Mumbai, India

The Deltin group which operates hotels and off-shore casinos in Goa has come up with a 176 room property in the sleepy industrial town of Daman, a 3.5 hr drive from Mumbai. It will house a 60000 Sq ft live gaming casino making it the biggest on land in India.  I was invited for a weekend experience at the property which was organized by the Food Blogger Association of India. This 3 month old property which awaits to be classified as a   five-star gives you the luxury of space; and the casino vibe cascades right from the club and spade logos in the room, to the casino inspired wall art by Krsna Mehta in the corridors to the customized chandelier in the lobby. We were welcomed to the hotel with a glass of sparkling with raspberry caviar  and it all began then.

Rooms:

Extremely spacious and well-appointed with soft pillows, a semi- hard mattress (I do not like the sink-in type, this one was just perfect), a big flat screen television and chocolates by the bedside ensuring all that needed for some good night sleep. The Mini bar like in every hotel was an expensive proposition. The bathrooms were huge again with a massive bathtub; a shower cubicle,toiletries by Kama and a see through glass wall with vertical blinds again reinstating the calm and relaxed vibe of the place. The rooms are definitely worthy of a five-star.

Food and Beverage:

Vegas – The coffee shop

Situated right next to the Casino entrance and aptly called the Vegas; it serves buffets during each meal and also does an a la carte menu. The two lunches we had there were strictly average in terms of the quality and choice of food. The breakfast however met expectations with a very good spread; it surely covered up for lunch but a lot to be done before the buffets can be termed luxurious. The service during breakfast was a bit choppy too.

Whiskys – The bar

No imported liquor in Daman came as a shocker to me; however the beverage professional in me was extremely pleased to see the food and beverage team circumvent this roadblock to create substitutes. A Grand Marnier/triple sec made with infusing local brandy/vodka with orange peel and sweetened, a lot of whiskies infused with things like chilli, orange & cinnamon, coffee etc and vodkas with Indian spices, pineapple, raspberry etc. It was heartening to see the enthusiasm of the bar staff and they incessantly churned out cocktails using these infusions. The pre dinner tapas a mix of continental and Middle Eastern were made really well too.

Emperor – Tangra style Chinese

The cuisine emerges from Tangra a locale in Kolkata which comprise Chinatown, essentially Chinese cuisine adapted to local ingredients and the Bengali palate.  The food here was common place with heavily battered veggies and thick skin dimsums. The fellow non-vegetarians diners devoured their seafood though. The staff served our ‘loud’ group with good tact and patience.

Banquets:

20000 sq ft of function space of which a pillar less room of  8000 sq ft is getting them a lot wedding business. With the kind of facilities and the casino opening up, I clearly see this hotel becoming popular for corporate off-sites too.

Amenities

Swimming pool with a pool bar, well equipped gym, spa, gaming room with pool tables etc and yet to open salon and a shopping centre would offer you a decent to-do-list to tick. The 20 minute foot massage I had at the spa was definitely rejuvenating.

Lastly the casino is slated to open in October, Surat (122 kms away), traders, diamonds, chips, millions are some words trending in my mind. Look forward!

Cheers!