Taj Lake Palace Luxury

Best Exotic Udaipur

Strange as it may seem, I arrive in Udaipur having made less than zero attempt to research the destination…

Planning is thorough for Delhi and Jaipur; I confirm the best time of the day to visit Taj Mahal (incidentally it’s sunrise, with a private guide – oh and we bump into Sir Bob Geldof, but that is another story entirely) – and other points of interest such as where best to buy colour block cotton napkins in New Delhi (Anohki).

The pre-trip neglect I shower on Udaipur can be easily explained.

For 48 hours at the end of our whirlwind of tour of Rajasthan we book rooms at the Taj Lake Palace, expecting to do nothing other than swan around the iconic hotel – availing ourselves of the myriad of facilities.

Plain and simple, in paying through the nose for a Lake View room on the island – I am not getting off (although we have secured a good rate online, I do suggest you shop around).

Arrival into Udaipur is via an eight hour, knuckle whitening road trip from Jaipur.

My travelling companions and I are prepared for the chaos that is Indian roads; we arrange our departure for just after dawn when roads are quieter.

It’s a magnificent time in Jaipur – streets washed clean by early morning rain, vegetable sellers setting up kerbside stalls, as elephants stretch awake.

The journey progresses and the sun rises, so too do the number of vehicles taking to the road (and sacred cows, and pedestrians, and goats, and school children and camels…).

Arid landscape stretches for indeterminate distances.

Finally (some eight hours later) a final sweep of road and there she is – whitewashed marble vision – Taj Lake Palace Luxury.

Check in is lake side and efficient, before we cross Lake Pichola via private boat…

…as we disembark hundreds of rose petals are released, fluttering and fragrant.

For the most part we soak up all that is Taj Lake Palace Luxury, for it is so much more than simply a hotel.

Built in 1746 as the pleasure palace of Maharana Jagat Singh II and now one of the most recognisable residences in the world – a feature of many movies (Octopussy and The Jewel in The Crown).

Originally named Jag Niwas. Taj Lake Palace of Udaipur was restored to its pristine glory in the 1970’s by the Taj Hotel group, now a heritage hotel with 66 luxurious rooms and 17 grand suites – regularly voted as most Romantic property in the world. Its location ensure many rooms have breathtaking views of the neighbouring City Palace, Aravalli Hills, Machla Magra Hills and Jag Mandir (internal standard rooms overlook the courtyard).

Taj Lake Palace restaurants are only open to resident guests. We are swept away by romantic, open-air Bhairo on our first evening (contemporary European). On the second evening we watch local dancing, avail ourselves of the resident guru and fortune teller and dine in Neel Kamal for authentic Rajasthani (one of the best meals during our time in India).

Sweeping coridors, tiled floors, hand-painted walls. The entire property is a breathtaking window into the past…a place where you want to dream and sit, gazing out across the changing colours of Lake Pichola.

We opt for the hotels guided sunset boat tour. The best way to view ‘Venice of the East‘ – the city of Udaipur is awash with elaborate palaces, lakes and historic temples.

Awakening to the gentle lap of water is akin to being on a Luxury liner – our room is cosy, we sleep in, sipping tea and watching locals start their day – fishing and calling to the shore where market merchants wait for the fresh catch.

A lone sitar calls us to breakfast, before we agree shopping is on the menu.

The boat drops us on the edge of the lake, we make short work of the incline that follows the exterior of City Palace. Beautiful gardens are revealed in the courtyard, however we don’t stop as there are laneways to explore…after the sprawl of Jaipur, Udaipur feels more intimate, possibly it is the narrow streets and densely packed buildings.

As we stroll an enterprising gentleman senses our eagerness to unearth treasures (despite our best efforts to maintain our bargaining poker face..), he leads us down a winding passage. All caution of pickpockets thrown to the wind as we stumble into a courtyard of antiques (easy transport by World Baggage makes it tempting to buy the furniture).

We have fortuitously been led to Ganesh Handicraft Emporium, it occupies one of Udaipur’s oldest, most gorgeously renovated Havelis, a 350-year-old living museum. Marble floors, courtyards and ancient carved wooden doorframes invite wandering through the labyrinth of rooms.

An Aladdin’s cave is revealed. Silks and scarves, beads and bags, vintage textiles. It appears we are not alone in our discovery – our ‘host’ shows us his wall of fame.