Continuing from my earlier post, “Best Places of Interest in Hyderabad”…if you are searching for accommodations in Hyderabad, the following are some of the best places to stay while in Hyderabad.
It is close to several technological corporations and Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Shilparamam Theme Park is 3.2 km away. It is 13.7 km to Golconda Fort and 19.3 km to Hussain Sagar Lake. Hyderabad International Airport is 33.8 km away and Nampally Train Station is 17.7 km from The Westin.
Located in Hyderabad, Radisson Hyderabad Hitec City offers 5-star accommodation with a flat-screen TV. This non-smoking hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool, 3 dining options, and free parking.
Aditya Park Hyderabad is 1 km from Ameerpet Bus Station and 30 km from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. It features a gym, 2 dining options, and rooms with cable TV.
Situated in the heart of HITEC City, Treebo Tara Residency is located in Hyderabad. It operates a 24-hour front desk and offers free Wi-Fi access in the public areas of the property.
Offering the benefits and services of an in-house restaurant, Squeeze Restaurant, and a fitness centre, The Lime Boutique Suites provides a 24-hour front desk for the convenience of the guests. It offers free WiFi.
While in Hyderabad you can also take a weekend getaway to Hampi in Karnataka. It is around 366kms from Hyderabad. The forlorn ruins of Hampi present a surreal experience for tourists. The area is UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rock chariot Image courtesy-pixabay.com
Bijapur is another destination that you could explore if you are interested in history and architecture. It is around 400kms from Hyderabad.
If you like to explore more places like Bijapur then you must visit Badami and Pattadakal too. It is around 415kms and 386kms from Hyderabad respectively.
Food trucks have become a trend in the culinary field. It is one of the effective ways of enjoying a lot of different styles of food in a unique manner. Many foodie travellers love Hyderabad because of the cuisine of the land. The cuisine was developed for winning the hearts of Nizams of the land. If you are in Hyderabad and are looking for some food truck experience, this article is right for you.
Chettinadu Villas
The lip-smacking dish of Southern India is idli (boiled rice cake) or dosa (Indian pancake). Do you know that there are more than 60 types of idli and dosa? If you want to enjoy some, you can visit Chettinadu Villas. They serve the authentic Chettinadu style food for reasonable price. You can either call them to fix a place if you are travelling in a large group or, you can call them to locate them too.
Lebanese food is known for its meat-filled flavours. They have a juicy mixture of meat and vegetables with soft Arabic bread. Shawarma is a very common and tasty Arabic food. If you are looking for Arabic food in Hyderabad, you can always rely on Hungry Parrots. This truck is known for their quick delivery time.
Specials: Different Styles of Shawarma
Where: Hitech City Road, Madhapur
Timings: 5:30 PM to 12:30 AM
Yum Stop
Yum Stop is a new food truck that is getting more famous in Hyderabad. This truck is famous for Indian and Chinese cuisine. The most interesting part of this truck is that the menu keeps changing every day. It is a bit hard to find the same menu again soon. You can call them to locate them. This truck has earned good reviews from media. Seating is not available. High food quality can be expected and the proof to the quality is that the truck has great crowd even after midnight.
As the name indicates, this place is for Mexican food lovers. You would be astonished to see the quality of Mexican food that you can enjoy in South India. This truck is available for business even during day time. Tacos, burritos, and every other Mexican food can be found here. This place is for those who are ready to taste so spicy food. Home delivery is also available. Seating arrangements are not available and thus, only take outs are possible.
Speciality: Nachos and Salsa
Where: Wipro Office, Gachibowli or beside Phoenix Avance hub
Timing: 12:30 PM to 11:30 PM
Phone Number: 040- 3165016
Fat Cow Creamery
This is the truck for sweet lovers. While south India tour goers prepare themselves for spicy food, this truck is a proof that the cuisine is capable of adding various flavours of frozen desserts to your plate. Starting from ice creams to all kinds of desserts, this truck is the home for sweet tooth holders. This adorable little blue trailer would remind you of the ice cream truck that used to ring bells to attract children in suburbs. The speciality of this truck is ice cream served on a roll. It is your regular ice cream with exotic fruits and chips, still it looks different. There are no seats available so only a takeaway is possible. Vegetarians can also enjoy these desserts.
