Beauty. Travel. Lifestyle

Spending a Day at Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass

After a couple of very hectic months on the work front, I really wanted to head off somewhere during the festive season. Unfortunately neither did I have enough leaves nor did I have enough money to plan for a trip so when the invite came in from Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass to stay at the property for a day, I was rather elated to enjoy the mini break. While some people may find it strange, I absolutely love staying in a hotel on my own. There is so much happiness in spending the day relaxing in bed, soaking in a hot tub, watching tv and eating food ordered from room service. It is quite difficult to do all this while travelling so a staycation in the city is the ideal way to indulge in these little pleasures of life. 

Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass

Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass

Rooms & Facilities

Vivanta Kolkata is not a new property. It used to be The Gateway Hotel and after a change in ownership, a revamped Vivanta has taken its place. The building remains the same but the interiors have changed a lot. There is a lot more of Kolkata now in the property. Starting from the 187 ft long mural on the ceiling depicting Kolkata landmarks that greet you once you walk into the hotel to the Durga installation in the lobby to the paintings and photographs hung all over to the room décor with the kantha stitch embroidered pillow covers and bed runners, Kolkata is everywhere. Even the mini bar is stocked with local snacks like jhal muri and chanachur.  

Other local elements include live Rabindrasangeet and folk music in the lobby, a tribute to the ‘cha and adda’ concept where any guest in the hotel can help themselves to the tea and jhalmuri served in the lobby every evening, traditional cookware used to decorate the buffet area at Mynt and a Viva Achievers Wall where prominent persons from the city and his/her achievements are highlighted. I found all these changes refreshing and I am sure they will be quite interesting for any guest coming to the hotel.   

Currently there are 158 rooms that are operational in the hotel out of the total number of 197. I stayed in one of the Executive suites and thoroughly enjoyed the luxurious experience. The room was spacious and comfortable with all standard amenities and what made me even more happy was seeing the huge tub in the bathroom. There are very few things that are as relaxing as a long, undisturbed, hot soak in the tub and that is exactly what I did to end my day. There was also some wine involved 🙂

Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass Executive Suite

Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass Executive Suite

Vivanta Kolkata EM Bypass Executive Suite

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5 Wonderful Things To Do In London In Winter

Winter Wonderland 2018

Winter Wonderland 2018

London in winter is magical especially during Christmas time. I’ve been to the city three times already earlier this year but my fourth which was for three weeks from end-November to mid-December was no doubt the best of the lot. Christmas lights and decorations are up everywhere, people are in a happy and festive mood and there is so much to see and do. In this post, I will list five of my favourite things to do in London during winter. Most of these attractions are available till the first week of January every year so if you are already in London or planning for a trip in future, remember to tick all these off from your things to do list. 

Things to do in London in Winter

Go on rides at Winter Wonderland and Winterville

Winter Wonderland is absolutely amazing! I went there a day after it opened for this year and the atmosphere was fabulous. On weekends it can get really busy with long queues to get in (entry is free) but it is an experience not to be missed.

Winter Wonderland 2018

Winter Wonderland 2018

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park is London’s biggest Christmas event featuring Christmas markets, an ice skating rink, carnival rides and games, circus shows, an ice sculpture kingdom, live music and entertainment, cinema and of course, my favourite, the food and drink stalls. Even if you are not doing anything else there, you must visit to at least have the bratwurst, grilled salmon, mulled wine, fudge, hot cider and hot chocolate. 

Another very good option if you find Winter Wonderland too crowded is Winterville at Clapham Common. Smaller in size to its Hyde Park variant, the attractions are pretty much the same. Lots of food, backyard cinema, theatre shows, circus, puppet shows, rides, craft fair and activities for children. Winterville starts from mid-November and ends just before Christmas. 

Winterville 2018

Winterville 2018

See the Christmas Lights 

Switching on the Christmas lights at major London streets is a big event. They usually turn them on early November and that pretty much informally starts off the holiday season. I thoroughly recommend going to Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Bond Street, Seven Dials and Covent Garden (they set up one of the largest Christmas trees in the city). Mind you these areas get crazy busy during this time especially during weekends but a visit is definitely worth it to see how the lights completely transform the streets. 

Visit a Christmas Market

Apart from the Christmas Markets at Winter Wonderland and Winterville, there are quite a few that pop up during winter. This year, I visited the markets at Southbank, Greenwich and Leicester Square. They all offer an endless selection of handmade goods, jewelry, artwork, gifts, holiday knick-knacks, food and beverages. Also worth visiting is Borough Market for food. Even though it is open all year round, during winter, the market turns festive with beautiful decorations, Christmas goods like trees, wreaths etc and winter special food items like mulled wine, cider and other seasonal produce. 

