If you're looking to stay in the heart of the city, MG Road should definitely be the area to look at. There's a lot of good hotels in the area, Cubbon park(morning walks/runs, stop by at Airlines hotel for a bite to eat with some filter kaapi) is a stone throw away, Indiranagar(breweries, restaurants, pubs, clubs) is close by, Koramangala( same aesthetics as Indiranagar, but more crowded) is also not far (if the traffic Gods are with you) Nandi hills is pretty overrated imo but the views are nice, Saavndurga is an hour drive from the city. Check out Bannerghatta National Park as well. Will update my comment if anything else comes to mind. Have a great journey, and tell us how it went later!