Speciality: Berry Berry Ice Cream, Oreo and Cream and Banana Ice Cream in Roll
Timing: 1 PM to 12:30 AM
Where: Usually At Banjara Hills
Phone Number: 7036111213
Food trucks are in common from the 18th century. This is the best way for those who want to enjoy street food authentic to the local cuisine in a hygienic way. Communicate with the locals or use any apps like Zomato to find some interesting food trucks near you.
The city was established by Mohammed Quill Qutb Shah for nearly a century before the Mughals captured the region. The relics of Qutb Shahi and Nizam rule are still visible with the Charminar which symbolises this city. Golconda Fort is another major landmark. The influence of Mughlai culture is also evident in the city’s distinctive cuisine, which includes the delicious biryani and Haleem. Salar Jung Museum, Purani Haveli, Charminar, Golconda Fort and the famous biryani. Guess, which place. I am referring to here.
It is none other than Hyderabad. It is now the capital of southern India’s Telangana state. Earlier it was the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Historically, Hyderabad is known as a pearl and diamond trading centre, and it continues to be known as the City of Pearls.
The city has many traditional bazaars, Laad Bazaar, Begum Bazaar, and Sultan Bazaar which have remained open for centuries.
Best Places of Interest
Salar Jung Museum– The huge and varied collection in the museum was curated by Mir Yusuf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III), the grand vizier of the seventh Nizam. The exhibits here are from every corner of the world which include Persian carpets, Japanese lacquerware, Chinese Porcelain, Mughal miniatures, famous statues of Veiled Rebecca and Marguerite and Mephistopheles and much more.
Salarjung Museum In Hyderabad Image credit – Mannar K (flickr.com)
Purani Haveli– is an old palace, was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad before independence. It is built in a u-shape and with two parallel elliptic wings, the residential part is the center of the palace. It also has the Nizam’s museum.
Charminar – this renowned landmark was built by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah to celebrate the founding of the city and the end of epidemics caused by Golconda’s water shortage.
The four-column, 56-mm high structure has 4 arches facing the 4 cardinal directions. There are minarets over each column. The 2nd floor has Hyderabad’s oldest mosque but that, and the upper columns are off-limits to visitors. Near the Charminar, there are small stalls that sell everything from berries to perfumes. There are shops where varakh (silver foil) is pounded to be put on sweets. If you go a little further then you can see Laad Market, which has best of South India’s wedding finery and the best pearl shops.
Birla Planetarium– The Birla Planetarium of Hyderabad was the first planetarium of the country. It was inaugurated in 1985 by late N.T. Rama Rao. The planetarium is equipped with the latest technology to bring you a thrilling and exciting experience while learning about the universe. The shows comprise of Haley’s comet, space explorations of the solar system, riddles of the Black Holes and the newly discovered Dark matter with interactive sessions resulting in a huge draw.
Birla Planetarium Image courtesy www.hyderabadtourism.travel
Lumbini Park– Located near Hussain Sagar Lake, Lumbini Park has a laser auditorium, boating facilities, well-maintained gardens and a number of musical fountains, an ideal spot for family entertainment. This auditorium has the capacity to seat 2000 people. It hosts show on Hyderabad’s history in English and Hindi for visitors. The park was renamed as T.Anjaiah Lumbini Park in honor of former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Lumbini Park entrance Image courtesy Mspraveen at the Wikipedia project
Hussain Sagar Lake– Being at this lake is a pleasure. It is a man-made lake built by Hussain Shah Wali to provide irrigation water to the area, and now is an important link between the two cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Hussain Sagar Lake, Hyderabad Image courtesy- Alosh Bennett, Flickr
In the centre of this lake is a statue of Gautam Buddha, carved out of a single block of solid white granite.
Golconda Fort– This fort dates back to the 16th century during the reigns of Qutb Shah kings which was built as a mud fort by the Yadavas and Kakatiyas. The fort was then expanded to into a massive and expansive fort of granite, with a circumference that extended around 5kms. It remained with the dynasty until 1590. The fort was then expanded to have an outer wall that enclosed the city. It is considered to be an engineering marvel for its acoustic effects: one handclap below the entrance dome can be heard at the highest point of a pavilion a kilometre away. It is believed that it acted as a warning from an enemy attack.
