The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa

There’s more to India than riotous city scenes and stately old palace hotels. Two hours south of New Delhi, and less than an hour south of the tech-heavy satellite city of Gurgaon, there’s a luxury resort that’s quite unlike what we’ve come to expect from five-star Indian hospitality. This is the Westin Sohna, a thirty-five-acre estate that’s as tranquil as Delhi itself is chaotic, home to a hotel that’s as understatedly modern as the Taj Mahal is unashamedly traditional.

With just ninety-seven rooms, suites and villas, the Westin is intimate — especially in light of its corporate lineage. The result is not just a quieter, more sedate experience, but also that when it comes to services and amenities — and sheer space across its thirty-five acres of gardens and grounds — there’s more to go around.

The rooms are sleek and modern yet still identifiably local in character, and they’re outfitted with all the luxe necessities, from LCD televisions and rain showers to the Westin-signature Heavenly Bed. Also Heavenly is the spa, all sixteen thousand square feet of it, and it’s a veritable United Nations of massages and treatments, from Thai and Balinese to Chinese and Ayurvedic. The end product is a resort that’s tailor-made for some serious unplugging, and is used as such by Delhi residents and business travelers alike — the proximity to Gurgaon, with its high concentration of multi-national corporate headquarters, means this place sees more than its share of (extremely relaxed) business junkets.

How to get there:

The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa is located less than 40 miles from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and is 45 minutes from Gurgaon.