NOW Curious Traveller Diaries

The Leela Palace New Delhi is located near the diplomatic enclave of the city, surrounded by parks and embassies. The hotel's own gardens are lovingly cared for by the Head Gardener Shamdal. He and his men have labeled each plant in the garden, assigning them a number while keeping detailed notes on each of their health and wellbeing.

The flowers spread throughout the garden are grown in a nursery on the property and when they have reached near the end of their time they are either used as fertilizer for the next generation, or the hotel donates them to the charity Prabhat, an organization dedicated to providing income opportunities to those with mental handicaps and other disabilities. Prabhat then recycles the flowers into a variety of dyes and colors that they can sell.

Restaurant wise, unfortunately I only had the chance to eat in 2 of the hotel's 4 restaurants. The Qube is their extensive buffet option and Jamavar, their amazing Indian restaurant. The Qube is pretty cosmopolitan in its food offerings. Jamavar was delicious. I am by no means an expert on Indian cuisine, but I had a great dinner and the chef even came out to see how I and everyone else in the restaurant was enjoying their meal. Their Japanese option, Megu, and their French cuisine option Le Cirque were the ones I didn’t have the chance to experience but I hope I’ll get that chance in the future. The Spa was remarkably calming. I don’t consider myself much of a spa person but I gotta say, after a day of walking around, spending an hour or so there was just what I needed before I had to get back to my computer and the never ending tide of emails. I had a nice half hour massage and probably spent another 20 minutes or so just relaxing in the serene atmosphere.

The hotel staff were friendly, welcoming and attentive. It really felt like they were happy to help me throughout my stay, even the florists and gardeners really wanted to be helpful despite the language barrier.

By the end of my time at the Leela Palace New Delhi I was sad to leave. It’s a beautiful property that did its best to ensure my stay was as great as it could be. Definitely a great place to base yourself from if you want to explore New Delhi while having a peaceful luxurious oasis to retreat to from the hustle and bustle of the city.