Weekend Getaway With The Hyatt Regency Pune

In my opinion, one of the best weekend getaways from Mumbai is to it’s younger sibling Pune. The city is wonderful and has much to offer despite turning into a mini Mumbai. I have friends there so it’s always fun to visit but even if I didn’t, I’d still go because there is enough to keep me occupied. This month was full of long weekends and my sister and I finally ( with grave difficulty ) managed to plan a weekend away together, something we haven’t done in a while. I was generously given a gift certificate which was basically a free stay at any of the Hyatt properties in Mumbai or Pune and so we decided to get out of town and make the most of it.

I had been to the Hyatt Pune before but never to the Hyatt Regency and so we thought we’d make the most of our weekend by lazing and enjoying our hotel. This was the first time I refused to do anything remotely work related on a getaway and just enjoyed myself. I did however discover snapchat so spent every single moment on the app so if you followed me then you already know what I was upto 🙂

The hotel has plenty to offer.They are a business oriented one and seem to be a favourite for weddings with their enormous banquets.  I’m a big fan of the Hyatt group in general, specially their places in Goa so I knew I’d be well looked after but these in particular are things the both of us enjoyed about our stay.

Spa Session – I am what you call a spa addict. More than the elaborate process of steam and sauna or herbal tea post treatments, I’m addicted to the actual massage therapy. I’m seriously contemplating spa reviews but I’m not sure how interested people would be in that. So it goes without saying that I enjoyed an indulgent luxurious couple of hours at their Arogya Spa and Fitness Center with an extremely talented masseuse and got all the kinks and knots out of my back and was massaged till I was reduced to a ball of bliss. The spa has various treatment options and I’m told every month there is a special signature massage or facials but I just opted for a simple ” get rid of all the aches and pains and make me feel relaxed ” kind of massage and it did the trick.

Breakfast of Champions – There must be things that are more satisfying than a hearty breakfast but I can’t think of even one. It’s always a great way to start your day and the breakfast spread at the hotel has you covered. My favrouites include the South Indian spread and their lovely spread of breads but plenty of eggs, cold cuts, Indian breakfast items, juice, fruit, cheese and cereals. Food always makes me happy and both our breakfasts were indulgent.

Gym Junkie – The one thing I absolutely do not enjoy is exercising and working out. I have to say this year has been a real struggle because I grin and bear it and end up working out. I felt so guilty indulging in all the lovely food at the hotel that I made it a point for the very first to actually use a hotel gym. I ended up going at night post dinner as well as in the morning and I have to say this is one swanky gym! They have the coolest treadmills with everything in built for your entertainment so it makes me actually want to work out longer. They keep this lovely chilled water and really tart lemon juice and the trainers are superbly helpful. It sounds so strange, even to me but I really enjoyed their gym and I think if I lived in Pune and if they had some sort of membership for non residents ( not sure I need to check ) I would sign up in a heartbeat.

Italian Brunch – The Cafe, is their 24 hour restaurant that has buffet style meals along with an a la carte menu and serves all types of dishes and cuisines but it is their signature Italian restaurant that is quite special. La Terrazza is a wonderful Italian restaurant and I’m honestly surprised I haven’t heard much about it before. Pune people are always complaining that they don’t have enough Italian options but they seem to forget this one! The restaurant has a special Italian Brunch spread which is held on a Saturday ( Sunday is reserved for their Brunch at The Cafe which spill into La Terrazza as well ). The Brunch is superbly priced at Rs 950 plus taxes which is ridiculous if you ask me considering the spread they put out. You can order pizza and pasta of your choice, enjoy some freshly made pannini with various stuffing, a range of cold cuts, all sorts of meats and cheese, breads, salads. grilled meats and seafood, main course dishes and of course decadent dessert. There is a brunch for dinner as well which is equally exciting but I think priced a little more because it is dinner and there is candle light and a singer and it gets very romantic. Not much romance with my sister but hey we had fun. They also make a ridiculously good four cheese pizza if you like that sort of pizza.

Executive Privileges – I know when people travel they usually pick the lowest catagory of rooms because its convenient or they think the others are far more expensive. The reality is that an upgrade isn’t that expensive at all. What it includes is a few additional perks like an exquisite fruit basket, an ipod docking station in your room, discounts on F&B along with plenty more but the most important is the access to the exclusive executive lounge. The lounge is where you can relax in peace without children screaming their heads off, use their computers, read a paper, watch tv, hold meetings, enjoy a quiet breakfast and even a lovely cocktail hour in the late evening.

Luxurious Sleep – Nothing is more important on a vacation than sleep. A lot of my travelling is work oriented which means I’m usually on a tight schedule that has me up at wee hours in the morning and functioning on very little sleep. This was a bed I just sunk into and had the most blissful sleep. The reason I’ve even mentioned it as one of my highlights is that despite what you might think about hotels not every fancy hotel room has comfortable beds or pillows or even a decent temperature control system. So many times I’ve had to shiver and sleep because their air conditioning won’t move from the current temperature or have been tossing and turning because of a hard mattress.

Shopping Excursion within minutes – The plus point for this hotel is that as I mentioned it is quite centrally located but more importantly its a hop skip and jump away from Pune’s big flashy Phoenix Market City Mall. I know we have one in Mumbai but I’ve always had amazing luck shopping here so in the evening my sister and I ended up just walking across and spending much more than we had planned to but hey, it was worth it !

Gourmet Grub – The hotel has three beautiful eateries including a bar but the cutest is their little station called Gourmet Avenue that is stocked with the freshest croissants, cakes, cold sandwiches, pastries and all sorts of edible goodness. The hotel has apartments as well so they keep a few cold cuts and imported cheese for their residents as well but it just adds to the menu. They’re open from 8 am so it’s nice if you want a quick snack on the go but I just enjoyed their croissants in the evenings.

The hotel staff is extremely friendly and helpful and the hotel is quite conveniently located, not too far from any of the hotspots in the city so if you are planning a trip, I would highly recommend that you stay here.