My TripAdvisor Review No.665: IKEA, Hyderabad.

Gigantic Furniture Showroom.

The IKEA furniture showroom in Hyderabad is a huge place where you can see and buy furniture and appliances for your house. We visited the place in early March 2020 and were simply astounded by the variety and range of the furniture modules available.

It is a one of it’s kind place right from the time you enter. The entrance itself is so mind blowing, we thought we were entering an airport. Every room inside is designed in a unique way, with the pieces of furniture in each room complimenting each other in texture and material, so the entire room gives you a feeling as if a master craftsman has planned and fitted the parts like a pretty jigsaw puzzle. There were many different styles of bedrooms, dining rooms, drawing rooms, modular kitchens and bathrooms, and more. We enjoyed walking through each room marvelling at the various layouts and the furniture in them.

In addition you can buy furnishings, utility items and appliances, both small and big, for the house and kitchen.

There is ample parking space in the compound, but it becomes crowded during weekends and holidays. At the end of all the browsing we went to the unique restaurant and had a sumptuous dinner.

Date of experience: March 2020

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.450: Botanical Gardens, Hyderabad.

Open Space For Recreation.

The Botanical Gardens of Hyderabad, officially known as Sri Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Botanical Gardens, is located on the Miyapur-Gachibowli Highway in the Kondapur area. There is a huge free parking lot for cars and two-wheelers.

Upon entering you have to buy a ticket for ₹25 per person, and there is a stiff fee for photography and videography. It seems that these fees are meant for commercial shootings, but everyone was entering without paying for their cell-phone cameras, and many were taking selfies. If you are a regular morning walker you can buy a pass for ₹400 per month or ₹1500 for an annual pass.

As you enter there are some life-like statues of animals and birds laid out in neat gardens. There are some demarcated areas for yoga, a wellness center, a party zone, skating rink, mini golf course, fitness center, an adventure arena, a video hall, conference hall, and an amphitheater. There are some cottages for rent and a Food Court which opens later in the day.

The main walking track leads into a dry forest which is more brown rather than green. The track is made of a mixture of sand and gravel. The full round of the track is about 3.5 km. You can hear peacocks early in the morning, and if you are lucky you may even see some. Other smaller birds like bulbuls, babblers, sparrows, and bee-eaters can also be seen and heard.

It is best to go early in the morning if you want to exercise your limbs. Compared to parks in other parts of the country, like Bangalore or Pune, the entry rates are very high, and the park is not so green and soothing to the eyes. The Telangana Forest Department should work on these aspects to make it a better experience for the nature lovers.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.449: Pala Pitta Cycling Park, Hyderabad.

Cycle To Your Heart's Content.

“You don’t stop Bike Riding when you get old, you get old when you stop Bike Riding”. This is a quotation on one of the boards displayed as you go cycling around the well laid out cycling tracks in the Pala Pitta Cycling Park in the Kothaguda Reserve Forest in Hyderabad. It is located just opposite the Botanical Gardens in Kondapur.

Here you can hire bicycles for ₹50 an hour. The track goes around a fenced in forest and is about 2.5 km in circumference. The track is a mixture of sand, gravel, and mud and is quite suitable for the sports bikes of which they have plenty available in their shed. They have ladies bikes, as well as smaller bikes for kids too.

The park opens at 6 am and it is best to go early in the morning when it is cooler. It is only for cycling, and walking is not allowed on the cycle track. There are benches for sitting and there is a washroom.

The terrain is flat but there are some small hillocks to challenge your pedal power, and the track curves around treacherously in some places, making your ride a bit challenging. If you are lucky you will get to see peacocks wandering around in the forest.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.448: L&T Metro Rail, Hyderabad.

Faster, Cleaner, Cooler, Cheaper.

Traveling by the L&T Metro Rail of Hyderabad is a much better option of getting around the congested city. It is faster because it avoids the long waits at the traffic signals. It is cleaner by far than the dusty streets, cooler because all the bogies are air conditioned and much cheaper than road transport if you are traveling alone.

Recently the Blue Line got an extension from Ameerpet to Hitech City. We used the metro to travel from Hitech City to Secunderabad East to catch our Shatabdi Express from Secunderabad Junction Main Station. It took us 40 minutes in the metro and 10 minutes to walk from Secunderabad metro station to the main station. If we had taken a rickshaw or cab it would have taken us an hour and a half.

At the metro stations, elevators are available to take you up from the road level to the platform level. The staff are very helpful and guide you to the concourse. There are some seats reserved for senior citizens and ladies. Small luggage can be kept under the seats.

For the local commuters of Hyderabad, the Metro is a blessing, as it serves as a Rapid Transport System, avoiding the massive traffic jams and bottlenecked roads which the city is fast becoming. It serves the main areas of Hyderabad, but one still has to make use of the buses and autos to connect to the outlying areas.

Work on expansion and new routes are still underway, and hopefully should be operative in the near future.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC