A medley of experiences incorporating nature, history, tradition, art and culture makes the Northeastern state of Tripura an ideal three-day getaway for any traveller. Located less than an hour’s distance by flight from Calcutta, the trip can be a balanced experience of relaxation and touring. Less time spent travelling made it relaxing for us, too, as we decided to explore some wonders of this princely state of India during the British Raj, while enjoying a luxurious stay in its capital city at Hotel Polo Towers Agartala. Hotel Polo Towers, located almost in the city centre of Agartala, is the only five-star property in the city. The grand hotel, accessible within a short distance from both the airport and the railway station, made the experience even easier with its curated packages, topped with warm hospitality.
In our curated itinerary, the first day was a relaxed stay at the hotel starting with lunch at its all-day dining restaurant Three 81, a high-tea in the evening, followed by dinner at the Grand Bar. In between tasting different menus throughout the day, we visited our first sightseeing spot of the trip around the evening — the Akhaura border, the gateway to various activities between the neighbouring countries of India and Bangladesh. It was specifically scheduled at sunset hours to experience the Beating Retreat ceremony of the army at the border, a 15-20 minute spectacular activity where the army parades and lowers the flag. Unfortunately, our chosen day to visit wasn’t one of the days the parade happens on the Indian side of the border. Hearing faint sounds of the ritual taking place on the Bangladesh side was our only option to experience the event.
The location is also known for its weekly markets of various exported goods. After a brief stroll on the Indian side of the Indian-Bangladesh border, we made a quick exit to catch a glimpse of the vast greenery of the Durgabari Tea Estate. By the time we completed the evening tour, it was tea time and the visit to the tea estate was aptly followed by a grand high-tea experience awaiting us at the hotel. We called it a night after a light dinner of snacks and cocktails at the hotel’s Grand Bar.
Day two started with a relaxed floating breakfast experience by the poolside. The sightseeing on our curated itinerary was a mix of varied experiences, including places of historical, cultural and religious importance, along with nature experiences. After a quick early breakfast to avoid the summer heat, we stepped out to visit the Tripura Sundari temple or as it is locally known, the Tripureshwari temple, at Matabari, Udaipur. Making an early start to reach the temple, located at a distance of about an hour and a half by car from Hotel Polo Towers Agartala, benefited our easy access to the temple premises to catch a glimpse of the Goddess. After a quick lunch on the way, we travelled for about an hour to reach our next spot on the trip, the serene Neermahal.
Situated in the middle of the Rudrasagar Lake, the water palace was built in 1930 by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur, the then king of the Tripura kingdom. Considered the summer residence of the royal family, the palace was built by the British Company Martin and Burns after being commissioned by the king. We took a boat ride to visit the palace situated in the middle of the lake. It is divided into two sections, the andar mahal and the open-air space.
On our way back to Agartala, we made a brief stop at Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary to catch a glimpse of its most unique species, the state animal of Tripura — the bespectacled monkey, Phayre’s Langur. The lion’s pride walk and roar, bears and their cubs playing around, the tiger’s afternoon nap and a host of birds were sights that caught our eyes as we took a ride around the sanctuary. A foot massage at the hotel’s spa late in the evening, followed by a breezy dinner in the al fresco set-up at the Sky Grill and Bar, was a welcome conclusion to a day full of outdoor activities.
Day three at the hotel started with a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant Three 81, where we filled our plates with fresh fruits, bakery items and South Indian delicacies from a choice of cereals, English breakfast, South Indian food and a variety of freshly prepared juices with health benefits. It was a much more relaxed start to the day compared to our exhausting second day. With one spot left to be ticked off the sightseeing list, we made a delayed start to the Ujjayanta Palace, a historical and cultural attraction on our list of places. Built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya, the two-storied white mansion is not only an architectural beauty with a Mughal-styled garden at the entrance but also houses an interesting display of community, geographical, cultural, artistic and historical items and information, being the multicultural state museum of Tripura.
