The Radisson Blu, Amritsar, in India. Photo / Aimee Shaw
The Radisson Blu, Amritsar, in India. Photo / Aimee Shaw
Aimee Shaw checks into the Radisson Blu, Amritsar.
Location: This luxury five-star, international-class hotel is 8km from Sri Guru Ram Dass International Airport, Amritsar, North India.
Room: We stayed in the beautiful Presidential Suite, advertised as the "Premier Suite" - the only one of its kind in the hotel. This 111sq m room features a huge living room, dining room and office, spacious walk-in wardrobe, double bathroom vanity and even a tucked away kitchen. This room is often reserved for the likes of local politicians and Bollywood celebrities.
Check-in experience: Friendly staff, who always greeted us as "sir" and "ma'am". The luggage service was quick. The only thing I was surprised at was no in-room chocolates or fruit bowl.
The bed: A king size bed which was as soft as a pool of feathers. Although, I'm not sure whether it passed the threshold of being too comfy as I found it a little difficult to fall asleep on both nights.
Bathroom: Huge, spacious and so luxurious. It had double amenities so two could get ready at the same time. It had a full-sized bath tucked away, but the star of the show was definitely the massive shower with waterfall shower head.
Toiletries: Just as you would expect from a five-star hotel, toiletries were replaced daily.
Food and drink: Unfortunately we slept through the complimentary buffet breakfasts, although we were very pleased when we were offered a replacement - danishes, doughnuts and bakery treats with muesli and cereals and a cheese and tomato omelette.
The Radisson Blu, Amritsar, in India. Photo / Aimee Shaw
This was three hours after the breakfast service so we were pretty pleased.
Views: The view from our window took in the crystal-blue swimming pool. You can see the Punjab in the distance.
Noise: Zilch. Zero. Not a sound. Although we were only on the third floor, our surroundings were so quiet we could have easily been on the top floor.
What's in the neighbourhood? Apart from the international and domestic airport terminals and the main attraction of the Holy City - the Golden Temple - there are local markets and boutique traditional suit and sari shops. Once out of the hotel you can travel 30 minutes to the outskirts of the Punjab, to the Wagah Border ceremony - a tourist favourite that sees both the Indian and Pakistani armies retreat their flags at the end of the working day and slam their gates on the doors to the border crossing. In the central city there is also the Jallianwala Bagh public garden, which is a memorial of the 1919 massacre by British forces, Durgiana Temple and plenty of places to grab a bite to eat.
Price: Pricey, but for a "presidential suite", not bad. The equivalent of $395 per night including buffet breakfast.
Free Wi-Fi? Yes, no problems with speed or connectivity throughout our stay.
What's so good about this place? The tranquillity and friendly staff. Family-run business that serves great food and has great entertainment in the evenings.
Would I return? Definitely, although probably not in the presidential suite. Although the room was definitely grand and beautiful, it was not as luxurious as we had anticipated.
For the price we thought it would have been better.
