Nomadic Odysseys

On the eve of our 3rd wedding anniversary in December 2020, Minal and myself were weighing our options to celebrate the occasion given the pandemic was showing signs of slowing in India but was still a threat nevertheless. We knew from the outset that a vacation which included travel wasn't a good idea but with Hyderabad witnessing a steep decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded each day, we decided to spend the anniversary at a luxury accomodation in Hyderabad itself. We started looking at some resorts but none of them was appealing enough forcing us to look at luxury hotels. After reading about multiple hotels, their facilities and safety measures, we zeroed in on The Trident. Illustrative image of The Trident from Google Image search The choice became easier as the hotel made our third night's stay complimentary on booking 3 nights. And with that, we were set for our mini vacation of sorts. Arrangements for our stay As we arrived at Trident, the safety measur...

Place for special occasions Olive Bistro is one of those restaurants that has been in both mine and Minal's minds for years now. We planned to go there over 3 years ago to celebrate our engagement, but it just couldn't happen. And for one reason or another, we couldn't plan a later visit either. Nevertheless, for Minal's birthday last month, we got our opportunity. Despite some scepticism owing to COVID-19, we decided to go and are rather glad we did. Restaurant Location Olive Bistro is situated at the extreme end of Road No. 46, Jubilee Hills, overlooking the Durgam Cheruvu lake and park. The road leading up to the restaurant was eerily silent with a barely a soul around and it made us wonder if we were on the right path although Google Maps seemed to think we were. The parking lot was a bit surprising too as it was simply a muddy open ground and we had to find an empty space on our own with no one around. Ambience As we entered the restaurant, the ambience we ...

A lavish restaurant that flatters to deceive This is the first post in my restaurant review sojourn and I decided to start with Jewel of Nizam, a restaurant I visited with my wife and a group of friends in 2019. We'd read a bit about the restaurant in the past, especially its construction and decided to go one day. Restaurant Location The restaurant is located within the premises of the Golconda resort with a brilliant view of the the Gandipet lake nearby. The construction is unique in the sense that it sits on top of a tower, a concept still largely alien to India. We went there for lunch and the royal feeling associated with the restaurant was there for us all to see. The view from the restaurant was awesome too overlooking the Gandipet lake with exquisitely set tables and cutlery. Jewel of Nizam atop the minar View from inside the restaurant Food I should mention the staff who were extremely courteous and made sure we were always attended to. The restaurant has a set menu for ve...