Luminous One Continent Hotel

While most high-end hotels in the city remain restricted to uptown suburbs like Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills, putting Abids on Hyderabad's hotel-scape is One Continent Atria, which effortlessly caters to all the staples of a man away from his home.

While the hotel is marked by an inconspicuous entry, the lobby done in gleaming wood paneling and multi-hued patchwork paintings makes you feel at home immediately. Colours form the basis of marking the rooms, with different floors done in any one of the following colour themes - emerald, sapphire, ruby and diamond. The colour reflects in the carpets, upholstery and furnishings of the floor.

The most basic among the accomodation options, the Standard rooms, are comfy nests with twin beds, LCD TVs, minibars, electronic safes, tea/coffee makers, Wi-Fi connectivity and sleek bathrooms. They come at Rs. 6,000 for single rooms (November 2010), and Rs. 6,500 for double rooms. The next category, the Superior rooms, priced at Rs. 7,000 and Rs. 7,500 for single and double rooms respectively, are larger with study tables, iron boxes and hair dryers as added facilities.

Comprising of an antechamber, a bedroom and a bathroom, the suites end up giving you the shorter end of the stick as other hotels like Daspalla and Inner Circle provide you more space, twin bathrooms and added amenities at the same price. The suites' tariffs stand at Rs. 8,500 for single-bed and Rs. 9,000 for double-bed.

The hotel has 2 restaurants - Golden Spreads and Rigel - and a lounge bar, 1001. Golden Spreads caters to vegetarians with its south-Indian thalis, while Rigel is a multi-cuisine affair serving breakfasts, coffee and an array of other dishes. 1001 is a cozy place to enjoy your drinks with the added allure of terrace-seating.

As much as the hotel presents exquisite dining options, it also comes with a sophisticated fitness center, Fine Mettle, to burn all those extra calories. The exhaustive center, which comes with the option of learning aerobics under an instructor, is exactly what fitness enthusiasts crave for.

The many furlongs from the Hi-Tech city might deprive the hotel of the patronage of IT giants, but pharmaceutical and insurance companies keep the hotel's board rooms, Culets, in good use. The 15-seater board rooms, fitted with boat-shaped conference tables, are situated on each floor, and are ideal for business conferences and meetings. Skydiner, a function hall with a capacity of 40 people, caters to other parties.

The banquet halls, Coral and Garnet, with a capacity of 600 people together, can come to the rescue of those looking for a place to entertain a large group.

The cherry on the cake, however, turns out to be Canopus, the terrace garden spread luxuriantly around an inviting swimming pool. The well-manicured lawn, the reclining chairs dotting the pool and the uninhibited sky make for an idyllic escape from the din that Abids is.

One Continent Atria, with its clever and aesthetic use of space, manages to carve out a tranquil sanctuary in the midst of chaos for the weary traveler, giving him a chance to revel in modern amenities raising a toast to the stars.