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Gurgaon is meant to be a transit stop. It is between New Delhi and the airport. It took almost 6 hours to drive from Haridwar to Gurgaon. Before you even drive into the Trident Gurgaon hotel driveway, the security boom gives you the sense that this is an upmarket hotel. The hotel has an unusual entrance and I cannot describe it adequately, suffice to say I always got confused finding it when exiting the hotel. The service in this hotel is top notch and is probably the best hotel I have stayed in anywhere in the world. Everything is perfectly in place and consistent from the length of the rose stems to the directions of the cup handles in the breakfast restaurant. The turndown service means cleaning your room again and putting a bucket of ice, special laundry bags also being placed in front, your slippers being placed beside your bed on a mat and a breakfast menu for in room dining.
The hotel offers a free "shuttle" service to the Ambience Mall. I went to reception and asked for it. I was told to give them two minutes but I can walk to the hotel entrance in the meantime. I found an Audi A6 waiting for me with a chauffeur dressed in full white colonial style uniform complete with peak cap. Inside the car, each passenger has their own temperature control (4 zone climate control) and there are two bottles of water awaiting you.
The mall is nearby and has every brand name store we have in SA plus more. It is a 6 story building and they claim there is 1km of shopping on each floor. The mall is setting up for a fashion show later that evening so I hang around. As the show progresses, there are various Bollywood stars there. I see Vivek Oberoi and his 2 male co-stars from his soon to be released movie Grand Masti. Amrita Rao and Kangana Ranaut are amongst the models strutting their stuff down the ramp.
When I was ready to leave, I just phoned the hotel and the Audi was back to fetch me 10 minutes later. Now that's service! I wish I could stay here longer rather than just popping for one night at a time. The good news is that I come back to this hotel in a few days time for a night and again just before I leave India.
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