Go shopping and check out the special window displays 

This time of the year, window shopping is quite a treat. Literally. All the shops and big department stores put up special window displays and they are so beautifully done. This year, Harrod’s famous display features festive rituals with a luxury twist, animals are carved into the pillars and panels of the iconic Liberty store, a giant champagne bottle pops and pours gold and silver hues at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges has a rock’ n’ roll theme with even Santa getting a rock star style makeover. 

Also worth a visit are the shopping arcades to soak up the festive spirit and see the beautiful decorations. Burlington Arcade on Piccadily was my favourite. 

 

Enjoy a festive afternoon tea

Afternoon tea in London is a serious affair and most restaurants, hotels and teahouses around the city serve up hot brews accompanied by trays of delicious mini-sandwiches, scones and other sweet and savoury finger food. While afternoon tea is available all year round, you tend to enjoy it more in winter. One of the most delightful Afternoon Tea experiences that you can have is at the iconic Fortnum & Mason. To know about my experience, read this blog post. 

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

 

Apart from what I’ve mentioned above, there are plenty of interesting things you can do in London in winter . If you know how to skate, you can go skating at Somerset House, Canary Wharf, Natural History Museum. You can visit Kew Gardens to see the illuminated trail, enjoy Hogwarts in the Snow at Warner Bros Studio or watch one of the many musicals that play at West End. I’ve not been able to do any of these this year because you need to buy tickets way in advance but they are on my list for my next visit in winter.

What are your favourite things to do in London in winter? Do share in the comments below. 

 

Traditional Afternoon Tea Experience At Fortnum & Mason, London

Fortnum & Mason is an institution in London. This iconic department store was established way back in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason who had connections with the royal family and over the years, this store has become a London landmark. It also helps that the store sells some of the finest goods in the city or perhaps even the country but what is truly iconic about Fortnum & Mason is their Afternoon Tea. 

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnums Afternoon Tea again has a long history. It was started in 1926 at the elegant Tea Salon now named the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon in honour of the Queen’s visit in 2012, when she formally opened the room, in the company of the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge.

The thing with the Afternoon Tea is that it is so popular you need to book way in advance to secure a table. I tried going there once in summer with my friend on a weekend and we were politely refused because we did not have a reservation but most importantly, they did not have any place for the next one month. Yes, it is that busy. Also, you cannot sit there forever. There is a time limit of 1.5 hours which means that for 90 minutes that start from the time you are seated, you can order as much food and refills as you want to from your choice of the menu. If you want to go there, you better go with an empty tummy. 

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea

— Henry James

So what is about Fortnums Afternoon Tea that makes it so popular? Well, firstly, the location is really fancy so you feel rather fancy yourself. The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is an extremely elegant and refined setting for the tea. As soon as the elevator door opens to the salon, it becomes clear that you are in for a delightful experience. Because of the festive season, the salon is now decorated beautifully. There is a big Christmas tree in the waiting area and a pianist playing a grand piano. 

Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

There are two areas where you can be seated – the Drawing Room, lined with hand-painted silk wallpaper or the North and South Salons oozing charm and sophistication. The colours of Fortnum, pale green and white are everywhere, from the decor to the china and cutlery.  

Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

Fortnum & Mason Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon

The Afternoon Tea is not just limited to the afternoon. It is available the entire day from 11.30 a.m to 7.30 p.m on weekdays and 11.00 a.m to 7.00 pm on Saturdays and you can choose from four options – Afternoon Tea, Savoury Afternoon Tea, High Tea and Vegetarian Afternoon Tea. 

We were a group of four who went for the Tea experience at 11 a.m on a Saturday morning and after much deliberation, two of us decided to go for the Afternoon Tea and the remaining two went for the Savoury Tea. In my opinion, go for the regular Afternoon Tea instead of the Savoury version because you get a good mix of both sweet and savoury items in the former. My friend I think regretted his choice a bit because he was constantly eating out of our share and asking me to order for more. This is perfectly acceptable because you can order as much as you want to for a duration of 1.5 hours. 

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea Menu

What is in the menu? You get a selection of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream (savoury scones in the Savoury Tea menu), strawberry preserve and lemon curd and a selection of tea cakes and cakes from the cake carriage (tea savouries in the Savoury version) along with your choice of tea. For an extra £13 per glass, you can also order champagne. 

