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The last couple of years has been quite good for me in terms of travel touch wood. Apart from a few personal travels to Lucknow, there were quite a few collaborations I did. I collaborated on a few staycations in Hyderabad at Novotel HICC & Mercure Hyderabad. I was also hosted by Gujarat Tourism and the Ministry Of Tourism multiple times. As a part of those trips, I visited destinations like Saputara, Rann Of Kutch and most recently the Statue Of Unity.
One of the things that happen during such trips is the places that we get to stay. On my recent trip to the Statue Of Unity, I got to spend a couple of nights at The Leela Gandhinagar. Though I’ve stayed in Ahmedabad for a few years, I never visited Gandhinagar a lot. So when I got a first glimpse of The Leela Gandhinagar, I went “Whoa!” Read on and know more about my luxurious stay at The Leela Gandhinagar and how you can plan your holiday.
Overview of The Leela Gandhinagar
Prior to this, I had visited a couple of Leela properties. One of it in Bengaluru and the other one in Goa (as a kid) I always remember Leela being a place that has a stamp of luxury all across. If you have seen the Leela Palace Bengaluru, you know that already. The massive palace that greeted you as you exited the earlier HAL airport.
The Leela Gandhinagar is another exquisite property in the middle of nowhere. Yes, in the middle of nowhere. We were coming back from the Statue of Unity and we see this massive building with an exclusive flyover on both sides. On one side we have a massive park and on the other are the Gandhi Kutir and the Gandhi Mandir. Interestingly the hotel is built over the Gandhinagar railway station. I was awestruck just seeing that.
In terms of location, it’s located about 30mins from the Ahmedabad Airport making it easily accessible. The Leela Gandhinagar is a 5-star hotel housing 318 rooms. And I spent two nights in one of these luxurious rooms, about which I’ll talk in the upcoming section. There are a lot of bespoke artistic elements in the hotel that you cannot miss. The captivating ceiling and the majestic chandeliers greet you as soon as you enter the lobby. There are a lot of elements that represent local culture, flora and fauna.
The hotel has a lot of banquet halls that are perfect to host a variety of events. The one that we attended was the launch of the heritage tourism policy portal and the signing of MOUs. The event was presided by Shri Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat along with dignitaries of the tourism ministry. There were also known faces of the Gujarat hospitality space, one that I recognized was Abhay Mangaldas – the owner of the heritage hotel House Of MG. I had met him the last time I stayed there.
There’s also a massive infinity pool in the hotel which overlooks the Gandhi Kutir. A dip in the pool with the setting sun painting the sky orange is a view to cherish. Evenings are fun too as you can take a dip in the pool post-dinner and have a nice sleep.
My Luxurious Room at The Leela Gandhinagar
I got a room on the second floor and the entire lobby leading to the room was decked up. Fresh flowers, subtle lighting with music and exquisite mirror arrangements. I was in a room which was at the end of the floor. What that meant was the room was slightly bigger than the others, whilst being oddly shaped. The first thing that you will notice is the huge windows – literally instead of walls. The windows ensure you get ample light during the day and equally good views in the evenings.
The room has a wardrobe along with an iron board, a safe and a yoga mat too. The bathroom is spacious and well equipped. From shampoos, conditioners, and body wash, the items are of top quality. The lighting is perfect and makes it a great place for taking your favourite mirror photos. There’s also a hairdryer also which was quite helpful for me 😛
There’s a queen-size bed that has a cosy mattress along with super-sized pillows that I absolutely loved. The paintings and decor above the bed (and all over the room) just elevate the experience. There’s also a work desk which is perfect if you are visiting for work. The WiFi is also pretty good as I took a video call and it worked just fine. There are note pads and other stationery too along with a desk lamp and a phone. If you want to read something different, the room also had a few magazines too. I wish they had a wireless speaker in the room too!
The room also had a small but functional pantry. It had an electric kettle with tea and coffee. There was also a mini-fridge that had a few items in it. There was also a TV in the room – that I never switched on. One thing that I loved about the room was the air conditioner that was just perfect for the scorching heat outside. It made the stay in this amazing room much better.
Delicious Food with a variety
Since we were here on a trip, we had special arrangements for our food. Located on the 8th floor, a hall was dedicated to our meals with a beautiful view of Gandhi Kutir. While it looked like a makeshift arrangement, the food was of top-notch quality. Whether it was the breakfast or dinner, I was totally satisfied with the meal. I was so happy to see the hotel providing Gujarati dishes for breakfast along with the regular paratha, dosas and stuff. Though I’m more of a dal-chawal-roti person, I love lavish breakfast buffets – especially at places like The Leela Gandhinagar. I was in awe of the breakfast spread.
Even for dinner, we had a rather nice meal with a good mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. I was floored by the Dal Makhani and the Paratha that I didn’t look any further. After a tough day of travelling in scorching heat to places like Rani Ki Vav and Modhera Sun Temple, I needed that food.
Apart from this, The Leela Gandhinagar has multiple dining options. You can dine at Citrus Junction which is their all-day diner. Then there’s Diya which is the Indian speciality fine dining restaurant. There’s Moksha which is an all-day, tea and coffee place with a patisserie. Lastly, there’s an exclusive dining area called the Royal Club which is for guests staying in their premier club rooms.
Work or Vacation: The Leela Gandhinagar is perfect
My trip to Gujarat was taken care of by Gujarat Tourism and the Ministry Of Tourism and so was my stay at The Leela Gandhinagar. My experience of a luxurious stay was amazing. The hotel staff was courteous, warm and fun to interact with. The entire property was refreshing and would take you to another world once you entered the premises. The rooms were pretty nice and comfortable. Except for a tiny lighting issue in my room, everything else was pretty good.
So whether you are planning to visit Gandhinagar for a vacation from work, The Leela Gandhinagar is a place worth considering. It’s located in the city yet away from the city noises. That’s about my experience of the stay, let me know in the comments below your thoughts on this. Have any queries or suggestions, please tweet to me @Atulmaharaj, DM on Instagram or Get In Touch.
I absolutely loved their infinity pool and the views from there. Loved and enjoyed staying at Leela Gandhinagar.