Camping served with a dollop of luxury

The instructions were simple. You need to have a sleeping attire, trekking wear, comfortable shoes and you are good to go. ‘Great Outdoors 2.0 by Marriott’ is one the most efficiently curated experiences by the Marriott Hyderabad; a camping experience in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no compromise on luxury and comfort. An uber cool bus took a motley group of amateur adventurer enthusiasts to this destination, which we later discovered was in the middle of Vikarabad, wilderness on an altitude making for some great views of sunset and sunrise and the surrounding hillocks. One could see the famous Anantagiri Hills on one side and on the other was, according to our trek guide, the original birthplace of river Musi before afforestation changed its course. And yes, there was a trek guide, who would towards the evening take the uninitiated motley group on an easy but challenging enough for amateurs, kind of a trek.

The bus lugged, huffed, and puffed as it carried its passengers on a makeshift yet difficult path up the hill, and finally stopped at the designated site where the staff were waiting with the much-needed refreshments. Fruit juices and wine was passed around and as one walked past, the pebbled ground gave way to a wide clearing; a beautiful campsite with green tents lined up on one side, buffet tables laid out on the other serving high tea, live musician playing the guitar in the middle with comfortable seating arrangement that reminded one of the Indian mehfils with gaddis where you would relax and soak in the entertainment.

Food and drinks flowed, the music by the ever-energetic Shiv Menon kept the people pepped up, a trek up the stony hill was a treat to the senses with brilliant sunset visuals, and gave an adrenalin rush to the participants, who nevertheless came back with tired feet promptly attended to by the staff of the spa. A foot massage, while you nursed a drink gazing at the stars even while soulful music floated around – is indeed a definition of bliss only disturbed by the wafts of flavour from the live cooking stations making grills, roasts that were a part of a well thought out dinner menu, best for outdoors and to make for a great pairing with the amazing cocktails from Jameson Whiskey. Gourmet teas from Hillfort were a hit too. However, the maverick behind the bar, Cillian Mulligan decided to use the tea to make some heady concoctions that kept up the spirits of the magical night. Custom-made giveaways greeted the guests in the tents – framed picture, a stuffed toy, some gourmet chocolates and comfortable sleep. And a night later, it was time for the amazing morning with a cool breeze, birds chirping away as sunrise gave more opportunities for photo ops. A leisurely breakfast later; that included South Indian filter Kapi too - it was time to bid farewell to a great experience and the entire staff on ground, General Manager Shrikant Wakharkar, Director- Operations Jomy Abraham, Executive Chef Aungshuman Chakraborty, Marketing Communications Manager Suhasini Trichy, who personally ensured the unique experience went on smoothly. In addition to promoting the global loyalty programme of Marriott properties, Marriott Bonvoy, the experiential takes the promise of hospitality and guests service that the hotel is capable of handling, a few notches higher – “We are open to creating experiences for guests that need not be limited to the hotel premises,” shares Suhasini.