Above: Looking across the hotel’s reflecting pool.
The newly opened Oberoi Gurgaon looks set to raise the luxury stakes in India’s capital region
By Jason Overdorf
The Look
The first Oberoi city hotel to open in India in nearly 20 years, this hilltop property sits amid 3.5 hectares of gardens in Gurgaon, Delhi’s high-tech satellite town. The minimalist glass-and-steel structure offers a contrast to the old-world, colonial feel for which the Oberoi group is better known, and thanks to all that green space, it feels like an urban oasis. While Delhi proper is at least a 45-minute drive away, the hotel’s proximity to national highways makes it a convenient hub for day trips to the Taj Mahal or Jaipur.
Inside a guest room.
The Quarters
Starting at 57 square meters, the 202 rooms are sleekly modern, with picture win- dows casting light on mother-of-pearl inlays, teak wall panels, and bold throw rugs. The best three suites come with full-size private pools, though regardless of room category, every guest receives the ministrations of a personal butler trained by a former retainer of the Dutch royal family.
Staff in the hotel’s lobby.
The Food
Threesixtyone offers top-notch all-day dining in a bright, airy setting alongside an azure reflecting pool. Amaranta, the intimate fine-dining restaurant, employs chefs from across the country to create elegant seafood dishes, with the catch flown in daily from the coast.
Facilities
With New Delhi’s first 24-hour spa and an Olympic-size swimming pool, the Oberoi promises to become the afternoon sanctuary of Gurgaon’s dilettantes and expatriates. Guests on the go can avail themselves of the hotel’s fleet of BMW 7 Series and Rolls-Royce limousines, while a luxury shopping arcade and a gallery of contemporary Indian art ensure that there’s plenty to keep you occupied on site.
Don’t Miss
Dinner or cocktails by torchlight on Threesixtyone’s teakwood deck; there’s not a more tranquil spot to be found in Gurgaon.
443 Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon, India; 91-124/245-1234; oberoihotels.com; doubles from US$710
Originally appeared in the April/May 2011 print issue of
DestinAsian magazine (“Checking in: The Oberoi, Gurgaon”)
