July, 2009

Rating: 9 out of 10

The Tariff: 1 week stay for a family of 4

• plus tips

Atmosphere & Location

This Business Hotel, also well located in Pune, was a bit more sophisticated and modern than the other hotel we stayed in. The rates were still far more reasonable than 4 & 5 star western hotels!  Lots of shiny, black marble and glass, wide stairs in the lobby, modern glass elevator, and carpeted lobby areas on each floor. At the counter in the lobby the one or two attendants were always ready to assist in finding a cab, answering a question, or resetting a door key. Their restaurant, the Glass Window, and a small ultra modern bar adjoined the lobby.

Rooms

We arranged to have two rooms next to one another--one with two beds and one with a double bed. Each had a private bathroom, tiled with shower and marble countertop. They were neat and clean, much like any American hotel room. Each had a mini 'fridge, an easy chair and coffee table, and a desk and internet connection. This hotel was all equipped with a/c, and sometimes it was even a bit too cold. The hotel had a fair sized exercise room and a small rooftop pool. This provided some much need recreation after spending the day out in the city.

Service

We ran into the staff on a regular basis and were never short of service if we requested it.  Cleaning, taking away or delivering laundry, dropping off room service, making change, ordering a taxi, etc.

Food

The Glass Window was a modern restaurant with attentive service, even for the breakfast buffet. Although on occasion we had dinner there or stopped in for a cocktail.  For breakfast tea (excellent) was made to order and served to the table as was coffee.  There was a selection of pastries (nothing along the quality of European pastries but still a welcome break for western travelers unused to Indian breakfast). There was cereal with hot or cold milk, fruit, juice, toast and butter and jam or honey, eggs cooked to order (here they had an omelet station and the masala omelets were very good). As did the other hotels, they had traditional specials that changed daily: idli and sambur, idapam, choles, spiced potatoes fritters, stuffed naan, chapati, etc. For dinner we often ate in our rooms and enjoyed many of the dishes served by the restaurant: Some of the dinner entrees we tried and liked were the , palak paneer, butter curry—paneer in a rich red curry sauce, dahl makhani, and yellow dahl. We usually had basmati rice and some naan, either plain or with butter and garlic. The western style sandwiches weren't very good but the Indian style chicken wings and fries were a favorite snack.

Hotel Deccan Rendezvous

1202/3 Apte Road

Shivaji Nagar, Pune

+91 20 2561 2345