No. 99 Residency Road
Bangalore, Karnataka 560025, India
+91 80 4914 8000
After a delayed flight due to thunderstorms–the Cochin Airport actually lost electricity and we waited in complete darkness–we flew from Cochin to Bangalore. We arrived in Bangalore late in the evening. Our taxi ride from the airport to downtown Bangalore, where Ritz Carlton hotel is located, lasted at least 45 minutes without traffic (but it only cost about $6 US because we negotiated the rate at the desk inside the airport). Upon arrival, we were greeted by a handful of friendly employees and then escorted to the executive lounge for check-in.
The walkway from the valet stand to the main door was opulently decorated as Holiday Lane. Just imagine… We were in the middle of a bustling city in central India and then, all of a sudden, we were walking through Santa’s Village. It was pretty magical. Only thing missing was the snow.
Unfortunately, the lounge dinner service was over, but the staff swung into action and put together some hot tea and desserts. After a full day of travel with no breaks for food, we were hungry. We would have preferred to eat something hearty and savory, but, alas, dessert for dinner! Luckily, it was delicious!
Our room rate included a full breakfast AND full dinner for both of us in the main hotel’s 5-star restaurant. What a deal! At the daily rate including breakfast and dinner and lounge access, we could live at this hotel for less than we pay for rent in Florida…hmmm. It’s a thought!
The level of service was over-the-top amazing! It must have taken 8 bell hops to bring our luggage from the taxi to our room, and no one ever expected a tip.
Each little shop was decorated as a gingerbread house.
A Christmas tree with white flowers?! I must admit, it looks so pretty!
The lobby does not look like a typical “lobby.” The design is incredible and very welcoming!
Confession: I really want the interior designers of this Ritz Carlton to design my house. I am SO in love with it!
The executive lounge was not a huge space, but it was one of the top lounges we have visited. Again, the level of service was above and beyond. The lounge had multiple attendants taking food and drink orders, serving guests, and clearing tables. The food was very good, with a nice assortment of hot and cold items as well as a full selection of wine, beer, and made to order cocktails.
We stayed in a standard room on the club level, located on the same floor as the lounge. The bed was amazing!…The most comfortable bed we slept in throughout our time in India. The property is very new, so the mattress and room furnishings were on the newer side. Honestly, after two weeks of Asia travel, we didn’t want to leave this bed. We could have slept for days in that glorious bed, but, of course, we needed to hit the ground running…We barely squeezed in lunch with friends and a full day of sightseeing before rushing to the airport to catch our flight to Jaipur.
Fitness Center
I sometimes find it challenging to fit in workouts when I travel because I don’t have enough down time between our jam-packed sightseeing schedule. When we do find a few hours to spare, I appreciate it when hotels go all-out on their fitness facilities so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on luxurious vacation time while burning off a few of the calories I enjoyed the night before. The Ritz Carlton Bangalore has a beautiful fitness center and pool. This fitness center has a membership program for local non-guests to use as well. The on-site trainer even offers complimentary personal training for hotel guests. It felt great to get a cardio and weight lifting workout here in Bangalore. Much needed!
Full Service Hair Salon
The Spa
The spa looked incredible! Very high end. We decided against getting treatments because the prices were higher than any other spa we’ve experienced in Asia thus far. Hopefully, they’ll bring prices down to be more competitive in the future.
The Pool
The pool and rooftop area was very cool. Impressive layout! These architects and designers are so talented! We couldn’t help but appreciate the detail and brilliant design of this property. For a place in the middle of a bustling Indian city, it was an escape to pure relaxation.
After a long day of exploring Mysore Palace and its surrounding sights and attractions. Our driver took us back to the Ritz Carlton Bangalore. We couldn’t wait to take warm showers, get ready, and enjoy the lounge for drinks and appetizers. After the lounge, it was time to head to the restaurant for an amazing meal. I made a rookie move by filling up on delicious snacks and appetizers at the lounge. This does not bode well for the body when one is about to embark on a culinary journey at a 5-star restaurant unlimited buffet.
The restaurant was an all-you-can eat buffet, but we’re not talking Golden Corral here. It was super gourmet with amazing service. The spread included international stations from India, Japan, Thailand, China, Italy, and Continental. The endless buffet of fresh foods from all around the globe was almost an overwhelming gastronomical experience. It’s difficult to describe the enormity of this buffet. Imagine one of the giant Las Vegas mega-buffets, but with trained gourmet chefs manning each section and only 15-20 tables in the entire restaurant. Each area had an amazing array of delicious, piping hot, artistically presented, fresh food. Many of the items were made-to-order…The chef would ask if you wanted to try something and if you agreed, he would whip up a fresh batch and hand-deliver it to your table.
Everything was amazing, but we couldn’t get enough of the melt-in-your-mouth, yogurt infused, cooked to order, tandoori oven seared chicken skewers, served with fresh baked, hot-from-the-tandoori-oven naan bread. There was no way to try it all. We ate so much we had to be rolled back to our rooms! We couldn’t even have dessert! Another bite and it would have been over. Sure, we left with belly aches that couldn’t be cured by all the Pepto Bismal in India, but it tasted so good, we couldn’t stop smiling! Totally worth it! Later, we recovered enough stamina to take a slow walk (actually, more of a waddle) around the property and we finally collapsed into bed. The next morning, having finally recovered from our food comas, we prepared ourselves for an amazing breakfast at the same restaurant! It was all included in our room rate.
This property exceeded expectations in every way. Without a doubt, it was far superior to any Ritz Carlton I have seen in the US.
Honestly, I cannot write enough positive comments, observations, feedback about Ritz Carlton Bangalore. Well done! I don’t give these out often, but I do when a property earns it hands down! FIVE STARS! Please allow me to live here!
Ed says
I woke up to 39 degrees in Chicago, walked my dog along a muddy path, wiped the toxic fertilizer off his paws, then sat down, turned on my computer, and voila!! I was in the Ritz Carlton in Bangalore! I love this blog! Fantastic detail and great photos!