Oct 24, 2007 05:36 PM
2688 Views
I spent a weekend (2 nights and 3 days) at Summer Plaza in Panchgani and have the following to report:
I got my planned and booked Jaipur trip cancelled due to last moment cancellation of Spicejet flight. Not the one to spend the time at home, decided to go to Panchgani (100KMs from Pune).
The drive was fantastic and the road conditions excellent. Took me less than 2 hours to reach (after stopping for fuel).
OK, now about the hotel. Since it was an impromptu trip, I had not booked in advance and just did some last minute research over Mouthshut and headed for a walk-in.
Tried a couple of places, but did not like them. Passed through Summer Plaza and was impressed with the exterior. They have a Jain temple right at the gate and I figured they wont be surving liquor and non-veg. I was correct on both fronts. I decided to give up non-veg for a couple of days to enjoy living in a nice place.
The room was good, with AC and bathtub. Other amenities were standard. Although the hotel looked new, some of the plumbing in the bathroom was broken.
The hotel typically caters to Jains and Gujratis, who come in big groups. The food is simple and tasty, however, it is not the rich kind of north Indian food that most of us get in city restaurants. But it is not meant to be that ways as well and the hotel management makes it ample clear at the time of booking.
The hotel has a decent pool with Jacuzzi and Spa. The Gym is well equipped.
The room is decent sized and reasonably comfortable.
There is NO ROOM SERVICE. So if you feel hungry in between fixed meal times, there is no option but to go to the market (nearly 1 KM away) to eat something.
It seems to run much in auto-pilot considering we do not need to interact much with the staff. Its like, going for breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner. Enjoying the pool, spa etc.. and returning to the room. No interaction with the staff since no room service.
There is no network coverage in the hotel for mobiles. So if you are looking for a disconnected weekend, this is the key.Total damage - 8000 for 2 nights (all meals, bed tea, breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner included. This also includes use of Gym and Pool, Jacuzzi and Spa. Use of Steam and Sauna (not sure if it is there) is charged separately.
