Cool Hotels. Kim Inglis
parts," explains Fujikawa. "Our approach at the Manor was to minimize the distinction between landscape, architectural design and interiors and create an environment where each forms a part of an integrated whole." Working with a local project manager to renovate the building completely, Studio u+a aimed for a contemporary design that didn't neglect classic comfort. "A terrazzo firm in Milan custom made the floors to our design," says Fujikawa, "while the carpets were woven in India to our specifications. What made this project so challenging was the fact that everything had to be designed—furniture, accessories, floral displays, graphics, even uniforms! In the end, the concept succeeds only if the details reinforce the concept."
The overall aim was to create a timeless feel, and this the Manor certainly has. It's the sort of place that will still look great a decade or more from now. Public spaces are characterized by geometric forms and wonderfully tactile materials: a slate wall lies adjacent to a backlit onyx panel, and wooden paneling offers a sensory contrast. The color scheme follows on into the adjacent public bathrooms where dramatically patterned yellow travertine slabs create some of the best loos I've had occasion to use. Mosaic and terrazzo floors and custom-made furniture accentuate the cool, sharp look. This is carried on into the rooms and bathrooms, where high-quality materials are married with simple, sleek lines. Luxurious silk curtains, custom-designed wood, upholstered furniture and hand-knotted carpets are in natural tones with black accents. Bathrooms feature huge slabs of deep green granite, mirrored surfaces and lighter green stone walls and floors.
Everything works at the Manor, both design-wise and in reality. In a country like India, where the unexpected is often the norm, this is a rare treat. And a final plus-point: tipping is taboo.
77 Friends Colony (West), New Delhi 110 065, India
tel: +91 11 2692 5151 fax: +91 11 2692 2299
email: [email protected]
Amarvilas Agra, India
Try to arrive at Amarvilas at dusk, as that is when the hotel is at its most magical. You'll definitely hear a muezzin calling the faithful in the distance, his plaintive tones rising, falling and echoing off the stone walls; there will probably be the harsh cry of a peacock too, and the silhouettes of crows wheeling overhead. Walk up the steps, past two stone sentinel elephants—and prepare to be amazed. In front of you is an astoundingly lit colonnaded forecourt or bidadari (see previous pages), complete with blazing torches or mashals, 64 carved stone fountains, reflecting pools, and scalloped-edged Rajasthani-style arched cloisters lined with Mughal-style inlay and gold leaf stenciling. It's like a scene from The Arabian Nights meeting the velvet Indian sky.
Then it is only a short walk through a domed reception area (overleaf) in gold leaf and cobalt blue to any number of views of the Taj Mahal. Amarvilas, one of the prestigious Oberoi "vilas" properties, is situated only 600 meters (2,000 feet) from this most delicate of monuments, and offers magnificent vistas of it at every turn. Floor-to-ceiling windows from lounges, bars, restaurants, even some of the spa suites, give guests un-paralleled access to its creamy translucence. Take a lift up to any of the 105 rooms and suites, and view it from a different angle from your own private terrace. The appearance of the hotel seems to change almost hourly with subtle nuances in light and sky, and you could almost be forgiven for not wanting to spoil it by going close up.
It is said that an estimated 20,000 skilled craftsmen labored for 22 years to build the Taj Mahal. At Amarvilas, it was eight years from conception to completion, with a full four years dedicated to the work that needed to be done by 600 Oberoi artisans. Even though the architecture borrows from Turkish, Rajput and Moorish traditions, as well as Mughal ones, the materials and meticulous workmanship take their cue from Shah Jehan and his team.
Red Samathra sandstone and pure white Thassos marble (harder and less prone to marking than the Taj's Makrana quarried marble) are the predominant materials; they echo the red-and-white combination so favored by the Mughals. Italian Satvario marble with dark veins is employed as flooring, and beige Karoli stone from Rajasthan is also widely used. The geometric patterning of the two colors was inspired by similar use in earlier forts and palaces—and it is interesting to note that for the most part these surfaces are left unblemished—allowing the stone to speak for itself. There's an austerity both inside and outside, with only a few choice artifacts, one or two floral arrangements and no indoor plants and potted plants elsewhere. This allows the impeccable craftsmanship to take center stage.
And this is truly magnificent. There are examples of the pachikari inlay favored by the Mughals, whereby minute slivers of precious and semi-precious stones—such as green nephrite jade, lapis lazuli, amber, turquoise and malachite—are set in complex stylized floral designs into a marble base. Like the Taj with its filigree screens in the tomb area, Amarvilas has similar screens with jaali patterns (Jaali means "net" or "mesh" in Urdu). The Mughals were great naturalists; the Persian poet Abu Talib Kalim was so enthused by the inlay work on monuments commissioned by Shah Jehan that he wrote in a poem: "They have inlaid stone flowers in marble/which surpass reality in color if not in fragrance." At Amarvilas, delicate floral patterns in gold leaf are applied on various walls.
Outside, by the lapis-colored, mosaic-lined pool there is a fabulous gold Ganesh painted against an azure wall. Across the water is a colonnaded terrace, with more painstakingly applied gold leaf floral patterning. On either side, terraced water gardens rise from the central swimming pool where oversized tasseled umbrellas from Bali give the pool beds shade. With the ever-present sounds of gurgling water and the backdrop of Mahal and mosaic, one could easily imagine oneself in some Mughal pleasure pavilion of old.
Despite the use of age-old techniques, there is a "here-and-now" feeling to the hotel that sets it firmly in 21st century India, Internet ports in the rooms, waste recycling and "green" practices in the household management—including the use of minimal-pollution propane gas—are only some of its futuristic features, Similarly, Amarvilas suits both young and old; traditionalists and trendsetters alike are attracted by its timeless style, Past guests have included Greek shipping magnates, sheiks from the Middle East and Moroccan princesses, as well as Indian film stars and movie moguls, It's entirely appropriate that its name translates as "Eternal Abode": amar is "eternal," vilas translates as "resting place" or "abode."
Taj East Gate Road, Taj Nagri Scheme, Agra 282 001, India
tel: +91 562 231515 fax: +91 562 231516
email: [email protected]
Take the aggravation out of Agra and check into Amarvilas. Through the cobalt blue, gold and the patina of Burma teak floors are offset by austere stone, marble and sumptuous drapes, carpets and upholstery. Kashmiri embroidery works well with cotton rasais (quilts) in the rooms, while flashes of kingfisher blue are seen in the lampshades and soft furnishings, Named after India's most famous diamond, the Kohinoor Suite (opposite below) is the most exclusive, Here antiques, such as an ebony and ivory-Inlay armoire, match modern custom-made pieces seamlessly.