Hotel Review: Aahana Resort, Jim Corbett National Park

Aahana Resort | At home, any mention of Jim Corbett National Park invariably winds its way to the same story: when I was an infant, still learning how to string syllables together—let alone words—a roaring tiger chased our open-air jeep, possibly looking for a fresh kill. While my father was worried for our safety, my mother—equally scared, I’m sure—urged him to click a picture of the muscular wild cat in motion, hoping to cement the visual on celluloid.As luck would have it, the tiger gave up its chase when we took a turn. Sadly, we couldn't capture a picture—but we did live to tell the tale.This time around, before I set off on the five-hour-long road trip from Delhi to Corbett for a reunion with the forests of Uttarakhand, my family quipped, "Don't forget to take a picture of the tiger this time!" Ready with all my safari gear (think sunscreen and cap), my hunt for the mighty cat began.Check-In: Aahana Resort, Jim CorbettThe key to a successful safari is patience—or so I've been told. But fellow media professionals will agree: this industry thrives on a fast pace. Hoping to slow down, I checked in to Aahana Resort. Spread over 13 acres of lush greens, this family-run luxury hotel in Jim Corbett is dotted with “4,500 trees, 200 species of birds, and 50 species of butterflies.” Reading up about the hotel online relayed this information to me. Given the impressive numbers, and its close proximity to one of India’s most famous wildlife reserves, I decided to trust the figures blindly.The journey leading to the hotel, though, made these claims sound unbelievable. Unpaved sandy paths—almost deserted at one point—dispelled all possibilities of natural habitats. The SUV trudged through the narrow lanes as I prayed for easy ground clearance. Curious kids peered from outside the car windows, possibly questioning my sanity to take off on an off-roading adventure. Truth be told, so was I.I momentarily wondered if I’d taken a wrong turn. But then the gates appeared: sturdy, carved, and flanked by thick greenery. The browns of the roads had transformed to lush green gardens; the air no longer smelled dusty. Instead, fresh scents of Madhu Malti (Combretum indicum), Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) greeted me. At another corner, a blooming lotus pond floated away, while buzzing bees hovered to find a spot to rest. Birds, too, had joined in for the welcome, singing to the beats of the wind. A self-confessed avian dummy, a board with over a 100 listed birds enlightened me about the feathered friends that call Aahana Resort ‘home.’ There’s Black Drongo, Crimson Sunbird, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Oriental Magpie Robin, White-throated Kingfisher, Jungle Owlets, and more. For two nights, I was a part of this community where cooing birds doubled as my alarms and rustling leaves whispered goodnight. Turns out, this live orchestra wasn’t always playing these tunes.Speaking to me at tea-time, Avni Tripathi, Director, Aahana Resort, revealed, “This was a barren piece of land. My father [Kamal Tripathi, Founder and Managing Partner, Aahana Resort] is the reason you see so many trees here today. He planted everything from Ground Zero. The entire land restoration, the first part of the project, took about two-three years.” This, I learn, was made possible owing to traditional wisdom, particularly of the horticulturalist. “Our horticulturalist knows the trees well, and the kind of birds that are attracted towards these trees. We used a lot of manure on the sandy land—the land had gotten a little sandy and unfertile as this area was probably a river bed millions of years ago. We used traditional techniques to till the land and upturn the soil.”A walk around the resort spoke volumes of this new look. I crossed canopied walkways, leading to wooden benches; stoned pathways blessed with bright bougainvillea; and, after what feels like a lifetime, chased squirrels into the bushes. My explorations, though, came to a halt at the organic garden. Each harvest, in differing stages of maturation, was marked my clear labels to identify the crop. I spotted vibrant rows of vegetables, fragrant herbs, and even micro-greens that have become the latest culinary fad.Avni weighed in, “Our idea of luxury also extends to the kind of food you eat, and not just with service. Seventy per cent of the food you eat at Aahana Resort is organic because it comes from our own gardens.”Dining and DrinksAt the in-house restaurant, this homage to fresh foods was in full swing. All my meals, laid out buffet-style, had a salad counter, dessert bar, and multiple counters divided course-wise. The pickles and chutneys