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea has always been a rather elaborate affair in England and I got to know that there are rules associated with it. I’ve never been one to care for rules but these are rather fascinating. For starters, milk is always supposed to be added last to the tea, the correct way to hold the fine china is by making your thumb and index finger meet in the handle, tea should be stirred only with a back and forth motion, finger sandwiches must always be eaten with the hands, not cutlery, scones are pronounced as ‘skon’ and never ‘skone’, scones are always broken, not cut and they are never to be sandwiched back together . I might not have followed all these rules to the T at Fortnums but who really cares? Right? 🙂

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Coming back to the menu, the star for me was definitely the sandwiches especially the Smoked Salmon with Tartare dressing and the Suffolf Ham with English Mustard. Incredibly soft and light, these were heavenly. The scones were undoubtedly the best I’ve ever had. I am not particularly fond of lemon curd but I do love my scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve and I might have had one too many. The good thing is that you can even take back the jars of preserve and lemon curd if you are unable to finish at the table. In fact you can take back anything from the menu that you are not able to finish. The servers will gladly pack the leftovers in a fancy F&M box and hand it over before you leave. 

Savoury Afternoon Tea

Savoury Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea

From the tea cake selection, my favourite was definitely the Black Forest cake and a light as air cake with sugar rose petals on top. I was told that it is the Queen’s favourite as well. Not wanting to miss out on anything despite struggling to eat another morsel, I tried the Victorian Sponge cake, Battenberg cake and the Chocolate cake from the Cake Carriage. The Battenberg cake has been served with the Afternoon Tea since 1926 and is said to be created to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884. This colourful cake with iced marzipan was a bit too sweet for my taste but everyone else loved it. Throughout my 1.5 hrs, I made sure to try as many varieties of tea as I could and ended up drinking chocolate violet, peach, vanilla and strawberry with the latter being the best of them all.

Fortnum & Mason Battenberg Cake

Fortnum & Mason Battenberg Cake

Fortnum & Mason Rose Cake

Fortnum & Mason Rose Cake

Fortnum & Mason Victoria Sponge Cake

Fortnum & Mason Victoria Sponge Cake

Overall, I loved the experience and I cannot thank the person who invited me there enough. Savouring the famous Fortnum & Mason Afternoon Tea was on my wish list for a long time and it certainly did not disappoint. The service was impeccable, the food was beyond amazing and the staff, super friendly and helpful. I will certainly go back if I am in London again and I will click much better photographs 🙂

Fortnum’s Afternoon Tea

Served with your choice of Fortnum’s Famous Blends £52.50
Served with your choice of Rare Tea £56.50

 

Have you been to Fortnum & Mason? What did you think of the Afternoon Tea?

 

Orient Electric Aero Series Range Review

In my previous post, I shared with you my experience of attending an event where I got to know more about the Orient Electric Aero Series range of fans. Today’s post is where I write in details about these fans and how they are such a game-changer in the premium ceiling fan market.

Orient Electric Aero Series Range

Orient Electric Aero Series Range

Today, Home décor is no longer just restricted to fancy furniture, paintings and accessories. Home décor now encompasses everything. It is all about a wholesome experience and that has extended to even our electric appliances and consumer durables.

Earlier, seldom did we pay heed to the aesthetics of our electric appliances but now, with changing consumer preferences and rising disposable incomes, the market has witnessed a significant increase in the demand for interior upgrades and this is also fuelling the demand for designer and premium fans. And that is where the Aero Series range of premium fans fit perfectly. These fans are aerodynamically designed; deliver high air delivery of 300 CMM, run silently and to top it all, they flaunt a beautiful design that is sure to add drama to your space.

Orient Electric AeroSeries

Orient Electric AeroSeries Range

Orient Electric Aero Series Range – Aerostorm & Aerocool

When you look at a ceiling fan do you even think about what kind of technology can go behind creating it? Well, neither did I till I was told at the Orient Electric event that the new Aerostorm & Aerocool fans in the Aero Series range have actually been inspired by the ground breaking winglet technology used in creating modern aircrafts! The unique winglet design in its blades minimizes the vortex, delivering higher air thrust and minimal noise.

