travelandleisureindia.in
mattress feels as light and soft as a ball of cloud. The linen has a silken
touch to it and instantly purges your body of the day’s exhaustion, inducing
deep slumber.
Evenings are meant for beach strolls. To call the setting picturesque
would be an understatement. Think of a white-sand beach laced with palm
trees and a rose-hued sky dotted by synchronous flights of seabirds. If you
are lucky, you might just spot schools of dolphins in the sea at sunset.
The resort has been conceptualised by Italian architects at PEIA
Associati. The design incorporates plenty of marine elements: the arrival
pavillion looks like a clamshell, the kids’ club is set in a structure that
resembles a huge gaping fish, and the overwater villas remind you of
turtles floating on water.
At Island Kitchen, the all-day diner of the property, we gorge on a
huge spread, where the tuna curry and crab salad steal the show. Here,
you can enjoy breakfast by the pool. Elsewhere on the island, Hawker,
an Asian fusion joint, dishes out street food-inspired plates: think pork
satay, prawns, spicy noodles, etc. If you swear by Japanese cuisine, head
to The Pearl and order your sushi and sake while soaking in the beauty of
the Indian Ocean. On laid-back evenings, guests prefer the rooftop lounge
called Sunset Bar for handcrafted cocktails with stellar views of the ocean
bathed in golden sunlight.
The resort practises responsible hospitality. The construction material
used in the villas was re-purposed, and the resort promotes sustainable
fishing by purchasing catch from local fishermen. Coral farming is also in
the pipeline with the help of a marine biologist, and given the state of the
world’s oceans, it sounds like a timely idea.
“Westin goes by the tagline ‘Let’s Rise’, and the philosophy behind it is
our services, where we say—‘no matter where you are, whether in a city
hotel or at a leisure resort, we support you with all kinds of services to
ensure you don’t need to move out of your wellness regime’,” says a hotel
representative. The brand has six pillars of wellness—Sleep Well, Move
Well, Feel Well, Work Well, Play Well, and Eat Well. Under the concept of
Eat Well, there is a set of corporate recipes circulated across properties.
Moreover, the curated cocktail menu lacks any synthetic ingredients.
Head to Sunset Bar to
unwind and have some
creative sundowners.
There’s always an option for the
health-conscious at Island Kitchen.Staying in one
of the overwater
villas is as
immersive as
it gets.