Orange County: Doors to History

As I entered the massive gate, modelled on the city gates of Hampi, I got the impression that this was the perfect antidote to the urban madness I left behind. A royal welcome with a refreshing coconut based drink to start with and then I was led to my princely room. I was staying in one of the nine private villas, luxuriously spacious with a pool stretched across the length of the room. The villas have been named ‘Jal Mahal’ (palace on water) as they stand like an island on a pool of water, filled with lotus. Though I hardly spent 10 minutes in the lobby, my gaze had travelled over the expansive artefacts and the detailing in design of the interiors. Breaking away from the traditional reception and lobby styles, the resort had artsy interiors, with the reds, greens, blues and magenta adroitly thrown in over commanding whites, to immerse you in the royal affair you are in. The overall look and feel is of ornate luxury, where elements and arches and corners stand as reminiscence of the royalty of Vijayanagar. It stands as a dazzling epitome of legendary tales with a bold cultural heritage, nestled midst unparallel natural beauty.

The amalgam of the multiple influences that Vijayanagar kingdom had seen is evident in the interiors of the resort. Open courtyards where peacocks parade, galleries with curved arches, leading from one section to the other, the parapets, a fine mix of earthy elements, the chandeliers modelled on the Vijayanagar design and the wall murals; present a good mix of Indo-Islamic fusion in the design, a cultural leaf taken from that bygone era. And then there is a conspicuous over-use of water and the buildings shaped like lotus petals. I was later explained by my host that the entire design has been inspired from the Lotus Mahal in Hampi, and hence water and lotus mix.

The luxurious villas

Each villa had a swimming pool

The room is full of comfortable corners and spots to spread out in a melange of old and new. Dusky wooden beds carved from Mexican ebony, the switches and knobs reminding you of old colonial era, the ornate arches giving a masculine touch to the earthly coloured painted walls, furniture that looks more like taken from some Italian antique shop, a king size contemporary bathroom and the lotus motif finding its subtle presence everywhere from the facade of the bar to the arches in the living room – enahnce the warmth and passion in the design of the villas.

My host Abhishek, the resort manager, was nice enough to show me around. Perhaps this was also a great work up for the sumptuous lunch that was to follow. “One thing is very clear in the design of the resort, an attempt to make you feel you are in Vijayanagar empire” he said as he took me from one section to the other. In rooms you can see the alchemy of Indian royalty and the Victorian influence. While the detailing in the room gives you a feel of the bygone era, the design is very contemporary with stylish bathrooms, Jacuzzi, a spacious living space, hard wood furniture and balcony opening to the lush greens. We walked to the Lotus Mahal which houses a Mughlai restaurant, a shop to buy artefacts designed by locals, a reading room with a great view and laden with books on Indian culture and Hampi (do spare a evening for reading there, with some insanely awesome brewed coffee and a view to take back with you) and a spa. Back in the main building is the infinity pool, next to the Tuluva restaurant, insanely huge and on one side of it is tucked a special corner where a romantic candle-night dinner is laid. The entire side on the pool is often doubled up as space for an open sky dinner, spent in gazing the stars in the clear sky.

Tuluva restaurant

The porch area

And now it was the lunch time. And over these years of travelling, I have developed a notion that lunch tables are the best place to review a hotel. Nothing can make your stay more memorable than good food. And when Abhishek told me that the head chef has been experimenting with local cuisines from Hospet, Raichur and Belgaum, it raised my expectations. Having spent months in Karnataka, I am fairly acquainted with the regional flavours. That doesn’t make me a connoisseur but that certainly makes me a little more discerning than others. The aroma of tempered red chillies and curry leaves hit me as the buffet was spread and I gleefully lifted each cloche to discover the culinary sojourn I was led to. It was a feast, to be modest with my words –  the earthy flavor of country chicken in a thick gravy (saru), the palle (vegetable of water melon), the unique flavour of  sambhar, beans served with authentic local breads made of bajra and akki (rice flour).

And what makes you feel more personal to the resort is the pampering you get, right down from entering the hotel, keeping the tables, escorting to your rooms to delightful conversations on dinner table. Orange County ensures that all go smiling from the resort.

Living room in Jal Mahal

The Hampi trails – Remember you are in Hampi and though the history lessons start from the resort itself, there is always more to know here.

(About Hampi: – Hampi was capital of Vijayanagar Empire and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The empire reached its zenith under the reign of Krishna Deva Raya and hosted a population second only to Beijing, making it one of the largest and wealthiest kingdoms of India. Eminent historian Robert Swell has compared Hampi to Western cultures in terms of monetary and cultural wealth. The kingdom was completely devastated when Bahamani forces of Bidar, Birar, Raichur, Gulbarga and Golconda attached and vanquished the Vijayanagar forces and laid the city to waste. Not much is documented about the empire in history and it was so sordidly ignored, that it won the sobriquet ‘The forgotten empire’.)

Read my story on Hampi to acquaint yourself more with the area.

Save