Sahara's plush new hotel

You’ve had caviar facials and savoured pink champagne. Now you’re on the look out for more exotic exotica.

Your search ends with Sahara Star. A sparkling new five star super deluxe that’s comparable to the best haute hotels in the world even as it’s still awaiting a new Rs. 300-crore facade by the year-end. Palm trees, gurgling water, live entertainment: the Star has all the makings of a Vegas-style mammothel.

Men in designer black usher you into the magical 55,000-sq ft tropical lagoon and under the world’s largest pillarless, clear-to-the-sky dome. 250 soundproof suites, each a whopping 12,000 sq ft, are equipped with personal spa stations, glass ceilings, retractable horizontal curtains and artificial rain cascading near the window.

The feast of the senses continues in the serene Ila spa and the nine restaurants and bars arranged at split levels. Our Trendy Spotter recommends hors d’oeuvres and aperitifs in the High Lounge and heartier global cuisine at The Earth Plate.

But the piece de resistance is the soon-to-be-opened Ocean. An aquarium restaurant that’s ready to dazzle you with its seafood delights and three glass walls, which encase piscine splendour and even a dishy scuba diver.

Deluxe doesn’t get more luxe than this.

Sahara Star; Domestic Airport, Vile Parle (E), Mumbai. Telephone: 39895000. Website: www.saharastar.com. Prices: Rs. 1000 per head for dinner without drinks and Rs. one lakh for a table for 12. Room tariff not yet declared.