The Best Hotels at Bangalore’s M G Road

No visit to Bangalore is complete without going to M G Road, the bustling high street in the city. It’s lined with shops, restaurants and old-world book stores – do check out Gangaram’s and Higgin Bothams. There are several cafes to relax in, especially the iconic Koshy’s, which serves delicious bakery products. There are plenty of hotels nearby and you can definitely find something to suit your budget. We recommend 5 of the best hotels in and around M G Road for you. Book these hotels online on MakeMyTrip.com and also check out great last minute deals on these and other hotels around the country.

Bangalore has no dearth if interesting things to do and places to visit

Vivanta by Taj

If you’re looking for a luxurious stay in Bangalore, look no further than Vivanta by Taj. A great location coupled with the Taj hospitality, this hotel will ensure that you have a wonderful stay in the Garden City. Located at Trinity Circle on M G Road, the hotel is close to business areas as well commercial streets. Try and get a room with a view of the pool. The hotel has several top-class restaurants – Cafe Mozaic for pan-Indian, Memories of China that serves an inimitable Peking duck and the European restaurant, Graze. The hotel also has a business centre and a boardroom with all facilities.

The luxurious Vivanta by Taj in Bangalore

St. Mark’s Hotel

Another gem of a hotel, St Mark’s Hotel is located very close to M G Road and has a great view of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The 4-star boutique hotel is known for its impeccable service and the rooms are large and equipped with modern amenities. Dine at Curry with a ‘K’, their fine dining restaurant or have a sundowner or two at Luscious, the resto bar. The hotel also has a rooftop terrace garden that serves snacks and drinks throughout the day.

The rooftop terrace garden at St. Mark’s offers beautiful views and delicious food

JuSTa The Residence

One of the boutique luxury hotels at M G Road Bangalore, juSTa The Residence has quiet rooms even though it’s just off the bustling commercial street. The interiors have seen the deft touch of a fashion designer, with hand-picked furniture and touches of contemporary art all around the hotel. The hotel has a multi-cuisine restaurant and offers a complimentary buffet breakfast. The metro station is close by as are the shopping and entertainment areas of M G Road & Brigade Road.

The Chancery

An opulent hotel at Lavelle Road, The Chancery is perfect for a business or leisure stay and it’s just off M G Road. The rooms and suites are large and tastefully done up, with all amenities, including Wi-Fi connectivity. The complimentary breakfast buffet is quite generous. The Khayal restaurant serves authentic Awadhi cuisine and you can also enjoy live ghazals as you dine. Their South Parade restaurant is open all day and also offers a sumptuous midnight buffet.

The Monarch

The Monarch is one of the budget hotels in Bangalore, located on the lively Brigade Road, off M G Road and is especially suitable if you’re planning a long stay in the city. The recently renovated rooms and suites are well-furnished and the bathrooms are fitted with a bathtub. Their kitchens serve up good Indian and Continental food. If you’re looking for variety, just step outside and you will have a range of good restaurants at walking distance. Despite its prime location, it’s one of the cheap hotels in Bangalore.

So book your flight and train tickets on MakeMyTrip.com and have a pleasant stay in Bangalore.

SunRisers Hyderabad reach the 'Last Four' in IPL 2013

Photo Credit: Dilpreet Singh

While the opponents huffed and puffed, SunRisers Hyderabad rocked and rolled! 

CSR Summit & Excellence Awards: Recognising Non-Economic Objectives of Organisations

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has assumed great importance in the past few years. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has instituted the CSR Summit & Excellence Awards to recognise businesses that have been committed to CSR. The awards ceremony is held every year in Delhi. For the year 2012-2013, the ceremony was held on December 20^th 2012 at The Taj Mahal Hotel and former Indian President Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam was the chief guest. Other notable guests at the event were Mr. Sachin Pilot, the MoS for Corporate Affairs and former Chief Justice of India Mr. R C Lahoti. The event was well-attended by many stalwarts from the corporate world.

What is CSR?

