DR ABDUL Kader Fazlani, Chairman of Fazlani Group – a homegrown foods major, apart from philanthropy, he has been a vehement follower of wellness. With having visited many resort properties in both India and abroad to learn about their traditional therapies, Dr Fazlani felt an inevitable urge to foray into the wellness & hospitality space and provide their guests with signature tailor-made experiential stay at the property.
Undergoing a long-haul research and development process for this venture, Fazlani Natures Nest that opened its door this year, is a wellness and spa resort property which was ideated in order to meet sustainability in all aspects, right from the selection of the place, local staff, up to the consolidated amenities & services provided within the resort.
Located in Takwe near Lonavla in Maharashtra, the Fazlani Natures Nest is strategically located just about a three-hour drive away from the Mumbai and Pune Airports. Dr Fazlani says that the land has been with them from the past 21 years, where during that period the region being a remote area – it was majorly used for floriculture, which was a JV between the Fazlani Group and certain international delegates. He reminisces about how his main idea to be there was to provide livelihood to the local people during that time, by providing them with employment in the labour-driven floriculture venture. With years passing, many factories and other industries set up their outlets, where the locals were provided with other employment opportunities.
Making a difference, Dr Fazlani decided to merge two important aspects i.e. local employment with his long-living idea to serve their guests with a one-of-its-kind wellness resort which wouldn’t keep the guests starving or restricting to a fixed diet/ therapeutic activities which most of the conventional wellness resorts both in India and abroad have been following year-on-year.
Throwing more light on the valuable touch points at Fazlani Natures Nest, Dr Fazlani says that the property spread across 68 acres by the banks of the Andra River, welcomes their guests through a non-AC reception. Dr Fazlani believes that wellness should be boundless and not only restricted to diet and other therapies but to feel the presence of nature all around themselves. In accordance with their theme, the 68-room property has 24 dedicated rooms for consultation, gym & various therapies including Equine therapy, Physiotherapy, Jacuzzi, Foot Reflexology, etc., to ensure that the guests are constantly in touch with nature and wellness activities, instead of sitting idle in their rooms. To name a few therapies offered at the resort - Abhyanga, Potli, Udhwarthanam, Shiro Abhyanga, Pada Abhyanga, among others are included in the Ayurvedic treatment, while the naturopathy therapies include Hydro Therapy, Acupuncture & Acupressure, Diet Therapy, Yogic Kriya, Yoga Therapy, etc. Interestingly to promote the equine-assisted therapies ideally used to strengthen one’s mental and physical wellness by spending time with equines i.e. horses, Fazlani Natures Nest has brought in horses of various breeds to serve up to the different equine-assisted therapies.
Following the day-long therapies and activities at the gymnasium and outdoor swimming pools, the guests can stretch and relax in their well-equipped rooms. The property comprises of 8.5 villas in which each villa consists of eight rooms (220 sq ft each) – in two formats i.e. four King Rooms and four twin rooms. Each Villa is 2136 sq ft in size.
Furthermore, on the F&B front, the resort also boasts of a farm-to-fork concept for the food being served at their open-air restaurant, where, they allow the guests to select their ingredients freshly hand-picked by them from the property’s in-house farm, and get tailor-made dishes made by the chefs. Not restricting the menu to be purely vegetarian, the restaurant at Fazlani Natures Nest also serves delectable non-vegetarian delicacies.
Receiving a wide range of international clientele as well as domestic visitors, Dr Fazlani says that the various therapies served at the resort from World Over are roping in international clients by word of mouth itself, but they are also considering other channels including the digital platform to further penetrate and introduce the product to newer markets. “We have received many clients from South Africa and other countries too, who usually stay at the resort ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks to rejuvenate as well as experience everything on offer at the expanse of Fazlani Natures Nest” concludes Dr Fazlani.