Luxury Without Compromise and on a Budget at the Katriya De Royal - Hyderabad Hotel, Hyderabad Restaurants, Hyderabad Food, Hyderabadi Biryani

At first glance the sheer size of the building makes one wonder how such a huge building found the space in the ever congested Begumpet area. The Katriya De Royal is the second offering from the Katriya group of hotels and is a budget boutique hotel for the traveller. For a Three Star Hotel the Katriya De Royal at Balayogi Paryatak Bhavan at Begumpet is a colossal structure and is one of the largest hotels in Hyderabad in terms of the size. The driveway is very spacious and one can spot a couple of Aero-Express buses there at all times given that it is one of the destinations from the Airport. Half the structure is owned by the Katriya and the other half by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. This also means that it is quite convenient to enquire and book city tours from here as the Green Lands guest house is just opposite.

This is a very convenient place for the visitors who have taken a flight to the city for business and need to stay in a centrally located place. Located amongst the crazy hustle of the Begumpet main road this hotel has been very intelligently insulated from the deafening traffic outside. This might not seem important but after spending an hour in the traffic the calm has to be one of the best assets of this place. Added to that is the luxurious and spacious setting the hotel provides for the ideal amount of relaxation for hectic lifestyles.

Café De Royal: The lobby in stark contrast to the rest of the hotel is not very well lit, which is surprising as a visit to the coffee shop on the third floor is in the atrium which is excellently set up to give the diner a beautiful view of the lovely lawn and pool outside. A lawn and pool on the third floor, this is a good indicator of the size of the hotel. The hotel has a Coffee Shop named Café De Royal, which has a fantastic view and a very welcoming atmosphere. There are the lunch and dinner buffets along with the a la carte menu and on Sundays there is the special brunch with the option of a pint of beer. Though the restaurant is multi-cuisine its specialty is the continental fare that is served here, the club sandwiches and eggs are the special treats. The buffet spread is quite expansive and has the diner spoilt for choice. Not to forget the delectable desserts on offer as they would tempt even the most stringent dieter.

Royal Court: A walk through the coffee shop leads to the right of the atrium to a corridor with glass flooring and a row of fountains. This corridor leads to their specialty Indian restaurant Royal Court. This restaurant is for the classy Ghazal filled evenings, there is live entertainment in the form of a Ghazal singer for dinner at the restaurant. As the entertainment is for the guest requests are most welcome and entertained. The fare served is mostly Mughlai and North Indian with a dash of South Indian cuisine thrown in to the eclectic mix of Indian food. This is an ideal place to have a small get together for family or friends as in the restaurant there are two rooms which may be booked separately and have exclusive service on stand-by which gives the feeling of having your own private place in the restaurant. For the connoisseurs of Biryani there is the Biryani and Kebabs buffet served here with the choicest of kebabs from Sheik to Shikhampur and a very interesting range of Biryanis from Awadhi to Malabari. The specialty though has to be the Hyderbadi Biryani for which there is a special chef at the helm of affairs. There is an appealing discount of 25% off the bill for all a la carte orders at the restaurant for those not interested in the Kebabs and Biryanis on offer.

Whiskey Joes: Right beside the Royal Court lays the lounge bar Whiskey Joes which has a ship cabin entrance to the bar. The bar has a very sailor and ship type feel to it with a mirror in between the roof to simulate the deck of a luxury ship. The bar has extremely luxurious sofas that make it very inviting for a drink. This is an ideal place to relax after a hard days work. The atmosphere is very calm and soothing with light music playing in the background and minimal amount of noise. The view on offer is that of the lovely swimming pool and well lit lawns. By night it also offers a decent view of the city lit up. The bar offers a 50% discount on all house liquor brands with a promise of great service.

The Katriya group has built itself a good reputation for quality and excellence through the Katriya Towers at Somajiguda and this new venture has begun with a lot of promise and might just be a hit compared to the other budget offerings around the city.

ProVFX Visual Effects and Editing School has been written by Pranay Rupani who is a Channel 6 Magazine