wall eateries. But both of them recommended the decadent spa at Shangri-La. We were thoroughly intrigued! To be honest, we just need the slightest excuse to book ourselves a spa appointment, so we booked the couples room for 90 minute long aromatic body massages.
Now the CHI Spa at Shangri-La doesn’t offer scenic views of the city (for a scenic spa try Maya Ubud) – instead it offers an expansive sanctuary of peace and quiet amidst the hustle bustle of the metropolis. As for the body massage, it was one of the most relaxing we’ve ever experienced and we’ve done our research in 70+ countries 😉 . The masseuses hands worked such magic on us that Vid was actually sleeping at the end of the 90 minutes. This was also the first time we saw heated massage beds at a spa (what a genius idea!), that only stepped up the decadence a notch!
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III) Breakfasts of Kings
Nothing screams romantic like breakfast in bed. If I had my we’d wake up to a healthy spread and lots of fresh flowers by my bedside everyday. Unfortunately that’s not possible. But at Shangri-La Bengaluru I lived out that dream just a little. The B Café has a large variety of breakfast smoothies, fresh fruits, continental cheeses and cold cuts, and local breakfast foods. But the two of us decided to sleep in and order room service for breakfast (errr brunch) almost everyday. Cue croissants and chocolates on a window pane overlooking Bangalore Palace or dosas (savoury crepes), poached eggs, and coffee while watching Netflix in bed – the choice is entirely yours – psst choose both 😉
Here’s why the month of December ’16 will go down as the month of most indulgent breakfasts ever for the two of us:
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IV) Ease of exploring Bengaluru
Languorous breakfasts are all ok but you can’t come back without exploring a new place can you? I know we can’t! Ergo a hotel apt for a city break needs to be located in close proximity to the city’s prime attractions. I think we did pretty well on that front because we could see Bangalore Palace from our room’s window.
Here’s a couple of places you definitely need to check out when you’re in Bengaluru:
- Bangalore Palace: Its royal facade is reminiscent of England’s smaller castles. Take a walk inside – expect bright yellow walls, crumbling facades, and spacious courtyards. Entry fee – INR 230/person, INR 685/still camera
- Cubbon Park: The historic park is located in the middle of the Bengaluru’s action and provides a respite from the city’s hustle bustle. Pack a picnic or drop by for a stroll. If you’re lucky, you might get to see its trademark pink trees in full bloom.
- Hole-in-the-wall eateries: There is no shortage of famous eateries serving all sorts of delectable delights in Bengaluru. Try CTR’s (Central Tiffin Room) or MTR’s (Mavalli Tiffin Room) famed masala dosas. There are queues but the food makes it worth it.
- Breweries: Indiranagar and Koramangala have a high concentration of independent cafés, ice-cream parlours, and eateries. There are also some fun breweries like Big Brewsky and The Biere Club you should try if you’re fond of locally brewed beer
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V) Sunsets from a rooftop terrace bar
Craft beers are all well and good but if you like to your drinks to go with panoramic views, then you need to make your way right back to your hotel’s 19th floor. Shangri-La’s famous Hype Bar is a sprawling terrace bar that offers great views and an array of spirits, finger foods, and colourful cocktails. Reach the glitzy bar at sunset and watch the city’s twinkling lights come up as you nurse a drink or two 🙂
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VI) The food
Excuse me for resorting to hyperbole every time I talk about food while we are in India. I’ve said this before but I will say this again – food is serious business in India and we love that. We tried almost all the restaurants at Shangri-La Bengaluru and really enjoyed North Indian delicacies at Ssaffron, Japanese food at Yataii and Mediterranean fare at Caprese.
Even if you live in Bengaluru or you’re staying in another hotel just drop by Yataii for some miso soup, intricate baskets made of nori wraps, and their scrumptious matcha ice-cream served on a bed of delicate crépes. If you prefer European food, stop by Caprese – Shangri-La’s Italian restaurant – for a meal. Try the deconstructed tiramisu topped with dollops of velvety mascarpone cheese or their signature Caprese salad, put together using freshly made Burrata cheese. I promise you this – you will come back for seconds 🙂
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VII) It’s always the little touches
Over the past 15 years we’ve visited hundreds of thousands of hotels and homestays together. Less than 100 have actually made it to the blog. So many hotels have well-appointed rooms and luxurious bathrooms. But it’s always the little touches that make a property truly special and in this case, blogworthy.
