On my very first trip to India, while in Jaipur, (Rajasthan) my guide asked if I’d like to see an interesting hotel in Udaipur. So on one of those highways where you either hide under a blanket or pray for life, we stopped at what I still feel is a dream. Someday, I said to myself those many years ago, “I’m going to stay this extraordinary, historic hotel in the middle of the lake.”
The Lake Palace, is a far cry from any other hotel regarding location and majesty. It sits in the middle of a huge man-made lake Pichola, and was once the summer palace for the Maharajah and his entourage. From there it’s easy to see the Winter palace on the edge of the shore of Lake Pichola, but with the many open arches and walkways, the breeze has the cooling effect so needed in India’s summer.
The boat took us from a perfectly sheltered covered enclave which should have been a clue that this was probably one of the most unusual, exquisite, unique hotels in the world. When my daughter and I were ushered to terra firma, suddenly rose petals cascaded from the skies while the uniformed doorman held a red and gold embroidered umbrella to keep the petals from perhaps falling onto to our hair and clothing. Even the air was perfumed with this mild scent of rosebuds. Neither of us could say anything except stare at each other and both of us are certainly, well experienced world wide travellers.
The lobby was creatively filled with hanging baskets of flowers, like birdcages holding colourful macaws. We squinted at this incredible sight like two travel novices. Since I wanted a first floor room, (always in a rush and hate waiting for lifts,) our room was more than we expected. A large walk in closet lead to an extra large bathroom, the room certainly not huge but more than adequate, was perfectly ‘groomed’ with the finest linens and the large window gave us a great view of the grounds and the constant ground keepers.
Breakfast is what dreams are made of. Nothing one could think of was left out and with our plates taken to our chosen tables by an always waiting waiters. Our outside table where the sun was perfect at this time of the day became our constant table.
The very good book shop on the premises caught our attention and we would spend time with the knowledgable bookseller.
One day we headed to the city in search of some famous ‘things’ of which we had no idea but always in search for exotic boutiques. At night, we took a boat tour to a nearby island for dinner where the tables were set just as one would expect and when the sun set, there was a gasp since this was certainly breathtaking. All the while, we could see Lake Palace Hotel, its white facade gleaming even as the evening darkened. Yes, Lake Palace Hotel is one of the masterpieces of global hotels.
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