Travel writer Bindu Gopal Rao discovers Heritage Resort Hampi, a luxury resort close to the famed ruins of Hampi that makes it the perfect place to explore the surroundings.
A close to six hour drive from Bengaluru brings me to Heritage Resort Hampi and the green environs of the resort ensure that any travel stress evaporates immediately. Of course the fresh mango juice that was served as part of our welcome helped too.
Set amidst an eight acre space, the resort has a four acre organic plantation that ensures the place is always green. There are 40 villas including 36 Deluxe Villas, two Pool Villas and two Jacuzzi Villas. The décor of the resort is rustic chic with walls painted with murals that reflect local art and architecture.
Green Vistas
The reception has a small water body and wooden horses on either side that add to the aesthetic décor here. The reception also displays a host of products like cookies and pickles that you can buy here. The best part is that all this is made in house and is organic. The resort has also tied up with a local NGO called Akanksha center for special children and retails coir products made by the children from the center.
The in house organic garden has coconut, mango, custard apple, lemon, orange, mud apples, bananas and several fresh vegetables and herbs that ensure that the kitchen serves only fresh food. Incidentally, there are several varieties of mangoes that grow here and since I was here in the season, the trees were bursting with fruits.
Getting Roomy
All the villas at Heritage Resort Hampi are spacious and are furnished with wood furniture including a comfortable bed, study table, cupboards and more. The villas either have a king size bed or twin beds and have all modern amenities including complimentary Internet access, complimentary breakfast, complimentary bottled water, tea and coffee maker, mini-bar, air-conditioning, 32 inch flat screen TV, in room safe, wardrobe, hairdryer, laundry service and more.
The Jacuzzi Villa is equipped with a large and luxurious Jacuzzi, a king-size bed and a private sit-out area. The Pool Villa has a separate living room, a small pool and king-size bed with all modern amenities that ensures you have a stay steeped in luxury. In room dining is also available in all rooms here.
Facilities & More
The restaurant Kishkinda has an assortment of Indian and continental fare. Must try of course are the local food that includes Jowar Roti (a bread made with corn flour) and Akki Roti (bread with rice flour) that is teamed best with the local eggplant curry.
Since the food uses a lot of ingredients from the in house organic garden, you can feel the freshness of the ingredients too. The bar in the resort offers the choicest of wines and spirits as well. The resort also arranges dinner by the pool side on request which is a great way to bond with family or celebrate a special occasion.
While you are in Heritage Resort Hampi, a good idea is to check out the in house spa Ayurveda Shala that offers a host of Ayurvedic treatments that are sure to ensure relaxation, restoration and transformation of the body, mind and soul.
All treatments here are based on the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda and all the massages, facials and beauty and body treatments are done using locally made organic products and Ayurvedic oils only.
If you like reading, the resort has a Readers Shelf that has several books including timeless classics, sci-fi books and biographies. The swimming pool that has a separate kids’ pool is a great way to beat the unrelenting heat as well. The architecture of the pool is inspired by the local ‘Pushkarni’ and is set amidst mango trees. If you feel sporty head to the indoor Play Room that is equipped with Table Tennis, Dart Board, Board Games and a range of indoor games as well as a separate area for small children.
The conference room has an indoor space as well as a lawn area and is fitted with modern amenities to ensure that any business or leisure activities can be conducted as a group. The boardroom is ideal for smaller meetings and brainstorming sessions.
The resort also organized a bullock cart ride which took us into the nearby village where we saw the process of making jaggery from sugarcane and also visited a potter’s home apart from enjoying simple farms.
Looking Around
The resort itself is conveniently located just eight kilometers from Hospet and six kilometers from the Hampi ruins and can be easily visited when you are here. One of the activities that is recommended is an early morning sunrise at the nearby Matanga Hill. Make sure you have an early start as there is a short climb involved from where you can see a magnificent sunrise.
This is also a great view point to see a bird’s eye view of the famed ruins of Hampi. Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and some sites that must be on your to do list here include the Vittala Temple Complex that houses an iconic stone chariot and also the Virupaksha Temple that dates back to the 7th century.
Sights that you must include on your Hampi visit include the Royal Enclosure, Queen’s Bath, Hampi Bazaar, Hemakuta Hill Temples, Sasivekalu Ganesha and Krishna Temple. So on your next visit to Hampi, check into Heritage Resort Hampi and you would have just made the perfect choice to explore differently.
Address: 48/C & 4B, Hosamalapanagudi, Hospet Taluk State Highway 49, Karnataka 583239
Phone: +91 80 4201 9557 | +91 98 4560 2838
Website: indoasia-hotels.com/heritage-resort-hampi
Images of resort courtesy of Heritage Resort Hampi