CSR has a very broad definition, though anything that a company does beyond its economic objectives to improve the society in which it operates can be termed as CSR. The term is generally used interchangeably with philanthropy and sustainability. In India, given the country’s great divide between huge economic growth and large-scale poverty, CSR assumes greater importance as it gives companies a chance to give back to society in a sustainable and continuous manner. Many companies have internalised this philosophy and ASSOCHAM’s CSR Excellence Awards aims to appreciate these companies in a public forum so that more companies are encouraged to follow suit. For the year 2012-2013, India’s leading steel company, Tata Steel, was the recipient of CSR Excellence Awards in the Large Corporates category.

Over the years, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been given high importance by corporates

Delhi Calling

If you plan to head over to the capital city for this event, there are many accommodation options especially since the venue of the event is in central Delhi. The venue itself, Hotel Taj Mahal on Mansingh Road, is the epitome of luxury and a great base for your trip. Le Meridien at Janpath is a good mid-range option, 2.2 kilometres from the venue. For the budget traveller, Hotel Janpath at Connaught Place (3.7 kilometres) is a great option. MakeMyTrip has several last minute deals on these and many other hotels in Delhi, so be sure to check them out.

The variety of food in Delhi is legendary and there are numerous places to eat at. Also, there are plenty of shopping options and things to do in the city. The city also has a buzzing nightlife, especially in the Connaught Place area.

Connaught Place, one of the liveliest areas in Delhi

Getting to the Venue

If you’re arriving at Delhi by train, the New Delhi railway station is about 6 kilometres from the hotel and you can easily get a taxi or rickshaw to the venue. Delhi’s airport is a good 15 kilometres away from the hotel and a prepaid taxi from the airport is the best way to get to the venue. The Delhi Metro has made it quite easy to get around the city. The closest metro station to The Taj Mahal Hotel is the Khan Market Metro Station, which is merely 550 metres from the hotel.

So, head over to Delhi for the next edition of the awards this December.  Plan your trip and book your flight or train tickets only on MakeMyTrip.com!

Hong Kong’s Ultimate Nightlife – Bars, Pubs and Movies

My keyboard is covered in dust and gives me a disapproving look. The computer screen has shut its doors and windows (literally!). The CPU is throwing a tantrum while the mouse refuses to move even an inch from its slumber. I have not written a blog for some time. All I have done is party, dance and enjoy the most thrilling nightlife in the most awesome city in the world.  I have been in Hong Kong for some time.

Hong Kong at night...

It was that time of the year. When it’s really hot in India and the heat makes you that much more khadoos (grumpy like an old sea sailor)! I am sure God likes these little jokes on us. He must be thinking like “Oh, the humans seem happy with the winters….How about I add a little, just a little of warmth, eh? It’s for their own good.”

Two Minutes Later – “Oops! That was more heat than I intended…..Bleh, I am sure they can handle it.” Well, this time I decided to outwit Him.

Hello, Hong Kong!

I will not bore you with all the absolutely amazing things and places in Hong Kong. You can read about them on MakeMyTrip pages. What I want to talk about is the spectacular, over the top, go crazy nightlife of Hong Kong. I spent a week in Hong Kong and I came back with an unblemished record of enjoying the nightlife of Hong Kong every single day. Bars and pubs were frequented and lounges were given due patronage. In the spirit of partying, I spent a couple of nights dancing and drinking at the famous discs of Hong Kong. A couple of nights were also spent at the fabulous casinos of Hong Kong trying to match my wits against some guys from Australia in a game of poker – I am richer by 100 Australian dollars now.

Enjoy the delicious cuisines of Hong Kong!

Yes, I loved all these but the one thing I enjoyed the most was visiting the Avenue of Stars at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. Let me tell you what this place actually is. It was established in honour of the outstanding professionals of Hong Kong's film industry. It was given a glittering official opening on 27 April 2004. And since 28 April, 2004, the ‘Avenue of Stars’ has been treating visitors from all over the world to a colourful mix of cultural and cinematic exotica.

Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong

I went to the Avenue of Stars twice on my trip. It’s a truly magical place with enchanting views of the Victoria Habour. I was quite taken by the magnificent statues of the stars of the Hong Kong film industry. I could not recognize most of them but then again I did recognize quite a few of them like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Lee, and Chow Yung Fat. I was guided to the statue of Lai Man Wai by one of the locals who informed me that Lai Man Wai is considered as the ‘Father of Hong Kong Cinema’.

Inspiring statue of the Master of Kung Fu - Bruce Lee!

At the Avenue of Stars, you would find it very difficult to get in ‘I am bored..I must go get a beer’ mode! Believe me, I so wanted to get in this mode to get a beer but I just couldn’t. There was just so much to see and learn. I was very impressed by the performances put up by various artists at the Avenue of Stars. The performances include music, drama and dance.

The fascination with Avenue of Stars continues.....

At long last, I dragged my weary feet away from the Avenue of Stars. My heart was at odds with my body. Body was screaming for a beer. Heart was agitating for more of Avenue of Stars. Later, a ceasefire was announced. An agreement was drawn. I trudged on to the beer bar for the night while promising my heart its desire.

Next day, I was at the Avenue of Stars again. 

Education Excellence Awards 2013 in Delhi: An ASSOCHAM Initiative

Reform in education is the need of the hour and The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has undertaken several initiatives, especially in the field of higher education. The apex body recently organised an International Conference on Excellence in Education to discuss how the quality of higher education can be enhanced to combat the problem of unemployable graduates. ASSOCHAM has also instituted the Education Excellence Awards 2013 to recognise and award institutes and universities that contribute significantly towards imparting quality education. Institutes that use technology effectively and also those that serve the underprivileged are also recognised. The awards ceremony was held on April 9^th, 2013 at The Imperial hotel in Delhi.

Transforming Education

The Awards were conferred in various categories, such as Best Higher Education Institute, Best Institute Promoting Research, Best School for Innovation & Value-based Education, Best Interactive Solution Provider and more. The awards were given by the Union Education Minister Mr. Pallam Raju. The eminent jury included former cabinet secretary Mr. Surendra Singh and former UGC Chairman Prof. Sukhdev Thorat, to name a few. The participating institutes were judged on the criteria of innovation, scalability, achievements and impact potential. Some of the winners include VIT University, Vellore (Best Higher Education Institute), Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad (Best Private Upcoming University) and TAPMI, Manipal (Best Business School in South Region). IIT Delhi’s Certificate Course in Business Management was awarded for the Best Use of Technology. This is a commendable initiative by ASSOCHAM to address the challenges faced by the education system and to bring about reforms.   

Education Excellence Awards recognize the importance of higher education in India

Finding Your Bearings in Delhi

The award ceremony takes place in Delhi and the capital city offers many stay options to suit all budgets. The LaLiT New Delhi is a great place to stay at if you’re looking for a luxury hotel. It is located in Connaught Place, about 3 kilometres from the venue. The venue itself, The Imperial, is a good 5 star hotel. For a budget stay, try Hotel Janpath at Connaught Place (2.5 kilometres). MakeMyTrip has several last minute deals on these and many other hotels in Delhi, so check them out before booking your stay. There is a mind-boggling variety of food in Delhi and there are numerous places to eat at. Also, there is no dearth of shopping options and things to do in the city. Delhi’s nightlife, especially in the Connaught Place area, is worth experiencing.

The Imperial Hotel in Delhi, the venue of the event

Getting There

If you’re arriving in Delhi by train, the New Delhi railway station is about 3.7 kilometres from the venue and you can get a taxi or an auto-rickshaw to bring you to the hotel. The airport is 14 kilometres away from The Imperial. You can book a prepaid taxi from the airport to bring you to the venue. Getting around Delhi is quite easy, thanks to the excellent Metro services. The closest metro station to Hotel Imperial is the Udyog Bhavan Metro, which is less than a kilometre from the hotel.

Will you be heading to Delhi anytime soon? Book your flight or train tickets to Delhi only on MakeMyTrip.com!