section, in particular, had me hooked. Here, local flavours found a spot in the form of tangy bhaang (hemp) chutney, and savoury muli (radish) ka thechua.On the other counters, global flavours completed the menu. Think homely dals and sabzis, crowd favourite noodles and fried rice, flavoursome Thai curries and stir fries...you name it! While breakfast had the regular continental affairs paired with South Indian delights, it’s the tea-time snacks that won my heart. The made-to-order instant noodles came peppered with nostalgia in abundance, and the refreshing Buransh flower juice helped beat the summer heat.In fact, every drink at Aahana Resort emerged victorious in the race for ‘best’ throughout my stay. Featuring unconventional ingredients such as Banafsha (Viola odorata L.) syrup, curry leaves, spice-infused Vodka, or even turmeric-infused gin, the cocktail curation was truly well-thought. This love for all things natural, I hypothesised, could have stemmed as homage to the founding visionary, and his legacy to the land.Avni tells me her father grew up in a village not far from present-day Aahana Resort. She adds, “His dad was a farmer and a freedom fighter, so my father grew up with the belief of protecting the land and its people. He didn’t want to take an agricultural piece of land and use it commercially. Instead, he wanted to create value of it and develop it for better use.”A Different Take On LuxuryBetter, though, can be subjective—particularly when working in the luxury hospitality industry. Avni explains, “Luxury, to us, is about thoughtfulness and creating a circular economy—it’s about ‘we got you.’ Today’s customer values the more fundamental luxuries in life. They’re not coming here because there’s a branded toiletry in the bathroom—that’s not what luxury means to them anymore.”At Aahana Resort, my tryst with luxury was found in my room. After all, it’s not every day that your resort room opens to verdant green views from a personal balcony on one end, and a private temperature-controlled UV-treated private pool on the other. Also in my room, part of the Pool Villas, was a private deck and garden, Jacuzzi, Hydrotherapy lounger, and a bathtub made better with bath salts on request.“We have 70 rooms in total,” says Avni. “Our Forest Villas have their own gazebos. Our suites have private sit-outs. My father is the architect behind all of this. Everything is luxurious and spacious. His design has always been well thought—be it high ceilings or open areas. The bathrooms itself its 200 sq ft! The property is huge—over 13 acres—but only 25 per cent of it is constructed. The rest we’ve left for big lawns and grand spaces,” she explains.But luxury here is not just about materialistic comforts; it’s equally about the experiences. The team organises nature walks, led by in-house naturalists, to spot rare birds and butterflies. Guided cycling tours meander through nearby villages, offering an intimate view of rural life. The resort regularly hosts harvest brunches, where guests are invited to walk through the garden, pluck their ingredients, and watch as chefs transform them into exquisite dishes. A live folk music performance and forest-inspired mixology sessions at Jim’s Bar—a space styled with antique pieces—told stories of the region. But when you’re so close to Jim Corbett National Park, it’s sacrilegious to skip a safari. Besides, I had come with a mission to take a photograph!Into the WildBefore departing back for Delhi, and in the wee hours of the day, my groggy eyes could hardly make sense of the morning light. I piled into the open gypsy, layered in a light jacket and hope. Over the next three hours, we drove in slow reverence through winding forest trails flanked by towering sal trees and dappled light. My guide strained his eyes, scanning for movement. Binoculars passed from hand to hand like sacred relics. We paused at claw marks on road; we listened for the alarm calls of langurs. We waited. And waited.We saw nothing.No big cat slinking across the path. No elephants crossing in formation. Not even the promise of antlers in the distance. The jungle held its breath—and its secrets. Once again, I returned from Corbett without a picture of the famed tigers. But this time around, I found a new place to make memories with my family—one where we’d be splashing around in the pool all night, possibly plotting our next big cat sighting.The Information | Aahana ResortAddress: Jim Corbett National Park, P.O, Semalkhaliya, Sawal Deh West, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand 244715Hotel Review: Taj Puri Resort & Spa, Odisha

Hotel Review: Aahana Resort, Jim Corbett National Park

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