Reliant Suites

To put it simply, Reliant Suites straddles two worlds - luxury and affordability - and the very best of both.

Commencing with luxury, the 9 flats (that is 27 rooms with attached bathrooms) that collectively create Reliant Suites could be described as a cocoon for hedonists on a budget, but they should not be, because there really is no such concept; hedonists seeking material pleasure in Hi-Tec City can proceed to Novotel, which they should jolly well be able to afford, since they are hedonists and all.

Then again, to compare Reliant Suites - a guest house, really, when stripped of its splendor - to Novotel, one of Hyderabad's most opulent hotels, is to compare apples with oranges. However, when measured against other apples (that is, other guest houses in Hi-Tec City) alone, Reliant Suites is clearly the ambrosia in the fruit basket. We are perhaps sounding a bit fruity ourselves - the point still is that even if Reliant Suites is not the last word in luxury, it does come close.

The flats here are palatial, especially in terms of floor space; the flooring, by the by, is genuine Italian marble, except in the bedrooms, where it is replaced by sophisticated dark wood. Each flat has three bedrooms (there is always one with a king-size bed) and they strike an excellent balance between the classy and the tony.

The beds are plush yet understated, the television screen is wide, the tapestry on the simple, comfy chairs is always unique (we spotted one patterned with Egyptian hieroglyphics), and the wardrobes are cavities large enough to swallow the contents of half-a-dozen suitcases in some rooms.

And while the bathrooms (like the bedrooms) are similarly designed, they are never the same; each spells affluence a tad differently, some with their trendy glass partionings, and others with their deep bowl basins or pretty tiles.

Since this lodging has been targeted primarily towards corporates and their executives, expect the same facilities offered by other corporate guest houses - 24-hour room service, a business center, a gymnasium, meals in the common dining area (breakfast is complimentary) etc.

This high-living, of course, comes at a price; rooms cost anything between Rs. 4,250 and Rs. 5,500, plus taxes. While Reliant Suites' tariff card is no match for the sheer competitiveness of, say, an At Home Serviced Apartments, it also offers extravagance akin to that of a 4-star hotel, and this is an aspect of its hospitality that very few guest houses can hold a candle to.

But for all its pluses, Reliant Suites also comes with certain minuses, albeit, to its credit, there are only a few. The road that leads up to it is paved with potholes, the views from the balconies of its flats are less than stunning, and while the kitchens in the flats are state-of-the-art, they are mostly bare; guests are discouraged from cooking. The opposite is true of the kitchens at At Home Serviced Apartments. Score!