Welcome to the Jungle

Bandhavgarh was a luck-by-chance for us. We (Me and my wife) were casually browsing the various travel packages listed on the "Luxury Escapes" app that we had recently installed on our android device. The motivation was to find some place interesting for our 1st marriage anniversary. This is where we came across a 5 star property of Bandhav Vilas at a jungle in Bandhavgarh. The place was totally new for us and so we started some travel research. The world wide web informed us that the place was located in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the most sought after national parks in India by naturalists and tiger lovers. Although both of us are not really the die hard tiger loving type but the reviews of the Bandhav Vilas on tripadvisor had us mesmerised. Not a single bad review for a resort in the middle of the jungle. That is something...isn't it! It took us a couple of days to finally make our minds to see for ourselves what Bandhavgarh...and in particular Bandhav Vilas had to offer. We booked the Vilas for 3N/4D package starting 15th April, 2017 till 18th April, 2017 (the last day being our anniversary date). Two safaris was also booked by us separately in the Khitauli & Tala regions of Bandhavgarh, which was not part of the package.

We reached Umaria on the 15th morning right on time thanks to the Indian Railways. It took us another hour and a half to reach Bandhav Vilas through an auto-rikhshay. When we reached the place, we found a rustic, antique village themed resort right in the middle of sparse agricultural fields lying in the buffer zone of Bandhavgarh National Park. The property had around 20 independent hut styled vilas, each having separate entrances and LED lanterns hanging all around. We were impressed y the facilities in the resort which was in the middle of no-where - Library, Bar, a Large bonfire area and lots of greenery all around. Since our package was an all inclusive one, we did not have to worry about anything - The food, evening cocktails, a spa each and even bicycles (upon request) were available at our disposal. The room was large and spacious. It was actaully a bungalow if you consider the area of garden around each vila. The big paintings on the wall were welcoming. The bathroom was even larger than the room (trust me) and there was even an open air shower. This was everything we needed - a calm, peaceful, care-free 1st anniversary.

All through our stay the food was fantastic (really yum!!), and the people were even better- very courteous, polite, helping and always ready to make you feel home. We were lucky to see three male tigers (actually cubs) in the Tala region and that too from a very close range. We even heard the rare sound of growling of one of the three big cats. The other safari in Khitauli was not so fruitful as we failed to see any tigers. Neverthless, the feeling of being in a jungle is really special and unique weather you see a tiger or not. Our personal attendant during our stay at the Vila went an extra mile by arranging a very special candle-light dinner for us by the pool on the 17th April Night. The entire pool area was specially lit just for us and the dinner was really well arranged. I loved the place, the people, the Vilas, the Jungle and most importantly my better half for being there with me to celebrate our special day. Some of the things we particularly enjoyed are listed below:

1. The Bandhav Vilas : Loved and enjoyed every bit of our stay here. The pics below bare it all.

2. The Safari : This is when you feel alive and experience the the jungle for real! You feel your pulse getting stronger with every sound you here around you...and you love the feeling all the same.

3. The Majestic Tigers : The star attraction of this place...they are the real reason people (including us) come to this place and we were lucky enough to have a close encounter with not 1...not 2 but three tigers. What more can one ask for!

4. The Anniversary Date : Yes, it was very special and the hoteliers made it even better by arranging a surprise dinner date for the two of us. Just looking at my wife in that stunning red saree made my day!