I tweet about travel. Indian luxury travel consumer,
#hotels
, new travel trends,
#luxurytravel
, responsible & transformative travel. I also design trips!
Maldives has 298 sq Km area. Lakshadweep has only 32 sq km. The coral reefs around the Lakshadweep islands are already bleaching or dying (google it). So please think twice before trying to promote it as the next Maldives. Some places need to be left alone.
I came to Bangalore as a student. Stayed back, found love, married into a wonderful kannadiga family. Soon learnt Kannada fluently & fell in love with everything Bengaluru! It has given me so much love back! Rajyotsavada Shubhashayagalu! ❤️
It is such a terrible day for tourists in India today. Airports are super crowded. Roads everywhere are jammed with traffic of people leaving the cities for holidays. Hundreds of weddings in hotels have added to the traffic and service levels are at all time low! Across so many
Welcome to the VIP lounge within the 080 Lounge at
@BLRAirport
Themed on a Mughal garden, it endeavours to pamper you with privacy, a-la-carte meals - currently avbl at a premium of Rs 5899 per head
Today onboard a
@IndiGo6E
flight - a generic crew announcement informing passengers that India is hosting the hockey World Cup mentioning dates and venues.
Good on you Indigo!
@TheHockeyIndia
@peeleraja
#kuchbhi
She is being called out because of the tone deaf response to Brandon. That is irrespective of man/woman
She is called out for the cringe content that HOB puts out.
The case they have is that of plagiarism. They are making it out to be IP.
Arrived at my parents house and ofcourse the wifi password is not known by anyone and now I can’t get any work done. Sigh! (My mom is suggesting I go closer to the router & it might work!)
Currently handling a 27-day honeymoon trip for a client to Australia. I got 3 days notice b4 they landed in Melbourne. I divided the plan into 4 capsules & i race to book stuff before one gets over.
Only Indian clients can travel like this. Only Indian agents can cater to this!!
Now that India has a lot of nice multi-lane highways, it is time we started a nationwide information campaign to teach ppl rules of lane driving. Like a massive push is needed. Give out pamphlets at toll gates, make videos - put them on TV etc. Good CSR opp for auto companies
The new TCS rules for foreign expenditure in force from 1st Oct are a massive mess! No one knows what is to be followed. Instructions are not clear; there seem to be so many interpretations resulting in so much whataboutery by everyone you talk to!
1. 5% TCS is applicable on
Kanha National Park (in Madhya Pradesh central india) is such a visually stunning park. Dense tall Sal trees, open meadows, rolling hillocks, ponds, naalas and rocky streams. Slow winter morning mist rose today as the sun came up.
#MPwithPanache
One uncle Ji behind me in the security queue sweating and whining “Mera flight miss ho jayega”… like a saviour, on his behalf I request people ahead of us to pls let him thru. We all do. And later I see him taking leisurely selfies with a giant conch shell in T3 🤦🏻♀️
How much more injudicious does the situation need to get before the
@FinMinIndia
wakes up? Handing over travel business on a silver platter to HKG/Chinese companies discriminating against its own home-grown entrepreneurs. How many jobs need to be lost for them to wake up?
#TCSTax
Sorry but this did not evoke a “wow” feeling. Such a mega opportunity, such a huge potential chance to blow everyone’s minds. No dearth of amazing talent in design & branding in India too! Very underwhelming!!
Expedia, the online travel booking engine has informed all the Indian travel agents that they will no longer have the pre-paid hotel option available. It will all be “book & pay at hotel” option.
@FinMinIndia
can bid goodbye to the GST and keep playing their TCS games
#TCStax
Another Day another jugaad use case is activated leading to a loss of revenue but this gov and finance ministry will never learn and will be arrogant as usual to ignore the genuine issues.
People who are heading out for a vacation to stay in budget home-stays can you pls make that extra effort & book directly with the property? They really need your support & the extra margin right now.
#travel
#homestay
Some trips change you forever!
It was 2021. Business had been shut for a year, & confidence was low. Signed up for this adventure which was totally out of my comfort zone.
I don't use the word 'epic" lightly, but this 21 days driving trip in the Himalayas definitely was that
Another reason why I loved Kanha National Park is how they have encouraged the local girls to become forest guides. So many confident girls who enjoy what they do and are so proud of their wildlife treasures. Kudos to you
@MPTourism
and Forest Dept people.