Before arriving at the hotel for a quick lunch and packing the bags for our evening flight back home, a stop at a state government shop to pick up cane artefacts as memorabilia from this wonderful trip was a must. Topping my bag of memorabilia was the parting gift from the hotel — a jar of freshly baked in-house cookies as munchies for our journey back home.
The two-year-old property has rooms under four categories — premium, executive, boutique and suite rooms. Every room has modern infrastructure and amenities. The rooms come with either view of the Nehru Garden and Assam Rifle or the Rabindra Kanan. The executive rooms give both views.
The suite rooms come with one sofa set and the presidential suite is a 1,000sq ft room, which has a living area and bedroom, a cosy outdoor sitting area with a bathtub.
One of the meeting rooms with the map of Tripura designed on the ceiling.
“In terms of cuisine, we serve a wide variety, including North Indian, local tribal community dishes, Bengali cuisine, Bangladeshi delicacies because we are a border state, South Indian breakfast, Asian and Indonesian cuisine, Thai and Chinese, Italian and French cuisine. We try to bring an international experience on the plate,” said Arnab Mandal, executive chef.
“We opened the property in the middle of the pandemic. We came out very strongly post the pandemic and are gradually growing with the love and support of our patrons. We have also hosted several government events in the city and are the hosts of the government’s G20 summit this year, too. Tripura is a new destination that has not been explored widely. We urge people to add the destination to their bucket list and come and explore the city’s greenery and serenity with us. Polo, situated in the centre of the city, makes the entire city very accessible. Some Polo properties are known as resort properties and some as business, but we at Agartala caterto both. Our F&B outlets not only cater to guests staying with us butto guests coming for breakfast, lunch and dinner, too. We are providing curated packages and customised itineraries including food and travel for guests who wish to explore Tripura with us,” said Gunjan Gupta, cluster general manager.
The all-day dining Three 81 hosts live music every Friday, serves buffet dinner on Saturday and Sunday and also hosts the hotel’s newly introduced Sunday brunch. The Grand Bar serves a wide variety of cocktails, mocktails paired with starters, and is the biggest bar in Agartala that hosts guests on a daily basis even without booking a stay at the hotel. Sky Grill and Bar is the dinner outlet of the hotel that hosts weekend live music. Three 81 welcomes guests with a table displaying paani puri.
The pool breakfast package had a North Indian platter, sausage platter and pancakes, along with juices and shakes.
Mocktails with lunch on day one included two spicy and sweet varieties — Fire and Ice, made with pineapple, green chilli and kiwi crush mix, and SNG Special, a spicy and candy version of Pina Colada. Highlights on the food menu were prawn tandoori, Ilish Biryani and local preparation of bamboo shoot chicken served with sticky bangui rice.
A veg starter made with hang curd, roasted chicken in mushroom and cheese sauce and a house-special smoky artisanal cream dessert were highlights of the al fresco dinner at Sky Grill and Bar.
The Grand bar served water chestnut and chicken wanton as starters with cocktails like rum-based watermelon mojito and gin-based saunf and pineapple juice cocktail and a whisky-based smoky cocktail.
The bespectacled monkey, Phayre’s Langur at the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary
The Akhaura border.
The museum inside Ujjayanta Palace displays items and information on state boundaries, archaeological discovery, community development, art, culture and lifestyle of not only the communities and people of the state of Tripura but of the Northeastern region itself. It also has rooms dedicated to the history of the royal family– the kings, queens, princes and princesses of Tripura.
Neermahal is one of the largest water palaces in India out of the two existing ones, the other being Jal Mahal in Rajasthan. This magnificent royal wonder tucked away in the Melagarh town of Tripura features an influence of both Mughal and Hindu architecture in its design.
Neermahal is one of the largest water palaces in India out of the two existing ones, the other being Jal Mahal in Rajasthan. This magnificent royal wonder tucked away in the Melagarh town of Tripura features an influence of both Mughal and Hindu architecture in its design.