Staycation at Hyatt Pune- How to Plan, What to Do & Activities

Some weekends, I crave for my "to do" list  to be dreamy. Enjoying family time, reconnecting with my partner, feeling pampered at a spa, eating drool inducing goodies from a huge spread, falling asleep in a luxurious bed & waking up to the smell of a delectable breakfast are on top of my list. Ah, sounds dreamy right? And a little ambitious? However, not unachievable if you take a short and pleasing drive to Hyatt Pune, located quiet close to Pune international airport. Not enough time to steal from your hectic routines? What if we say that you need only a weekend to enjoy a luxury experience away from the monotony. In other words, an entire weekend to yourself where you choose to do what you want. Read on to know about our perfect staycation at Hyatt Pune that helped us feel pampered amidst a luxury experience.

There are many perks of indulging in a staycation. For instance, ease of planning, reduced logistics, spare time to indulge in favorite activities plus they are easy on the pockets too! After quick arrival formalities, we headed to our spacious Garden Suite that offers an attached private garden area, separate sitting area along with amenities like coffee maker, fruits, bathrobes along with slippers and more. We were happy to note that Hyatt Pune offers its patrons choice of 209 guestrooms including 12 suites for an indulgent stay.

As hunger pangs beckoned, we headed to Eighty Eight restaurant that offers international cuisine in buffet & a-la carte options. We sampled some new additions from the menu curated by head chef Mr. Amol Patil like Mulligatawny Soup - a curry flavored English soup, Burrata cheese insalata made with  caramelized onions, burrata (fresh Italian cow milk cheese) and semi dried tomato pine nut chutney.

Mulligatawny Soup

Burrata cheese insalata

For appetizers we tried Nadru ke shami kebab - succulent kebabs made with lotus stems & potatoes served with salad along with pickled olives. Patthar ke Kebab - marinated mutton kebabs cooked on a stone slab were delicious & quiet filling too.

Nadru ke shami kebab

Patthar ke Kebab

For mains we tried Spinach Ricotta Tortellini - a classic spinach and ricotta pasta and an Italian favorite. How could we end our lunch without dessert? Therefore, we indulged in the delicious and instagram worthy White Chocolate Apricot Bavarian - silky, smooth & creamy, the dessert was a hit and left a lingering taste of apricots even when finished. 

White Chocolate Apricot Bavarian

We also found a very interesting section in the menu - Lost Recipes that featured dishes like Matar ka Nimona (traditional curry from Uttar Pradesh), Pindi Mariyam (country style vegetable stew) and more.

The next stop was at the Spa & Wellness Center located on the 12th floor and we chose a signature therapy from the Spiritual Immersions Experiences. These are designed to eliminate the toxins accumulated in our body as a result of stress. Moreover, they bring a reinvigorated sense of well-being. However, to know more, read our article here

The chic lounge-style atmosphere of Fish Bowl was the pit stop for dinner. The lounge offers premium liquors, spirits and cocktails, mocktails, wines, beers and whiskies paired with veg & non-veg finger foods. The light breeze made us step into a spacious outdoor deck and the music from the DJ console set a mood for a relaxing time. We tried the signature cocktail Happily Ever After - vodka based cocktail with chardonnay, hint of grapes, & lime juice and Negroni - a gin based popular Italian cocktail that we found dry, zingy & refreshing. After that, we munched on some chicken poppers (deliciously cheesy) and tandoori jhinga - marinated prawns cooked over charcoal fire as we settled back on the comfortable seating.

Happily Ever After

The next morning, the views at the attached garden lured us into having our breakfast in complete privacy of our suite. We stole some quiet moments over  freshly made waffles, pancakes topped with oodles of maple syrup, masala omelette, hash browns, donuts, muffins and ended with a crispy dosa along with piping hot masala chai. The in-room dining service was dot on time at 9 am as requested and we lingered in our private garden till it was almost lunch time. Now that was the cherry on the top of our perfect staycation at Hyatt Pune.

For lunch we settled at Ban Tao, the award wining Pan-Asian restaurant that serves authentic Chinese, Thai, Malay, Indonesian and Vietnamese delicacies in an exquisite ambience. We soaked in the soothing sounds of the outdoor waterfall and chose a cozy spot indoors but saw several guests seated comfortably outdoors on cozy Thai-salas & Chinese pavilions enjoying the famous Sunday brunch.

The restaurant was hosting a Chinese food festival with International Chef Sun Wenlin. Therefore, the menu featured bold and delicious flavors of Sichuan region like Sichuan Chicken, Prawn Salt and Pepper, Fish black bean sauce along with other Asian favorites. The Sunday brunch is an indulgent affair as the spread extends from Ban Tao till Eighty Eight and is rightly called the "Crossover Brunch" with Asian, Indian & Western favorites.

We started with soup and chose Cantonese wanton broth and relished it along with Som Tam-a spicy green papaya salad that's incredibly popular all over Thailand. The huge variety of dim sums on offer were tempting. We enjoyed pan seared lamb dumplings, shrimp & chicken sui mai, exotic veg crystal dumpling, minced chicken dim sums and more.

The live counters at Ban Tao were busy rustling up delicacies as we chose crispy style wok fried fish with peanuts, Sichuan pepper & hints of fried garlic and Tograshi spiced grilled prawns for starters. 

Wok fried fish

Tograshi spiced grilled prawns

For main course, fish in black bean sauce and wok tossed fish in pickle chilly & bamboo shoot paired well with Sichuan fried rice and ginger pimento vermicelli noodles.

Sichuan fried rice

Wok tossed fish in pickle chilly & bamboo shoot

Ginger pimento vermicelli noodles

The dessert spread was incredible. A variety of chocolates and western desserts like cream caramel, berry ethomess, cheesecakes and Asian desserts like mandarin brulee were on display. Tub Krim Krob - a famous thai coconut dessert made with ruby colored water chestnuts in flavored coconut milk & shaved ice was a favorite. It was surprisingly different, full of taste & texture and very fragrant.

For celebrating special occasions, the Ban Tao sets up a private table near the outdoor waterfall on request that shall definitely charm your loved one! For instance, imagine a setting like this:

After a delicious lunch, it was time to say goodbye to the warm and attentive hospitality of the hotel. We drove back feeling restored, rejuvenated & full of memories of our perfect staycation at Hyatt Pune. All we did was remove time for a fulfilling weekend, not far from home. Because sometimes all you need is do something for your own self!

Where:

Hyatt Pune, Adjacent to Aga Khan Palace, Nagar Road, Kalyani Nagar, Pune

Call : 020 4141 1234 for reservations

What More Can I Do Here:

Visit one of the important landmarks in Indian history - Aga Khan Palace or for some retail therapy one can visit Phoenix Market City mall.