Ever experienced a jungle resort where you have no strange encounters with mosquitoes and weird worms biting you, thanks to natural mosquito repellent plants like lemongrass and citronella. Or monkey menace is kept at bay with solar-powered electric fences acting as a deterrent for wild animals.
The once barren land sharing the boundary with Bijrani zone of Jim Corbett National Park, this carefully “reforested” resort spread over 13.5 acres is a brainchild of philanthropist Kamal Tripathy.
As they say, the devil lies in the details, Aahana pays attention to the minutest of details to wow you with truly “aha” moments giving a sense of luxury experience, which is comforting and caring, yet not intimidating.
A multisensory experience awaits as you enter the resort with bagpiper being played by a live artist at the entrance, a constant smell of lemongrass oil, sights and sounds of nature. As the staff settles you in the golf cart taking care of your bag and baggage, your heart wanders, mind meanders to soak in this forest beauty which fills you with a sense of calm- a much-needed escape for those coming from the concrete (metro) jungles.
Your eyes wade through signages of walking track, organic garden, naturopathy centre, until you chance upon a tree tag of actor Irrfan Khan, and then hear narratives of this place being the favourite amongst celebs, even a hotspot for destination weddings.
You then have the option to cycle down and explore the property with its cricket ground and courts for volleyball, football, badminton, basketball court, soft archeries. Or enjoy the rustic luxury theme pervading through the interior and exterior with dark deep woods, bamboo, cane furniture, Manjhi dotting the property and animal figurines dancing on the table.
This boutique resort is dotted by seventy rooms comprising deluxe, suites, villas. The base tariff starts from Rs 18,000 plus GST per room per night while a family suite costs Rs 40,000.
Delhiite Alka Tandon recalls her “memorable stay” recently saying- “Our spacious family suite included two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sitting room. Meals were not only lavish but included multicuisine from Kumaoni thali to Lebanese, Mongolian, Italian during our two days stay. High tea was the high point and dinner was followed by a live musical performance.”
Villas having four bedrooms (Rs 80,000 per night) are a sought-after category but the most coveted choice are the pool villas available (Rs 1.32 lakhs per night).
According to Ayu Tripathi, Director of Aahana-The Corbett Wilderness, “Our latest offering of Pool villas, with temperature-controlled pools, Jacuzzi, therapy room, latest amenities and a dedicated heritage host for personalized services such as organizing a farm-to-fork meal or pool party, has been a huge hit. For HNIs who come with extended families and seek privacy and exclusivity, we have a separate accommodation for nannies and drivers.”
Specially curated experiences at Aahana such as the bird watching tour, the riverside picnic with in-house naturalists are highly recommended. Perhaps even better than the jeep safari!
