lounge AROUND

American Express' new Platinum Lounge at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Intl Airport offers personalised service, a-la-carte menu & wi-fi access

Neha Dewan

DESIRE a comfortable place to unwind before your flight takes off? Or just want to spend some time in a cozy corner at the airport?
    American Express' new Platinum Lounge at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport offers you exactly that privilege. Reserved exclusively for American Express Platinum Card members, the private lounge is located at the new Domestic Terminal 1D and boasts of personalised service, a-la-carte menu and wi-fi access for its Platinum Card members.
    Simran Kalra, vice-president, American Express, says the lounge was conceived with an idea of making travel hassle-free and a leisurely experience. "The lounge intends to provide midtrip relief and rejuvenation to travellers. It's an ideal place to unwind and relax, while enjoying freshly prepared gourmet coffees and food items or
catching up on business before their flight. It's a complimentary service for our esteemed platinum card members, regardless of the airline and the fare class of their travel." Spread over 600 sq ft, the design of the lounge is largely uncluttered with natural toned colours dominating the overall decor. Based on the design concepts of the Indian architecture firm Genesis Architects, the lounge shows off a pleasant interplay of beige and mahogany shades. It gives a feeling of spaciousness as minimal is largely the design focus. Areas have been planned to maximize the use of the available space. The seating is comfortable in the single lounge seats and
    sofas covered luxuriously in beige leather. There are also custom made high stools situated at the raised table for those who want to work while in the lounge. A few entertainment options are available in the form of sampling reading materials and plasma TV screens offering cable, digital and terrestrial channels.
Keeping in sync with the lounge theme, the lighting is a mixture of down lights and compact fluorescents which make for a soothing ambience. What, however, is unavoidable is the bright white light visible due to the open roof given the security guidelines at the airport. Music is missing in the lounge as well, again due to security issues. But the good thing is that even if you somehow lose track of the time, the well-trained staff will remind you about your flight schedule.
The menu is extensive and comprises a wide range of options for snacks, desserts and beverages. The choice is frequently changed to add variety for the traveller from time to time. The all day dining options include food items such as Tandoori chicken salad with stewed fruits, mezze platter, barbeque prawns and steamed wantons. And if you have a early morning flight, you can choose from croissants, muffins,
cheese platters and cold cuts which are all a part of their breakfast menu.
    What is a definite plus here is the service. And if you can ignore minor irritants such as the bright lights above or the loud airport announcements, then you can enjoy some relaxing moments here. Get rejuvenated before boarding your flight!
    neha .dewan @timesgroup .com

A wine train is a great way to taste and travel without getting tired. Why don't we have one in India too?

THIS is both a holiday suggestion and a hope! While channel surfing earlier this week, I chanced upon a rather nifty documentary on the 'Wine Train' — a ride through the vineladen valleys of Napa in California. The carriages looked like a cross between the Orient Express and a modern first class bogey and the kitchens appeared to be fabulous.
    The star attraction, of course, was wine. Much of Napa's best was there on offer for tasting and buying. The sight of miles and miles of green and serene vineyards stretching onto the Californian horizon only increased the temptation to taste and buy apparently! That made me wonder where else such train rides were available.
    Delving into the net I found a few others in the same mould as the Napa train, notably in the happening South American wine destination of Chile. According to what I could gather, after a short bus ride to the railhead at San Fernandez, the guests board a train whose vintage carriages are named after the grapes that have catapulted Chile to the near-top of the New World wine list — Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
    The route is not long — just 42 km to Santa Cruz — through the vineyard-lined Colchagua Valley. On board are sommeliers and wines by the glass
and there is an option to dine as well on a menu crafted to complement the wines of the region.
    Napa's wine train is arguably the most successful, having run for 20-odd years. And for us Indians it affords an opportunity to see vast tracts of vineyards (and taste their produce!) without straining our feet. That's something I learnt the hard way when tromping through countless chateaux in Bordeaux some years ago! Besides, if the weather doesn't hold up, the trip still continues, so we get our money's worth.
    Of course, not all wine trains area surefire success. One in Australia called the Barossa Wine Train, has had a patchy history, being called off in the middle, then shakily revived. Still the idea of covering distances in style cannot be disregarded. Especially by us Indians, who are not generally known for our enthusiasm to hoof it through miles of countryside!
    Now comes the second part of my contention. Considering that many New World wine countries have tried the wine train experiment — even cautious Canada — either as a seasonal or permanent attraction, isn't it time to consider it in India too? That would be an option that I can see many urban dwellers taking to.
    Nashik is not far from Mumbai and the route is scenic. There are trains galore already running between the two places. A day trip to and fro, with wine and winerelated food on board and a dekko of the v i n e y a r d s (maybe a couple of wineries) would be ideal!
    That would bring tourism to the area, popularise a growing industry in Maharashtra (viticulture) and also offer yet another international style travek option right here in India. In fact, even Karnataka can consider it! The stumbling block is glaringly obvious: how can liquor be allowed to be served (legally) on board trains? Well designate the train as a hotel, whatever. The idea deserves at least a thought!