Service with a smile!. Review on The Trident, Udaipur

We wanted to get away from the city for a few days and picked Udaipur's Trident. They have this 'summer getaway' package that is totally VFM. Before I made my reservation, they even confirmed that they have a twin room available - I was traveling with a friend, so that was a more comfortable option. Their check-in time is 2 pm. Our flight got there really early in the morning, so I'd requested an early check-in. And if that couldn't be accommodated, I suggested that we drop off our luggage and come back later to check-in, but when we got there at around 8 am, they already had our room ready and let us check in hours early with a smile! It was a wonderful way to start our day - miserable from having been up all night to get work done and catch a really early flight, it was nice to be able to freshen up in our room before we got started with our sightseeing.

We were even shown where the restaurant was in case we wanted breakfast when we arrived. We wanted to try out the breakfast at the open-air Jaiwana Haveli (beautiful views, very sweet server – you must go there just for the views and service). The guy at reception when we checked-in, whose name I didn't catch, brought us a guide book for Udaipur with the Haveli restaurant highlighted! So we set off for breakfast and spent the rest of the day sightseeing. When we returned in the evening, our room had been thoroughly cleaned and was spotless. We had a drink at their cozy little bar and then took showers before dinner. I'm a neat freak so I asked housekeeping to come by and clean up the bathroom after my roommate, who is not so much a clean freak (and will kill me if she reads this!), and as always, the cleaning staff came by with a smile!

Dinner was nice! The food wasn't exceptional, but it wasn't bad either - and my compliments to the pastry chef. The first night they had a delicious chocolate mudpie and some vanilla cheesecake, among other desserts. The second night, I nearly fainted over a dark chocolate nougat slice, again among other things. The dining staff was very attentive - clearing plates after every course, refilling what ran out at the buffet - and even bringing it to the table if it ran out while you were standing at the buffet. They were also very sweet to the kids that were running around, bringing them bowls of ice cream and keeping an eye on the naughty ones. There was this adorable, chubby sardar kid who was completely irresistibly naughty. He managed to get his hands on a soup ladle, and seemed to be playing golf with it - that freaked me out (the soup ladle touching the floor), but an attentive staff member quickly took that away from the child and brought out a clean ladle.

Breakfast was my favorite part of the stay - delicious cooked-to-order omelets presented beautifully, different kinds of breads, jams, a pat of butter at the table, Danishes, cinnamon rolls (or were they raisin rolls?), fresh fruit, different kinds of cereals with milk and all sorts of toppings like grated chocolate (yum!), nuts, and seeds. They also had a spread of sausages for meat-eaters. There were all kinds of Indian breakfast options too – pooris, veggies, dosas, idlis, wadas, chutneys and other stuff. I skipped that in favor of a cheesy omelet, but others seemed to enjoy them, including my roommate. And they had coffee, tea, iced tea and fresh juice to wash it all down. I wish they had varied the juice across a bit: pineapple and watermelon both days. For me, a cup of coffee to begin with and iced tea at the end was the perfect hit of caffeine to get me going.

The hotel room was slightly small, but well laid out – very comfortable beds and soft pillows, a well-appointed minibar, and a tea-coffee maker with mugs, stirrers and different kinds of tea bags and coffee and milk powder. The bathroom was lovely too – I can never resist a bathtub! And the view of their landscaped gardens and hills in the distance was just breathtaking. The hotel grounds were beautiful, green and huge. They even have a small animal sanctuary where we saw a few peacocks – at other times of the day, they also have other animals like deer. There’s a structure called ‘Bada Mahal’ where the sanctuary is. And that’ll be shown to you by Roop Singhji, an 81-year old, who has been there all his life – before Trident. He’s a sweet man who knows all about Udaipur’s history. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Roop Singhji and his adorable jokes!

The people at the reception were exceptional - thanks Sonam, Kusum, Ashish and the others... Here are some reasons: we were heading to Mt Abu early the next morning. Sonam actually called a colleague to ask her where we could stop for lunch there - this after she'd been at the desk all night. That evening, Kusum and Ashish took us around the hotel grounds and tried to arrange for the hotel boat to take us around the lake. When it couldn't be arranged, Ashish made sure to get us on it the next morning, before we checked out. The boat ride was guided by Jaswant bhaiya (Roop Singhji’s son), who gave us a tour of everything around the lake and was very patient with all our questions – just like his dad! After we’d checked out, we left our luggage at the hotel and headed out for more sightseeing and planned to come back and collect the luggage in the evening. When we got back, Kusum not only asked how our day was, she even brought us iced tea – even though we’d already checked out. I’ve heard of welcome drinks, I haven’t heard of ‘farewell’ drinks.

The only thing that wasn't pleasant about our stay was the crowd there – a few large, loud families that were really obnoxious at the buffet and were being really noisy in the hall late at night. Some people just have no civic sense - it's like I always say, you could have all the money in the world, but you can't buy class. And I know the staff has to be nice to all the guests... I just wish someone from the hotel had politely told the loud guests to simmer down. They have a sign in the hallway asking people to not be noisy around the rooms, but that isn't enough for some loud mouths. Also, these guests seemed to enjoy the dinner buffet - but when it came time for the bill, they claimed not to have liked the food and the extremely polite dining staff just told them "It's on us!"

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a few days away, I’d strongly recommend Udaipur’s Trident. They give a whole new meaning to service with a smile!