Orient Electric Aerostorm

Orient Electric Aerostorm

Orient Electric Aerocool

Orient Electric Aerocool

Aerostorm & Aerocool Features:

  • These fans promise highest air delivery of 300 CMM
  • They have a sweep of 1320 mm and has 100% rust-free blade made of high-grade glass-filled compounded ABS which provides strength to the blades, thus making it bend-proof, rust-proof and easy to clean.
  • Inspired from aerofoil design of Aircraft wings and uses the winglet technology to further reduce the air cutting sound while giving an impressive air delivery of 300 CMM.
  • Sturdiest and heaviest 18-pole motor design for longer life.
  • Metalized UV deco ring, radiant PU paint finish and striking spiral curves which make them very good looking fans!

Orient Electric Aero Series Range – Aeroquiet

You know that irritating sound of the ceiling fan whirring by? Do you know what causes that? The main reason of fan noise is in fact the sound of air cutting which is produced when blades of a fan cut the air to create turbulence causing air to be pushed. Other factors that contribute to the fan noise including the size and quality of motor, design of blades, mounting hardware and the body material. Well, we can bid adieu to that sound because with the Aero Series range, Orient Electric has for the first time introduced a breakthrough in fans by addressing the important though latent need for silence. Orient Aeroquiet, the first fan launched under this series in 2017, makes 4dbs lesser noise than other fans which means that Aeroquiet reduces noise by 4000 times in comparison to normal fans.

Orient Electric Aeroquiet

Orient Electric Aeroquiet

Aeroquiet Features:

  • Advanced aerodynamic profiled blade design which ensures maximum air throw while reducing sound by reducing friction and turbulence.
  • Sturdiest 18-pole heavy motor with double ball bearing for smooth and silent operation.
  • Orient Aeroquiet runs at 310 RMP and has an impressive air delivery of 240 CMM which is highest in the segment.
  • The fluidic integrated design of Orient Aeroquiet makes it an innovatively beautiful choice for the fifth wall in your home.

Orient’s spectacular Aeroseries range of fans is a great combination of technical and visual sophistication. If you are looking for a change in your living space, then this range of ceiling fans has to be the perfect choice. Experience air like never before!

Orient Aero Series

Orient Aero Series

This post is written in collaboration with Orient Electric

 

 

Orient Electric Makes An Impression With Its New Aero Series Range of Fans

You know that feeling when you learn something new about a product and then you look at it with a completely different perspective? That is what happened to me at an event held last week in Kolkata where Orient Electric showcased their new Aero Series range of fans. The humble fan has been around for generations but honestly speaking, we only tend to appreciate it when there is a power cut and we are roasting in the heat and humidity. Thankfully, Orient Electric does not think like us and has made it a motto to completely overhaul our thought process regarding the unassuming ceiling fan with the Orient Electric Aero Series range. 

Orient Electric Aero Series

Orient Electric Aero Series

Orient Electric Aero Series Range

At the event and press conference, we got to see and experience the new range of Aero Series fans which looked like the perfect blend of style, functionality and modern technology. Atul Jain, Sr. Vice president and Business Head, Fans, Orient Electric spoke about the history of the brand and the fact that its journey actually started from Kolkata way back in the 1950’s. The first fans manufacturing plant of Orient was in Kolkata and the fact that now, every second fan that is exported out of India is an Orient fan.

Atul Jain talking about the range

Atul Jain talking about the range

Coming to the Aero series, the idea behind creating these fans was to connect with new-age customers who are looking for a lot more. Gone are the days when people used to buy consumer goods looking only at functionality and value for money. Nowadays, aesthetics play a very important role in determining consumer purchase habits and people are open to shelling out slightly more to ensure that the products align to their personal style and day-today needs. And with the Aero series, Orient Electric aims to do just that. These are a premium range of ceiling fans that focuses on high air delivery, silent operation and elegant aesthetics. Priced above Rs 4000, the fans are available in different styles and Mr Jain added that the range has been a phenomenal success and it has taken Orient Electric to the No. 1 position in the premium fans segment. He also added that the company is looking to increase market penetration in Eastern and North-Eastern India.

Orient Electric Aero Series Event

Orient Electric Aero Series Event

Orient Electric Aero Series Event

Orient Electric Aero Series Event

This was a very different launch event for me and one that I really enjoyed. Rarely do we get to know about what goes on behind the scenes and the thought-process behind creating a revolutionary product. I also got to experience how the Aero range of fans work and I was really impressed by the technology. For details on the Orient Electric Aero Series range and review, watch out for my next post.

 

 

This post is written in collaboration with Orient Electric

 

 
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