#MPwithPanache
I have to confess i have been showing off UPI payments in front of the NRI relatives visiting India off late. Paying the chaat wala, subzi wala, dhobi, doodhwala waving my phone about even when I had cash handy. Feeling very superior 😎 🤣!
By far the BEST maintained toilets - both in domestic as well as Intl side. The arrival toilets in domestic terminal is one of the busiest I have seen but always maintained clean by the politest staff!!
@BLRAirport
High-handedness by
@airindia
on another level. Delhi-SFO flight booked for 18th august has been arbitrarily cancelled and the passengers were offered to fly on the 22nd Aug!! When they said that is not acceptable they have been given delhi-mumbai-sfo on 17th Aug. Passengers have
The food at 080 lounge at
@BLRAirport
is always great but today Chef Daniel Gerard has outdone himself with the desserts. Kunafa, Matcha Mousse, Vegan Oatmeal pennacotta, gulkand phirni …and such good Gajar ka halwa! Who would even think this is lounge food!
Today morning I am an Indian travel advisor, sitting in Australia, designing a luxury holiday to Morocco for an American couple from Chicago 😊
#theworldisflat
#lifeofatraveldesigner
Port Blair airport runway to go under repairs for 3 months and will operate flights only on Sat, Sun and Monday. This is going to have a huge negative impact on the tourism industry on which Andamans depends highly & their season is just starting! (We had 2 years to do this!)
A new 60 room property by
@TajHotels
in Wayanad. 270 deg view of lakeside - all rooms have a view. Some private pool villas are also there. I can see it getting quite popular from source markets like Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai etc.
New hotel opening :
@JWMarriott
open a 151 room property in Vagator Beach area (closer to the new North Goa Airport) on March 16th. Large meeting spaces will focus on events and weddings.
If you want to see a sample of Geoffrey Bawa’s work in India, you can head to Heritage Madurai hotel. The old Madurai Club was designed by him when Martin Henry, head of Madura Mills commissioned him for it.
#roadtrip
#TamilNadu
I really cannot understand
@BLRAirport
T2 terminal. Two domestic flights boarding from gates D10 and D11. Not more than 60-70 seats around the gates. Acoustics of the airport are such that nothing can be heard so everyone is crowding the counters. There is no place to form a
If you are in Bangalore and work in a hotel, transport or a travel company please note that there is a vaccination drive tmrw at
#chitrakalaparishad
18-45 first dose. walk-in at 10.30 am with work ID. Ping me for more details
This is an incredible offer!
Pay for only 2 nights and get an extra night totally free at Evolve Back Kabini, Coorg and Hampi (10th Feb to 10th April with only 2 black out days)
We work closely with all 3 properties and know them intimately. DM if you need help to book
This is IMPORTANT please: If you are flying out of India with any E-Visa (esp Singapore, Dubai etc), please PRINT IT & carry it with you. As per instructions recd from Min of Home affairs, Immigration counters can send you back if you dont have these handy. Pls RT & Share
@AstroCounselKK
@Lolita_TNIE
Who ever she is and whatever is her problem, what gives anyone the right to put up such videos in public domain and have everyone comment on it from their uninformed POV?
I am at a hotel in Kristiansand, Norway. By my bedside there is one large switch. When I turn that off at night, every single light in the room goes off. That’s it. And that is what every hotel room should have.
If you are driving between Bangalore & Hyderabad, you can try some authentic Korean food 🍱 at Penukonda (Kia Factory) - 125 kms from blr airport. There are 3-4 good ones.
#roadtrip
Turkey has been so popular with our clients this summer. Many have loved this delightful hotel in IST. Pera Palace is a historical one, with a small Ataturk museum & a tea-room reccomended by Michelin guide. Booked Greta Garbo room for a client & Hemingway Suite for another.
@peeleraja
My cousin did the same. Being extra bright, he went on a scooter to get his bike back. He would ride back 100 mtrs on scooter, then run back do the same with bike. Then repeat. Police caught him. Explanation was stuff of family lore!
You can now get from Bengaluru to Coorg or Kabini in 55 mins!