A Romantic Staycation package at Shangri-La Bengaluru comes with little surprises like a bottle of champagne and fresh flowers in the room and edible photo-frames made of chocolate (nom). That’s not all. Cars used for airport transfers and sightseeing are equipped with wifi and the gym has state-of-the-art treadmills which we used everyday. These little things made our luxurious getaway truly memorable.
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VIII) The best for last – Meeting YOU GUYS 🙂
Our impromptu readers meetup in Bengaluru was one of our favourite ones yet! It’s been weeks but we still cannot believe so many of you came to see us at a moment’s notice at Shangri-La’s lobby lounge. We know the event was all booked out (the hotel staff ran out of space in the Lobby Lounge) so we couldn’t put any more names on the guest list. But we promise to be back in Bengaluru soon 🙂 For those of you who DID come to the meet up, thanks for all the love, gifts, and kind words – we are forever grateful. You made our city break in Bengaluru so much more special.
Our romantic staycation package at Shangri-La included perks such as free breakfast in bed, couples massage, 5 course meal et al. Prices start at £160/INR 16000 per night.
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This looks like a good place to stay. Glad you had a great time
Thanks Hanah – we had a great time at ShangriLa Bangalore 🙂
Your pictures are beautiful. I love the sound of the flower crowns and the food sounds stunning. Jo x
Hey there – thanks a ton 🙂 That food was scrumptious – we were nursing food babies by the end of our getaway 😉
This looks absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks James 🙂
What a paradise. I am the same as you, in preferring flowers in my hair over diamonds any day. If only I could go there now! Dreaming.
Glad I ain’t the only one Rachel – hard to beat fresh flowers eh?! 🙂
I sooo love the edible photo frame ! Is the photo edible too? 🙂
Hey there – yep, the photo frame was made of chocolate and the photo of sugar 🙂
Lovely post. The pictures are beautiful. I feel I need another holiday already.
Never a bad idea for a holiday, especially a quick weekend getaway 😉
Never a bad idea for a holiday, especially for a quick weekend getaway 🙂
Oh wow what an amazing hotel! It looks like you had a fab time x
Thanks Stephanie – we did have a great weekend away 🙂
The flower crowns are honestly my favorite part, that’s such a wonderful perk for a hotel to have ?? also the views of Bengalore Palace are amazing and I can’t wait to explore it for myself!!
Those flower crowns were one of my favourite parts too, second only to breakfast in bed 🙂
Wow, this place looks incredible. What a place to go and explore x
Thanks Jeni – it’s perfect for an indulgent weekend away 🙂
This looks like actual paradise! And the bed looks huge and cosy, love the flower addition too!
Milly – I’ll always remember this weekend as the weekend full of flowers 😉
This weekend looked like the height of indulgence from the spa to the flower crowns to the sumptuous breakfasts in bed! Your photos of the local attractions and the hotel are gorgeous, and make me want to fly away to India!
Thanks Sarah – South India is definitely a special corner of India. One for your next trip 🙂
This looks like a great place to go. i don’t do romantic getaways but it looks a great hotel to go to anyway
Hey Hannah – it’s perfect for a solo/family holiday too 🙂
It looks amazing, I would love to visit and stay one day x
Thanks a ton 🙂
Wow. This place looks incredible, I’m sold on the floral head crowns! xo
Me too Rachel – it was a great start to our weekend getaway 🙂
Omg this whole place looks amazing!!
Thanks Deborah – gotta love a luxurious getaway 🙂
Ahh I love your photography, it looks incredible! All those flowers make me happy!
Thanks Sarah 🙂 Flowers make me SO happy
Bangalore palace is beautiful! I love the look of the breakfast in bed and who dosen’t love a flower crown display??
Thanks Ana – breakfasts in bed might be my favourite thing in the world 🙂
From beginning to end, this was absolutely fabulous. The flowers, the breakfast, the room itself and the view…oh my stars.
Thanks Liz – we weren’t planning to blog the experience but it was so special I couldn’t help myself 🙂
Wow that is amazing! I have only stayed at one Shangri-La hotel in Thailand and that was spectacular. Bookmarked your page as your blog is ace!