These hideaways are the sacred saviors from the city rush. You not only need tranquil swish of the wind and the silence of the forest but also a calm and undisturbed retreat to spend your days in absolute disconnect from the world. You want the luxury of nature on a silent mode at a zero gadget buzz zone. Here’s a tour list of hotels inIndiagiving you the much sought after getaway from the world.
1. Elephant Valley Eco Farm,Kodaikanal
If you’re moving away from the civilization then it better be for the best. 20 km’s away fromKodaikanal, these eco farms attract eco-tourist year round. This old elephant migration route is a biodiversity hotspot and gives you more reasons to move away from the crowd and spend your days in one of the twenty eco-friendly bungalows in the wilderness equipped with solar light and firewood.
Amidst the greens of the Western Ghats, The Tamara Coorg brings you a unique experience of blissful solitude in the luxury cottages overlooking the vast Kabbinakad Estate. With the freshness of the Arabica and cardamom plantation, this retreat in the lap of nature gives you immense opportunities to be one with nature. The Rudraksha trail, bird watching, and the rejuvenating studio spa would leave you with nothing more to ask for.
On the bank of River Rangneet, amidst the Kanchenjunga mountain range, this beautiful hillock is owned by The Prakashes, The Chaiwalla Family. This tea estate experience can be your ultimate blissful disconnect from the world. With a thousand acres of private forest and two rivers running across the marvelous property, there is nothing more you need to spoil yourself and spend lazy afternoons on a sunny balcony.
These three candy-colored tents were the ancestral retreat for the Sequeira Family of Mapuca. This colonial hideout offers a double four-poster bed inside brightly draped tents. 100 meters from a serene beach, the tents face a silent creek running parallel to the sea. Closed during the monsoon season, Otter Creek tents are a perfect hideaway for summertime birdwatchers. The road ends 30 meters from the creek, making it a pocket of complete disconnect.
The heritage of the Sequeira Family has left us more scenic wonders and tranquil retreats than we can imagine. The house is named after the aviation pioneer of the previous century, Capt Cyril William Sequeira, who would fly over this vacation house in his tiger moth and leave the locals enrapt. This summer-house sleeps six and is probably your next summer escape resort.
An hour drive from Dindigul, Pallam Palace of Rajakkad in the hill country of South India is a silent getaway amidst the coffee estate. With private terraces facing lush gardens, Rajakkad estate is home to more than two hundred migratory birds. This seven bedroom garden hotel can also be a base for a short excursion to Kodaikanal or the temple town of Madurai. A leisure walk through the estate and the coffee drying yards would give you the ideal break from the city humdrum.
The silent haven of Dindigul is home to yet another traveler utopia. Cardamom house is a family home to British physician Dr. Chris Lucas. Outside the small village of Athoor, these cottages with rooftop terrace overlook a beautiful monsoon dependent Kamarajar Lake. This remote retreat in the foothills of Western Ghats offers immense photographic opportunities with the flowers in bloom, butterflies in the pool garden and wonderful dawn at the adjoining lake.
This is the dream hidden amidst the 21 acres jungles of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. The treehouse balconies overlook the exquisite Bandhavgarh National Park with the highest count of tigers in the country. A traditional jungle living experience that has been on your bucket list awaits you here.
From one treehouse to another, there is no reason to step down yet. Sultan’s Battery, watch tower constructed by Tipu Sultan 4km fromMangalore. The quaint tree houses at Tranquil Plantation Hideaway amidst coffee and vanilla plantation are an ideal escape into the wild.
Located at the Kanam Estate on a small hilltop, at Serenity, you are enrapt in the scents of tropical spices. This private villa hotel prides itself for its vintage architecture and heritage ambiance. If you wish to spend more time with elephants than with people, this is the choicest destination giving an exquisite Malabar escape.
The snow-capped peaks of Garhwal are a loner’s paradise throughout the year. These tourist bungalows on the heavenly white slopes are the Himalayan Elysium. If you wish to hide away, make sure that it’s a wondrous hideaway and the bungalows on the snow blankets at Auli give you a bite full of nature you can savor for life.
