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OVERLOOKING the soothing greens of the 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course is the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort – a harmonious blend of luxury, impeccable service, age-old traditions and contemporary sophistication in India’s northern city of Greater Noida – an acronym for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority.
The resort, situated about 42km from the Indian capital New Delhi’s international airport, was built over nine acres and offers 152 rooms and 18 suites.
It is now aiming to attract tourists and families from Bahrain looking to play golf, rejuvenate in the sprawling Six Senses Spa and explore the cities of Delhi and Agra.
We were given a warm welcome by smiling staff who greeted us with the traditional way of folded hands and a ‘namaskar’ and then presented us with wet towels to freshen ourselves along with a welcome drink.
I was put up in a spacious deluxe room. Spacious being the key word, because at 750sq/ft it is the largest in any golf resort in the country, our hosts highlighted. The room included an eight-layered double bed, a sofa set, a walk-in closet and a five-fixture bathroom including a sunken tub and a shower cubicle.
The large windows of my room opened out on to a balcony overlooking the golf course.
“Set amidst a green landscape, the ambience clubbed with contemporary architecture and sculptures provides Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort a distinctive élan, which is bound to change the definition of luxury hotels in India,” claimed Syed Mohammed Azmat, Jaypee Hotels’ senior joint president – sales and marketing.
We were shown around the facility by Renuka Chauhan, assistant marketing manager, and front office manager Amitabh Chakraborty. The tour took in the resort’s different restaurants such as the Chinese Ano Tai, Italian La Brezza and the Paatra offering Indian cuisine, as well as the golf course, the spa and the integrated sports complex, Atlantis.
The pool-side bar Aquene, with chairs placed under the water for patrons to enjoy their drinks, looked inviting.
The resort offers a facility for corporate guests to combine business with relaxation, thanks to it Business Centre, which has a seating capacity of 10.
Adding to the dash of Indian culture, is an exclusive store, ‘The Shop’, which provides customers with a wide range of traditional handicrafts from handlooms to accessories to traditional show-pieces.
The resort promises to offer an ‘unparalleled vacation experience that will be forever etched in guests’ minds’.
“It is not just another place to stay,” said Amitabh, “it is a different offering to weave long-lasting memories.”
In the same complex offering luxury retreats for up to 3,000 guests, is the spa. Spread over three floors and 90,000 square metres, it houses a wide range of facilities including a state-of-the-art fitness centre, yoga studio, male and female Hammams, a meditation cave, a ladies club and golfers treatment area among others.
New Zealander Tracey Poole, the spa director, said: “Among our 23 treatment areas, you will find specialist therapy areas for Ayurveda, Watsu and colonic hydrotherapy. Our comprehensive menu has your whole body covered, from signature massages, facials, wraps and scrubs to locally-inspired treatments, specialist therapies and balancing journeys.”
With a series of private lifestyle suites and rooms, the spa will be fully-operational from Sunday.
Our media group had a chance to experience the spa, but due to a lack of time – as we only had a few hours before we left the resort for the rush-hour drive to catch our flight – we had to opt for the shorter treatments.
My ‘holistic’ treatment involved a relaxing oil massage with one of the finest Indian head massages outside of Exhibitions Avenue.
One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal – a monument of love – is only a couple of hours drive away from the resort via the Yamuna Causeway – a superfast highway.
Our group travelled on this causeway to visit the monument and came back appreciating the view that this is one place you have to visit before you die.
The new Indian Formula One circuit is around 20 kilometres from the resort too. And, with the Indian Grand Prix scheduled for the October 26-28 weekend, the resort will be closed for guests as it is being reserved for the F1 drivers and crew.
Jaypee Hotels, claiming to be one of the finest hospitality groups in India, was established in 1981. It is a division of the Jaiprakash Associates Ltd.
*Travellers can book a stay at Jaypee Greens by visiting www.jaypeeresortdelhi.com and the Gulf Air website www.gulfair.com
