DELLA ADVENTURE & RESORTS: AN ADVENTUROUS GETAWAY WITH YUM FOOD

The mention of the hill station Lonavala conjures up images of a picturesque, tranquil getaway. This is exactly the experience that awaited me and my friends when we arrived at Della Adventure & Resorts. This luxurious, gigantic, leisure complex in Lonavala is the brain child of renowned, self-taught architect Jimmy Mistry.

The serenity of the location away from the hustle & bustle of the city, fifty acres of spacious landscape, tastefully done up villas, extreme adventure activity park provide a great experience for a quick weekend getaway.

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Upon arrival we were greeted with two refreshing welcome drinks - Sour berry splash and Sweet chilli splash. These helped drain the inertia that had crept in from the two hour long drive from Mumbai. Before heading out to the adventure park we decided to make a pitstop at the PNF restaurant & bar, one of the six places on the property where you can grab a bite or sip on a drink.  I treated myself to a mocktail called fresh watermelon sorbet to beat the heat and noshed on delicious pastries to gain a bout of energy.

The adjoining adventure park is packed with more than fifty activities to keep guests upbeat. One can enjoy the activities at the park even without choosing to stay at the resort.  A jumbo pass priced at 4999 plus taxes is your ticket to unlimited access to all activities at the park.

The park boasts of housing India's longest flying fox with a stretch of 1250 feet. Swoop swing, rappelling, ATV bikes, shooting range, land zorbing, archery, high rope challenge course - the list of activities is huge and a day is just not enough to complete all of them.
We quickly made our way to the park and got busy in different activities. My personal favorites were the ATV bikes, shooting range and archery. Since we were a large group we then decided to indulge in a round of paint ball shooting. All members on either side were charged up and the battle continued till the last person standing with color bullets in the propellor gun.

Post partaking in above activities it was time for lunch. We then settled for a lavish buffet meal at the multi-cuisine eatery, Café 24 at the resort. The buffet had an elaborate spread that was delicious from the word go. I initiated my meal with lip-smacking salads. Next, I devoured sumptuous raan (leg of lamb) and sheermal (leavened, slightly sweetened, flat bread). The meat was succulent and flavorful. The buffet also had a live Asian barbeque counter, fusion dosa counter and pizza station. Creamy pastas and decadent desserts completed the meal for me.

After a hearty lunch we set foot to explore the expanse of the complex. A brief chat with General Manager Raymond Irani of Della Adventure Park gave me an insight into creation of this architectural extravaganza. The adventure park was the first section of this complex to become functional in 2008. Thereafter, followed the construction of Camp Della in 2010 comprising of 30 tents atop the mountain. The luxury stay section entailing 42 rooms & 5 suites and adventure resort with 44 rooms were next to come up in 2013.

The Cafe 24 restaurant and Della spa at the resort work round the clock on an always open policy. Guests can avail services at their leisure. The spa too is a luxurious indulgence at the resort complete with seven treatment rooms - 4 rooms where couples can enjoy treatments together and 3 rooms housing a single guest each.

The villas for purchase have been created in four phases. While the first three phases are complete and sold out. The fourth phase is underway and will boast of almost more than 50 villas up for sale. Villa owners enjoy special benefits at the Adventure Park and Della Resorts. All services come at a 25% discount to Villa owners whether it is meal at the restaurants, a treatment at the spa or additional rooms for guest stay at the resort.

It was indeed a memorable time exploring the Della Adventure & Resorts in a day. I will definitely be back soon to explore what I could not in this day long trip.

Till then, HAPPY TRAVELING...