The Oberoi Amarvilas

From the terrace of The Oberoi Amarvilas the Taj Mahal fills the view: the dome, the four minarets, the sandstone gate, with nothing but trees and the hotel's own gardens between. The distance is about 600 metres. No other hotel in Agra is this close, and none has arranged itself so completely around the monument. Every room and suite faces it.

History

The Oberoi Group opened Amarvilas in 2001, the second of the Vilas resorts after Rajvilas in Jaipur. The group built it on a site at the edge of the Taj Ganj, the area that grew up around the mausoleum, within the zone where new building is tightly controlled. The hotel was planned so that its height, its gardens and the orientation of its rooms would all serve the one view, and it has been Agra's leading address since the day it opened.

Architecture and design

The design draws on Mughal and Moorish precedent: terraced gardens descending in levels, water channels, fountains, pavilions and colonnades, with inlaid marble, gold-leaf frescoes and domed ceilings inside. Guests arrive through a forecourt with a fountain and pass into a lobby whose arches frame the monument. The terraces step down from the building towards the Taj, and the swimming pool lies in the lowest garden, with the view above the water.

Rooms and suites

There are 102 rooms and suites over several floors, all on the Taj side of the building, with either a balcony or a bay window. Premier Rooms are the standard category; Premier Rooms with Balcony are the ones most guests request, for the morning light on the dome. The Deluxe Suites and Luxury Suites add a sitting room and a private terrace, and the Kohinoor Suite, the largest, has a dining room, a private terrace and a butler. The interiors use teak, marble and Agra's own inlay work.

Dining

Esphahan is the Indian restaurant, named after the Persian city whose design influenced the Mughal court; it serves north Indian cooking with live classical music at dinner. Bellevue is the all-day restaurant with Western, Indian and Asian menus and a terrace facing the monument. The bar opens on to the terrace, and the hotel sets private dinners in the gardens and on the terrace at sunset.

Wellness

The Oberoi Spa has treatment rooms, a steam room and a fitness centre, and the swimming pool in the lower garden is heated. The hotel also arranges early-morning visits to the Taj Mahal, which opens at sunrise, with the gate a few minutes away by the hotel's golf buggy.

Weddings and events

Amarvilas hosts weddings and private events on its terraces and lawns, with the Taj Mahal as the backdrop at sunset and lit by the moon at night. The number of guests is limited by the size of the terraces rather than by any ballroom; the hotel is better suited to a wedding of a hundred or two than to a thousand. There is a conference room and a boardroom for meetings, and corporate groups often take rooms for an evening in Agra as part of a Delhi or Jaipur programme.

Location

The hotel stands on Taj East Gate Road, about 600 metres from the east gate of the Taj Mahal. Agra Fort is five kilometres away, and the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, the so-called Baby Taj, is across the Yamuna. Agra Cantonment railway station, with the Gatimaan Express and Shatabdi from Delhi, is about 20 minutes by car. Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport is roughly 220 kilometres and three and a half hours by road on the Yamuna Expressway; Agra's own airport has limited flights. For a luxury hotel in Agra, this is the only one where the monument is in the room.