Love By The Lake

Our Hunt For A Lavish Wedding Destination Ended By The Backwaters Of Kerala, At The Charming Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty. The Gorgeous Nushrat Bharucha Was Our muse, And We Couldn’t Help But Fall In Love.

- Rashima Nagpal

Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty. I am sitting in the lobby lounge, sipping on a refreshing welcome drink, and I can’t take my eyes off the glistening waters seen through tall glass windows. “This side of Lake Vembanad opens into the sea,” I’m informed by a staff member. I secretly wonder what it’d be like for him to work in such a dreamy setting every day.

Such is the backdrop of this stunning resort and our cover shoot this month. Perched amidst the backwaters of Lake Vembanad, on Kochi’s Bolgatty Island, this Hyatt gem claims an enviable location. It is a mere 40-minute drive from the airport, and yet, it feels like a different world altogether. The fact that it is home to 264 guestrooms—including 38 suites and four villas, one of the country’s biggest convention centres (the Lulu Bolgatty International Conventional Centre), and three helipads, among other things, only reaffirms its grandeur.

As I check into my suite, my first instinct is to open the curtains and check out the view. There it is, the same sight that bewitched me in the foyer, only better from the vantage point of the third floor. An endless stretch of the still freshwater lake, a few ferries gliding over it, and the popular neighbourhood of Fort Kochi visible in the distance. A break from the Delhi winter, the sun feels warm on my face and almost washes away the fatigue of the early-morning flight. It’s a pleasantly romantic blend: the tranquillity, the scenery, and the soothing weather, I think out loud, before I pull myself away from the window pane.