The Golkonda

Over the years, the Masab Tank neighbourhood has been characterized by a couple of important landmarks - one is the , and the other is The Golkonda. Standing tall in the neighbourhood for over two decades now, it is one of the first 4-star hotels outside the opulent Banjara Hills, and after an extensive renovation spanning about 3 years (2004-2006), looks classier than ever.

Located at the foot of Banjara Hills, and only moments away from the city's commercial, shopping and entertainment districts, The Golkonda is a suave lifestyle hotel appeasingly furnished in contemporary design with lavish use of glass, wood, and steel, providing a distinctive level of luxury, comfort and value for money with a service that's truly its own.

The lobby is a marble-floored, brightly-lit beauty of a sprawl that doubles as a lounge extending to two gourmet restaurants - Melange and Jewel Of The Nizam. Melange, true to its name, serves global food in a pleasant ambience, while Jewel Of The Nizam has the look and feel of the Nizam dynasty including the sumptuous food served to perfection. For the guzzle-happy folks, there's a cool bar on the first floor.

Coming to the accommodation, Golkonda marvels with its 144 selectively appointed guest rooms and suites. You are sure to love your stroll on the soft carpets gracing the dimly-lit and sensuously decored aisles, with dulcet Beethoven or Yanni playing along the way. An ethereal aisle experience! The rooms are furnished with slick decor, glossy marble flooring, oversized beds, TVs, leather lounge chairs, minibars, leather sofas and well-stocked bathrooms with glass-walled shower cubicles, and have a view of the Masab Tank neighbourhood.

The suites are classy, with a living room that's modernly furnished with a TV, study table, leather couch, comfy chairs and sleek hardwood floor. The bedroom is perfect for idling with an oversized bed complete with snuggly linen, a wall-mounted LCD TV, a minibar, a phone, a classy round glass table with chairs, and a couch. And you can pamper yourself in the invitingly lavish bathroom that has a wondrously large tub and a glass-walled shower cubicle.

And for the fitness freaks, there's a wellness center that keeps you in shape while its steam bath facility will help you refresh. Like the other hotels in its tier, this one doesn't try to be different here, having a couple of treadmills, an elliptical trainer, a home gym and a bike along with the omnipresent dumbbells.

As for banquets, there are 5 meeting rooms ideal for all types of functions, from boardroom meetings to private dinners. They come in different capacities (with a maximum of 200) and different seating styles like theater, U-shaped, classroom, fish bone, cluster and casual banquet.

For a hotel of its stature, The Golkonda surprises with the lack of a swimming pool. But one is underway, we are told.

And all you first-time tourists, do not confuse it with the original Golconda, which is a historical fort and a tourist site. This hotel just derives its name from the ageless wonder. But with its stately structure and warm hospitality, it makes it equally hard for you to leave, especially if you are the budget-conscious yet palatial-hotel-yearning kind.