@flybladenow
has 5 times a week service! Can vouch for a wonderful panoramic ride and experience
Since I could only manage a partial view from my balcony of this Sun Halo thing that was visible in Bangalore today, here is one I received on whatsapp from a friend
Not sure of the authenticity. But this is one of the reasons I don't holiday during the year end or long weekends. The whole idea of a holiday is lost in the crowd and prices are high too.
BREAKING : Starting today, Switzerland embassy is accepting Visa applications for all categories in India (thrice weekly for now) from fully vaccinated travellers. No quarantine upon arrival in Switzerland.
#visaupdate
#Travel
80 yr old mansion belonging to a Chettiar lady called Visalakshi is a beautifully restored
@CGH_Earth
hotel - Visalam. 15 huge rooms, delightful artefacts, 5 restaurants & deep access to Chettinad ! Visalam is everything a boutique hotel needs to be. Simply amazing!
#TamilNadu
Australia is a sterling example of how a destination can become hugely popular based on two main things - Better flight connectivity (3X increase in weekly flights) & ease of obtaining Visa - Indians can now easily get a 3 year visa without even physically submitting their
Just can’t understand this fad of playing some word game & sharing recurring spammy updates on TL & on messaging apps. Play it (on your own) & find out how you are doing, but why are you sharing that mindless update? 🤯🤷♂️
#mumble
The fantastic kerbside buggy service at
@BLRAirport
for seniors. It’s free & so convenient. The driver was so courteous, dropped them to airline check in desk, helped call the wheelchair & loaded bags on trolley. Very impressed. Very appreciative!! Super work
@BLRAirport
Got an email from a travel supplier in New Zealand. The footer of the email reads "I work on a flexible work schedule and across a number of time zones so I’m sending this message now because it works for me. Feel free to read, act on or respond at a time that works for you"
Very thrilled to announce that I am now a proud part of the Travel Advisory Board 2023 -
@travelleisurein
India and South Asia.
I look forward to providing expert opinions and inputs to Travel + Leisure magazine team for the print and online editions
8000 days, 22 years of designing trips for discerning clients. Ever grateful for everything that has come our way! The joys and challenges of building Panache World has been a blessing!
#luxurytravel
#22yearsofPanache
Did you know that apart from a valid visa and passport, sometimes it is a pre-requisite to have a certain number of blank pages in your passport or you can be denied entry? eg...
South Africa - 2 blank pages
Botswana & Zambia - 3
Zimbabwe -4, Namibia - 6!
Dear
@KarnatakaWorld
please remove this totally unrepresentative hero image of Hampi on the official website! It is awful and further, even the gallery is full of these kind! Hampi looks glorious in its natural colours! Why would you do this!!?
Driving from Jispa to Purne, our halt for the night was at the foot of the holy Gonbo Rangjon just where Zanskar starts. May I add that this overnight camp experience was magical?
#cliffhanger21
#camping
I have mad respect for people who wait for people in rows ahead of them to get their stuff and deplane with dignity instead of rushing into them or worse past them.
Let’s all be those people!
Unapologetic Bengaluru person sharing one more pink tabebuia picture because the season demands it. Pls appreciate how beautiful this is.
(Pic taken at
#cubbonpark
by
#vinitachaitanya
and shared on her Instagram account)
@DumbbellsnDrama
Though I now have a driver who takes me but I have cabbed it several times. I feel relatively safe doing so in blr. My personal tips are: if you live in Blr, and if you have felt safe with a certain driver, try calling the same person every time. They usually share their number
What an absolute delight this new 080 lounge
@BLRAirport
is! Tasteful design, various seating & working areas … breakfast spread better than many good hotels! Pleasant motivated staff led by Hashim who made pleasant conversation!
#domesticterminal
#airportlounge
Learning by personal experience this week, how to travel to Maldives with seniors / mobility impaired people. What points to keep in mind while choosing a resort / mode of transport.
This trip dedicated to my mom and Dad who are excited like little kids! 🥰
Thousands of tourists are visiting Mysuru and Kodagu to spend Christmas and New Year holidays. The scenes at toll booths leading to Mysuru on the Bengaluru Highway are choked with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Also, Kodagu's entry points face traffic snarls up to two kilometres.
