Tucked away in a leafy lane in the upmarket Koramangala neighbourhood, the Grand Mercure Bangalore plods on with an air of quiet ef­ficiency. In another life, it was a service apartment building, so the rooms are rather spacious, with the interiors intuitively geared towards long stays (and, of course, the hotel still gets a lot of long-stay guests). Each room has a balcony, an absolute boon for longer stays. The storage space is to die for. There are several flat screen TVs, but you may never feel the urge to turn them on, given the verdant view there is to feast on and, well, the general feasting to be done in the hotel itself (although all rooms come equipped with a kitchenette, should you ever feel the need to use one).

Bedroom in a suite
Bedroom in a suite

The all-day diner, 12th Main, named for the street it is on, offers global gourmet cuisine as well as comfort South Indian homestyle food. The restaurant has a charming al fresco area punctuated with water features which makes it popular with walk-ins.

Juicy kababs
Juicy kababs

But it’s at By The Blue, the hotel’s poolside resto-bar, that this five-star hotel truly reveals its culinary self. Serving Indian speciality cuisine (thinking Indian food with a modern twist) and grills paired with some fine tipples (including Amrut, the legendary Indian single malt), the place just fills up in the evenings. The handcrafted menu marries the fresh­est ingredients and meats with the choicest condiments. Naturally, this is the setting for one of the most popular Sunday brunches in the city (one of the reasons could be the free swim that is thrown in to sweeten the deal), replete with live music and live cooking sta­tions. There’s a snazzy gym and a spa managed by O2 (the same folks who are single-handedly administering TLC to beleaguered travellers across our domestic airports). There are a few meeting rooms as well. Perfect if you have business to conduct in the city but great for leisure travel as well.

The information

Location: 12th Main, 3rd Block, Koramanga­la, Bangalore; 1.5hr from Kempegowda Airport

Accommodation: 126 suite style rooms with in-built kitchenettes

Tariff: ₹8,535 for Studio, ₹10,116 for 1-Bed­room Suite, ₹13,277.25 for 2-Bedroom Suite

Contact: +91-80-45121212, grandmercurebangalore.co