Luxury in Amritsar

It looks what it should look like—round， flat， light brown—but the taste creates confusion. Salty with a hint of fennel and cinnamon， and it comes with bowls of juicy tomato relish and the predictable maple syrup. Two bites down， I am happier than confused. The masala pancake， recommended by restaurant staffer Abinashy， is indeed a welcome departure from the usual bacon and eggs buffet breakfast fixture. I equally relish my cup of masala tea and spend a good half an hour surveying other people at breakfast. It isn’t difficult to guess it is a saturday. Collage， the all-day café at Ista Amritsar， the city’s first five-star hotel， is packed with newlyweds， families， tourists （Indians and foreigners alike） as well as a handful of Amritsaris catching up with friends over hot bhatures and chhole. Conversations at the surrounding tables range from an attractive sale at Body shop outlet at the swanky mall next door to a visit to wagah Border after lunch， the night palki ceremony at the serene Golden temple to the best papad-wadi stall in Amritsar. The decibel levels are considerably high but the tones are chatty， the ambience relaxed and the mood very weekend.

I leave the airy café to head to the hotel’s attractive poolside， near the spa. The weekend cheer is here too. I watch an enthusiastic father as he teaches his twin daughters the basics of swimming. A bevy of girls in their teens is all squeals as they enter the jacuzzi. I retire to a wooden shed that is used for yoga every morning with a book in hand.

As I enjoy the company of butterflies and a couple of birds， my mind goes back to the day I had first visited Ista Amritsar， two years ago. It was a good two weeks before the hotel launch and everyone at the property was in the grips of eleventh-hour frenzy. The spa， the biggest temptation at Ista， was not fully operational. But I didn’t return without a massage. Two years later， I am glad to find Dawa， the tibetan masseuse， still around. I forgo the massage though—the appointments register at the spa could well be a page out of the President’s diary. You have to book well in advance because a considerable number of people come to Ista only for the spa.

If， however， you choose not to visit the spa， there is a bunch of other things to keep you both busy and relaxed. The concierge at Ista is happy to escort you to the Golden temple any time of the day and night. Ask him to do that ten times and you still won’t find a trace of irritation or boredom. The Alpha one Mall next to the hotel is another good way of whiling time. It has all the Big City brands as well as a generous sprinkling of shops selling very local things such as phulkari work and Patiala salwars in eyepopping colours and prints.

You could of course， get down to the streets for a real taste of Amritsar—the hotel staff is glad to show you around. But I am not exaggerating when I say that the kulchas， chhole， Amritsari Fish Tikka and jalebis Ista serves are bursting with the flavours. You may miss the fun of drinking lassi straight from a steel glass， though. What is guaranteed is the kind of heartwarming satisfaction that only good food and， more importantly， caring attention can bring. The latter certainly made me return for more and may just as well be the case with you.

At A Glance

Getting There

There are daily flights between Delhi and amritsar. Fare： 7，000 approx. Several trains connect the two cities. The best option is the Swarn Shatabdi， which leaves Delhi at 7.20 a.m. daily and reaches by 1.30 p.m.

Must Do

Stay

Ista Amritsar： next to alpha one mall， m.B.m. Farms， g.t. Road； Tel： （0183） 270 8888；

Good To Know

Night palki at the golden temple starts at 11 p.m. Prabhat pheri starts at 4 a.m.