We are a small company with 10 employees. We are considering providing medical insurance as a benefit. Will appreciate inputs on which is the best insurance company/policy we can go in for that can provide cover of 3-5 lakhs per annum for employees & their families
Panache World is looking for 3 passionate freshers who want to make a long term career in luxury travel. They will be trained by us on the job - customising itineraries & on destinations. After 6 mo probation they will be absorbed. Looking for two main qualities 1/2
Client calls me out of the blue.
"We are on a cruise & we just reached Portofino. You had booked us here in a beautiful hotel, do you remember which one?"
Me: Splendido by Belmond
Client: Yes exactly! we just thought of you so called you.
I might not remember what I had for
An intense 25-day trip starting tmrw covering some of the best places in New Zealand & later one of the most luxurious lodges in Tasmania. I am not very good with posting my travel pictures and videos on twitter, so will you guys find me over on isntagram and follow me?
I try
It was very pleasant to see that no one in New Zealand expects any tips. The view is that if a business isn’t paying a decent wage to employees, they should go out of business, & not rely on customers to tip. Servers will themselves cross out tips column!
It has been a tough 3 days so far on the road but I got rewarded with sights such as this. Confluence of two very different coloured rivers - near Purne, close to Phugtal Monastary in Zanskar
#cliffhanger21
I did not know Surekha. But I can make out she was someone super special and seems to have touched so many hearts. So many tweets of love. Can someone perhaps print all those tweets and put them together and give it to the family?
Today marks 20 years of being a travel entrepreneur. 20 years of challenges, excitement, peak highs, abysmal lows, recognitions, rewards, awards; toil and sweat … it’s been a long journey; but I would not have it any other way! 🥂
#20yearsofPanacheWorld
The new sustainable packaging of food & bamboo cutlery on
@SingaporeAir
- served in economy flights of less than 3.5 hours duration. Serving up Singaporean cult dishes like seafood Laksa!
Bhutan has slashed the SDF (Sustainability Development fee) from 200$ per person per day to 100$ from 1st of Sep in order to boost tourism. For Indians it continues to be Rs 1200 per person per day.
For everyone who is celebrating the 7 lakh per annum limit please be aware that this threshold was always there since 2020. But since there is no way of knowing who is over the limit & when, they imposed TCS from first transaction onwards.
This is a wonderful news!
The fact that Evolve Back resorts in Coorg, Kabini and Hampi have always had a very clean dormitory and mess for the accompanying chauffeurs deems a mention and due appreciation. This goes a long way in improving tourism in a region
Tamil Nadu government’s new GO makes it mandatory for hotels to provide separate bedrooms along with restrooms in proportion to the parking space, for drivers of the guests. It shall be either provided within the premises or 250 meters from the hotel. Such a good move.
@mkstalin
The betel leaves from Kumbakonam are famous and preferred for their pungent taste. They are special due to the Cauvery waters it grows with, so special that a GI tag has been applied for by the govt. People of K love their paan & have so many rules on how to eat them
#roadtrip
Why are we as a society just so blasé about punctuality? What does it take to sensitise people to respect everyone's time? Blame it on the traffic, smile & sing out a sorry 🎼 & get on the conversation? Makes me seethe. If the punctual person makes a big deal, they are made to
@jasonrowphoto
This probably has to be my fav boat picture. It was shot on the mighty river Brahmaputra in eastern India. It features a luxury river cruiser. It was a dreary day with dull grey skies and the muddy river reflected it.
#rowcase
#photooftheday
As the Benguluru water crisis deepens, i couldnt help but revisit a facebook post i wrote 6 years ago after i visited Cape Town which was going thru a severe water-crisis. Sharing the post and some pictures.
#bangalorewatercrisis
This one is in Calcutta. Very discreet, very elegant. Only 9 suites on the top floor of a high-rise building.
#GlenburnPenthouse
is a treasure! A rooftop pool with direct views of the Victoria Memorial is perfect for high teas!
#IndiasBestBoutiqueHotels
A quick visit to check out the
@PostcardHotel
Cuelim in South Goa. 350 year old villa strewn with brilliant pieces of furniture, housing two chapels inside of it, this is your ultimate cocoon of peace!