Hey Annie – ooh we’ve never stayed with Shangri La in Thailand. Will def. look them up when we are in Thailand next 🙂
You guys need to come to Nairobi! The Devarana Spa at the Dusit has heated beds and I may be biased, but I think their signature massage is to DIE for! Loved this article, thanks for sharing!
Damn right we do – still questioning why we’ve just discovered heated beds at spas- they’re a revelation!
Sounds like such a romantic getaway, I’d love to go somewhere like this x
Hey Rhian – it was all sorts of indulgent 🙂
It looks perfect! You know when you walk into your room and find fresh flowers all over the bed that you are in for a good holiday lol I recently discovered heated beds when having a massage and seriously they are a game changer, I can never go back to a normal massage table now haha i have been ruined
Anosa I hear you – I can’t believe I’ve discovered heated spa beds only now! I’m with you – might never go back to a normal massage table 😉
I would love to visit India one day. This place looks absolutely amazing!
Hey Charlotte – hope you make it to India super soon 🙂
Wow, this place looks incredible, I am just totally green with envy!
Hope you visit soon Stephen 🙂
Before my folks had me my daddy had a Shangri La gold card and they stayed in Hong Kong, KL and Singapore a couple of times. Love the service and attention to detail. A great hotelier!
Ooh that must’ve been fun. We’ve heard great things about ShangriLa hotels in KL and Singapore – will definitely check them out later this year 🙂
O wow what a beautiful place, I really must go here one day, its just so luxurious!
Hey Melissa – I’ve always loved ShangriLa hotels around the world but this one was uber special 🙂
That looks like a beautiful place for a romantic getaway. I could certainly do with one of those now.
Hey Dannii – never a bad time for romantic getaway eh 😉
This sounds so bloody amazing!!! Your photos are also to die for!!!
Thanks Francesca – we didn’t expect to click just so many photos but couldn’t resist photographing the hotel, especially all the food 🙂
What an amazing place, it seriously looks like paradise!
It is very special Jemma 🙂 We had such a great weekend away
Oh my goodness, it looks absolutely breathtaking. I love the IG breakfast photo!
Thanks a ton Harriet – couldn’t resist clicking our breakfasts every day. They were just so special 🙂
The hotel really looks amazing and all the treats they’ve made for you!
I’m bookmarking this post for when we decide on our next holiday 🙂
That’s awesome Lubka – hope you make it there soon. We did feel super pampered at the end of it all 🙂
I so wanted to meet you guys when you were in Bangalore 🙁 But something Came up that day.
Shangrila looks beautiful !! 🙂
Hey Sonal – we would’ve loved to finally see you. No worries, we’ll hopefully be back in Bangalore soon 🙂
oh what I would give right now to be able to jet off to here it looks and sounds just perfect – would just need someone to have 6 kids for me ha
Hehe that’s quite the handful Emma – all the more reason for a luxurious break 😉
Pics are amazing….loved them all….plz suggest me a place in India where I can celebrate my 11th anniversary with my husband and my daughter who is 3 years old. Not to forget it’s in summer 1st may
Thanks Soma. You should try going to Khyber Resort and Spa Gulmarg if you can – you’ll love it there and the weather will be good too.
I follow your blog regularly. I was out of station when you guys visited bangalore. I missed the golden opportunity to meet you in person. Hope you’ll come back soon!
Dear Sindhu,
We’ll look forward to seeing you in the near future. Thanks for all the love 🙂
I’m Sooo happy that my city treated u soo well?
U guys r soo full of positive vibes that I hope to bump into you some day!
Btw..I have been following u since a long time but did I tell u I just looove uu guys?. Keep smiling.God bless!
Awww we are so happy to get so much love and warmth from you. This kind of feedback from our readers makes our heart sing.Thanks so much dear Anitha for your kind words:) 🙂
16k/night ouch this ain’t gonna happen! Saving the kidneys for a trip to the US. Loved the pics however. Kinda felt the warmth in a cozy homestay in Spiti
Sure – you do you. We love the sound of a homestay in Spiti too. Have fun in the US.
This place is beautiful, from the landscape to the building architecture. I will follow your blog regularly.
nhà thép tiền chế
Trương quang pháp, Bengaluru is one of the best cities in India and a place you would enjoy visiting whenever you are in this part of the world. A big thanks to you for following our blog:)