Page 28 - Seniors Today - Oct 2019
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Gorgeous sunsets at the Maldives
An Indian section that served dosas, idlis, poha, I must mention here that our butler Salim was
upma. Different things on different days. The really wonderful, super-efficient and the kind
dosas were not bad. However, they had eggs to of staff that give a hotel a good name. It was my
order, pancakes and one day even a puribhaji. son’s 40th birthday and my daughter asked
That night we had a four-course set meal at the Salim if she could have 40 staff lined up who
Royal Suite, open-air sea deck. That set us back would offer my son one rose each as he walked
by US$250 per head. We also had lunch by the in to the breakfast area. And I must say, Salim
bar where the food was good but not great. On literally rose to the occasion, and organised
our last night we went back to Samsara, they beautiful roses handed over by 40 staff
had an Indian spread of kali dal, chicken curry, members to my son as he walked in, leaving him
rice, aloo sabji and Maldivian food. The quality overwhelmed. All this without an extra charge.
and the variety of desserts were below par. The second person who was a great help was
Star decibels Sajesh Kana, Director of F&B. The staff at
That evening Sonakshi Sinha had also checked the hotel are very courteous, polite, and offer
in and was in the dining room with three other impeccable service, so also the staff at the spa.
people. There is a certain dining-room etiquette Except for the food our stay was wonderful right
which Ms Sinha was completely unaware of, from the beginning to the end.
she was loud enough to attract a lot of attention I can’t understand why they couldn’t serve us
that was the one time I was tempted to say really good food. One has to stay and eat in the
“Khaamosh”. She did tweet on the weather, and hotel, you cannot go anywhere else – and why
uploaded her photographs on Instagram on can’t such a posh place upgrade their quality of
September 21. Finesse is not Ms. Sinha’s strong the food? On a rating scale of one to five I would
point. Two other Indian movie stars who stayed rate our stay as four; while similarly on a rating
here were Shah Rukh Khan with family and scale of one to five I would rate the food at one
Hrithik Roshan with his sons – both left a very and a half.
favourable impression on the staff. Photographs by Vickram Sethi
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