Saturday, October 25, 2008

IL - Pallazzo - Panchgani

Out of family pressure, recently I had a chance to visit panchgani instead of standard mahabaleshwar trip which we do annually.
This time, we stayed at a hotel called IL - Pallazzo, the same place where a leading star had got married. Here is what I feel about the hotel:
Situated on about an acre of hilly plot, this hotel was a parsi residence, built in 1926. Now it is a hotel. The location is not very attractive. The only advantge being that it is about 5 mins from tableland and 2 mins from Panchgani central market. Other wise there is no breathtaking view or something like that. However the fun lies in its construction. It has a colonial feel. The rooms are large and double the standard height. They have all wooden furniture carefully maintained and decorated by polish, paint etc. There is a private dining for each room. The bathrooms are also large and have all modern fittings, a fusion with the colonial construction. The private dining is not actually a dining but a makeshift dining in the rooms verandah. But it does feel like a private dining. There is a large well maintained garden opposite the main wing of the hotel and a common dining area too. There is a swimming pool, skating area, badminton court, table tennis table, gym etc, but personally i feel it was a bit overkill on these facilities since in a 3 day visit no one is really going to use all of these facilities.
The food is not very good, though my family members liked it. It had a peculiar parsi taste, was different. As I said, I did not like it but my wife and kids did. The desserts were awesome though, especially the mava cake ( a cake stuffed with sweet fillings and topped with chocolate).
For 13980 INR for all 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) of us for 2 nights and 3 days, I think it was a ok deal, if not best.
I would recommend it to anyone who loves to stay in old houses and wants to just chillax in the pleasant climate.

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