Memories of Mysore | Grand Mercure | Mysore

Living in Karnataka for the last 14 years, I have been remiss not to plan more trips across the historical and cultural landmarks this State is famous for. One such place is the city of Mysore which is known to be the cultural capital of Karnataka with many sites of historical importance and thereby established as one of the famous tourist destinations in South India. The Mysore Palace, The Jaganmohan Palace and many more tourist sites have contributed to the growth of this city over the last few decades. Thanks to the Dussehra holidays, my hubby and I decided to visit Mysore during the Dussehra celebrations which is said to be one of a kind with lakhs of people joining in just for these 3 days of celebration. Part reason to visit at this time was to show and teach my children the importance and history of the occasion and there is nothing better than watching it unfold right in front of your eyes.

Our choice of stay for this trip was The Grand Mercure. Located in the heart of Mysore within close proximity of some of the major tourist attractions, the hotel boasts of 146 spacious, contemporary rooms and suites. The hotel is aptly situated on the New Sayyaji Rao Road which is witnesses to the route of the world-famous Dussehra procession every year. Though I was not aware of this tit bit of information, on arrival I was informed that I would be able to witness the Dussehra procession from my room located with a view of front of the hotel. This was indeed quite the happy news though we decided to utilize the viewing gallery set up in front of the hotel for a better and closer view of the processional festivities. 

Due to the timing of our stay, as expected the lobby was abuzz with many guests checking in and that did give me a chance to have a quick look around. The entire theme of the hotel is based on the culture and heritage of the city from the paintings on the walls to the furniture gives a insight into the vibrant and royal traditions of the city. They want their guests to stop and admire the beauty of Mysore and its numerous offerings particularly the local art in the form of Channapatna toys. 

While I would not get into detail on how we spent our 3 days, I felt the Grand Mercure was a beautiful and well thought out hotel and in this post would get into more details about the hotel and their services so that others may decide if they would like to revisit my experience. No doubt, I will follow up with a separate article on the Mysore and its attractions. 

SInce it was a bit of last minute booking, I was informed I would be occupying the Deluxe Room for the first day followed by the requested upgrade to the suite which was more suitable for a family of 4. As a travel blogger I welcomed the opportunity to experience both rooms and their comforts making it easier to recount my experience for this post.  

Our Deluxe room for the first day of our holiday was a modern room with 1 queen size bed  with a flexible workstation, 40″ LED TV with satellite channels, tea and coffee making facilities, electronic safe, minibar and great city view especially of the famous Mysore Dasara procession this time of the year. The decor of the room also is in the line with the decor across the hotel with the beautifully woven carpets to the tastefully done toys famous from Channapatna. 

Post our check in we decided to head for lunch since it was post 2pm and the kids were quite ravenous. The Grand Mercure has 2 choices of dining options – La Uppu and By the Blue along with a bar aptly called Silk Bar.

La Uppu is their 24hr All Day Dining restaurant which offers international cuisines ranging from Mediterranean, Pan Asian and local delicacies in its buffets and a la carte menus. The name “La Uppu” comes from the literal translation – Salt which is the first ingredient to be served during a meal in Karnataka. The unanimous choice was for the buffet for lunch and their variety and selection of dishes was impressive as was their service. 

The restaurant is spread across a large area with an option of indoor and al-fresco seating. The outdoor seating is useful for families with small kids as they have a play area attached.

We decided to take a road trip to Mysore via our car and I felt it would be useful to include the directions to reach here.From Bangalore, you can use the NH275, NH7 and NH150A, turn right into Banni Mandap road and make another right at LIC Office circle to reach the hotel.