The Golden Tusk, Corbett – Fine Family Fun
When my daughters were younger, activities available for children would guide our choice of property for our stay during a vacation. If we were visiting a wildlife park, the big question always was – ‘what would kids do between the morning and evening safari rides?’ Even though today’s kids may not need help to figure it out, we as parents would always consider this while choosing our vacation stay. We sure want them off their screens sometimes, right? The Golden Tusk near Jim Corbett National Park has addressed this issue well.
On their invitation, I visited The Golden Tusk to review their property. While a luxury resort is all about luxury, The Golden Tusk stands apart for its thoughtfulness. During my property walk-through, I noticed several touches that left me wondering how those came about. This curiosity made me ask its founder, Mr. Anirudh Lakhotia, many questions. The Golden Tusk’s consistent rise in various ratings – from 8.1 in 2017 to 9.3 in 2022 (Booking.com) – reflects the impact of these little touches.
Wearing the guests’ shoes
The Golden Tusk is a 64-room property but has two swimming pools. Anirudh reminisced about his grandfather’s insistence the pool be large. While Anirudh felt the pool was large enough, one summer evening, he found some families with young kids and honeymoon couples avoiding the pool, as there were too many people in the pool. That instance gave birth to another swimming pool way bigger than the existing one. Another charming feature that emerged out of Grandpa Lakhotia’s love for water is the water bodies with fountains meandering along its verdant pathways.
As you enter the resort, both sides of the driveway house leisure activities, not just for children, but even for the parents. A badminton court, a half-basketball court, a kiddies’ playground with interesting slides and swings, a zip line, a Burma bridge, a climbing wall, a climbing ladder, spider climbing, rappelling, etc. are some of the interesting attractions that are enough to keep kids and adults busy for hours!
Luxury to suit your budget
Though the resort has only 64 units, these comprise 9 categories to suit your budget. From Nature View to Pool View, or Garden Suites to ultra-luxe Tiger and Golden Tusk Suites, each category unit is a suite. That translates to having a living space and a bedroom. Sofa-cum-beds equip the living area for kids to have a separate room. The resort even has luxury tents for those who love the outdoors.
The two restaurants – Golden Forest, and the Jungle Grill – offer distinct settings and interesting menu choices. While, in the Golden Forest, you can sit inside or outdoors, Jungle Grill is all about ambient alfresco dining. We dined in a cabana in the Jungle Grill enjoying their delectable tandoori fare, basking in the warmth of a gas heater on a freezing winter evening. The experience was relaxing and surreal!
The Golden Forest restaurant is on an elevated platform. You climb around twenty steps to get to the restaurant. But to assist the physically challenged, a chair lift is available along those steps – a gesture seldom seen in the Indian resorts.
Space, and more
Spread over 10 acres, The Golden Tusk is in the buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park. Built-up units account for just 15% of the area while the rest of the space is for the guests to enjoy strolls along the well-manicured lawns and gardens as scores of different species of birds chirp around you. The management has secured the perimeter of the resort with electrified fencing to deter wild animals from attempting to venture into the property.
A nature walk in the clean neighbouring village of Dhela offers more outdoors. The cherry-topping is that the resort is on the banks of River Dhela. For most of the year, this river has little water and a walk along its banks is an opportunity to spot some wildlife. During our outing here, we spotted a pack of jackals. Also, since you are near Corbett, some safari rides in the park to spot some wildlife would be enough to satisfy your thirst for the outdoors.
So, for a digital detox and to get your dose of fun-filled family togetherness, visit The Golden Tusk, and thank me later!
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