Date: 8-9 Sep 2018
Venue: Golf Course Road, Gurgaon

Ibis is celebrating its 10^th anniversary. They have been on Golf Course Road in Gurgaon since a decade. Needless to say they have suffered the revamp mayhem of this place and have survived that. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger they say. They would have only emerged strength to strength and we were invited for a staycation at Ibis to mark this event.

What works so well for Ibis Gurgaon is the location. Not only is the revamped Golf Course Road one of the poshest zones of NCR, it is just off Sector 53-54 Rapid Metro station and that makes connectivity a smooth ride. It is a budget accommodation chain of Accor Hotels. Yet the lobby and the restaurant are spacious. We liked the rooms too. Compact and organised. There was a clean and fresh feel about the place. They don’t have room service, valet and bell boys to help with baggage. This was just fine with us but could be an impediment for elderly.

Ibis had organised a cocktail making session for us that evening. Bartender Gulshan made a paan (betel leaf) and vodka based cocktail that we loved. Meanwhile it had started pouring outside. The unexpected evening rain on Ibis lawns looked surreal.

Their restaurant Spice-It serves mostly Indian food. To live up to its name, the food served here is a combination of buffet and a-la-cart and is slightly on the spicy side. Yet there was something amiss. The rice on the buffet was either half-cooked or over-cooked. But it was not edible. When we brought this to the chef’s attention he sent us 2 customised desserts and that was great compensation. The first, ParleG cheese cake was simple. The cheese cake was soft and fresh. The other dessert – Rasmalai Panacotta was a gen. The panacotta – rasmalai combo was unique and melt in the mouth texture. It was mildly sweet and tasted divine. For dinner we tried club sandwich and fish and chips. Both were up the mark.

In any case we were looking forward to the breakfast at Spice-It. On an earlier occasion we had a cool brunch experience here. This time too, breakfast was the best meal here. There was an automatic dosa machine that we thought was nifty. The omelette, pancakes, cakes and tea were nice. The spread is balanced between vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and we may come back just for breakfast again.

While it was mostly nice, there are certain little tweaks that could make this place even better. For one, the buffet was understaffed. The guys there were running around trying to manage the kitchen as well as cater to weekend diners. The buffet can use more variety.

Also, while the capsule toilets in the room are neat, they definitely need better ventilation. Moreover, our intercom set was not working and even after mentioning this to their General Manager, it was not attended to.

Lastly, we were expecting a prior confirmation call and our transport requests were turned down. So, a little more attention towards details by the management wouldn’t hurt.

In any case, it is a learning experience for all. We wish Ibis many successful 10s ahead.