Udaipur (March)

After Singapore, it was difficult to get back into the life in Delhi.  The winter weather made it even worse.  Although one thinks of India as stifling hot, the winters in Delhi are quite cold and damp.  It will get down in the mid-40s – which does not sound too bad except that everything here is built to stay cool – marble floors, cement walls and no heat - nothing like stepping out of the shower into 50 degree cold.  To make matters worse, the city wraps itself in a gray smoggy blanket that smothers any chance of direct sunlight heating your damp bones. 

To escape this misery, we decided to really treat ourselves with something special.  We broke our usual pattern of leaving India, because we had discovered that one of the 5 best luxury hotels in the world was located just a little over an hours flight from here in city of Udaipur, “The City of Lakes,” in Rajasthan, the “State of Kings.”  It sounded promising!

One of the things that you quickly understand after spending time in India is that, although it is a desperately poor country, the Indian wealthy (acquired mostly through corruption) enjoy being pampered.  I guess they feel it keeps them separated from the people from whom the stole.  So although you can live on $1 a week here (and the majority do), the high-end resorts will charge a king’s ransom and provide an experience that middle-east sultans would envy.  The Udaipur Udaivillas is no exception.

The Udaipur airport is more of a weigh-station, than an airport.  It is located about 45 minutes outside of the city and in Rajasthan, 45 minutes outside the city is in the middle of the dessert.  As we exited the one-room airport, we were cheerfully greeting by a traditionally and colorfully dressed Rajasthani man who took our bags and escorted us to our large, black BMW.  We were received in the car, by an immaculately attired driver dressed in all white, who resembled more of a naval officer than a chauffer.  He gave us the prerequisite cool, perfumed face towels and bottles of water and asked us one simple question: “Would you like to go the entire way by car or take the boat.”  “Why the boat, of course,” we responded and we were off. 

The car drove through the dessert brush for about 30 minutes before signs of civilization began to creep in.  A building here, a shanty there – It was still, after all, India.  The landscape was dramatic with sharp dessert hills covered in brush and tan dirt.  You could have mistaken it for Arizona.  As we approached the ancient city of Udaipur, the roads became more narrow and crowded.  The BMW weaved through the alleyways until coming to rest on an embankment on the edge of town overlooking a large lake.   We were ushered out the car and into a long thin wooden motorboat. 

The boat reminded me of a smaller version of the transportation used on the Jungle Book Ride at Disney World.  There was one seat on either side of the central aisle that flowed between three rows.  The area was shielded by a fringed sun-cover held up by thin metal poles.  We sat down, donned our mandatory life jackets and settled in for the ride.

The boat ride was exquisite.  It was 7:00am and the lake was completely placid.  The sun was just cresting the surrounding mountains to the east and there was barely a sound outside of the chugging of the ancient motor.  Before us, the old city of Udaipur appeared replete with it gates and palaces.  It was an unexpected surprise as I just assumed that the Indians had ruined anything of beauty with corruption, trash and filth.  This city seemed different.  The centerpiece of the city, the City Palace, gleamed in the early morning sun and city seemed peaceful.

Oberoi Udaivillas from the water

Monsoon Palace from the Lake

Maharajah's Island Retreat

Udaipur from the Lake

You really have two choices of accommodations in Udaipur to make it a special journey.  The most popular is the Lake Palace which is an actual maharaja’s palace that has been converted into a hotel.  It sits in the middle of lake and the building is an island in and of itself.  Cool concept, but the research says pretty run down – I think they call it shabby chic.  The other option is our hotel, the Oberoi Udaivillas.

The boat chugged past the Lake Palace Hotel and began heading towards a peninsula capped with a sprawling beige structure resembling a timeworn Rajasthani fortress.  As we motored closer, the forms of the domes and cupolas began to emerge giving the impression of not just a single edifice, but an enclave of buildings and structures.  Regardless of how you describe it, from the water, the illusion was impressive.

We arrived at a small docking area and were chaperoned to a golf cart by another colorfully dressed Rajasthani man for the short ride to the hotel entrance.  Although we found out later, the walk is quite short to the back of the hotel to the lake, the stage-managed arrival through the main entrance was a part of an experience you did not want to miss.

I am not easily impressed by luxury hotels as I have seen my share of great resorts and luxury accommodations, but I have to admit that entering the through the doors of the Udaivillas, both Olga and I understood immediately the difference between other 5 & 6 star resorts and one that is rated as the 5^th best in the world. 

Holy crap!

You arrive at the massive entryway of what could easily pass as the ramparts of an ancient Rajasthani fortress.  Beautifully decorated and flanked by two stone elephants and reflect in a large pool, your initial impression is simply “Wow!”  You are greeted by name by the lone traditionally dressed guard at the gate and shown through the portal into the first of many courtyards. 

This first courtyard is unexpected. It is a huge area with a large decorative pool as the centerpiece flanked on all four corners with traditional Rajasthani Chhatris.  Spread across the top of the surface of the pool is an intricate, marble flower pattern on which you can walk – though I image no one does.  To complete the effect, traditional Rajasthani music floats over the dry dessert air.  It is a perfect welcome.

The Entrance

The First Courtyard

You then enter the main building of the hotel through another small open cupola accented by a small traditional fountain and are finally greeted by name by your personal concierge.  There is no front desk, just an ornate lobby poised under a massive dome with several anterooms tucked away on the sides under domes of their own.  It feels more like a maharajah’s palace than a hotel complete with hidden seating areas tucked away in small corners for privacy and views of the lake. 

Lobby

After a brief greeting, we are whisked away on another adventure to find our room.  Our escort leads us out of the lobby through the candle room (a room with no lights, just a massive amount of candles – in the US we call it a fire hazard, but here, it is just decoration) and into yet another impressive courtyard. 

Second Courtyard

This one is even more lavish than the previous.  Romanesque columns and cypress tress flank the relaxed stream that rolls down a gently graded slope.  The fountain is topped with another traditionally domed building and is meet at the bottom with a reflecting pool emphasized with the sun symbol of the Maharajah of Udaipur.  

One of the many open corridors

We meander through what seems like endless open-air corridors bathed in the morning sun.   Every so often, another courtyard, garden or views of the lake appear in the breaks.  Finally, we arrive at our room. 

The room is large and sprawls into a comfortable bathroom centered with a claw-foot bathtub and a view of the lake.  The overall effect is of a room from the 1930s, but very well appointed and comfortable.  There is a large sitting area to one side and an expansive window seat in a nook on the other.  The pièce de résistance, though, is the patio.

The Room

The room for which we opted is has a private patio that faces the animal conservatory beyond which is the lake.  The patio has two comfortable chaise lounges, a table, an umbrella and a set of stairs that leads into a narrow, semi-private pool that runs the length of that side of the hotel.  It must be 300 yards with a submerged seating area every 100 yards or so as it twists to mirror the exterior curves of the hotel.  Tiled with bright blue tiles, it plays in contrast to the gray dessert brush the frames the lake beyond.

Our Room as seem from the Pool

The Pool as seen from our Room 

Deer in the Nature Preserve

By the time we settled in, it was rounding 8:00am and we were hungry.  We headed down to the restaurant and began a ritual that would last the entire stay.  Mornings were cool, but bright, so you could opt to have breakfast outside in one of the curtained pavilions.  You could enjoy the lake views while the fabric danced on the gentle morning breeze blocking the sun. What a great way to experience Eggs Benedict!

Olga reading the menu at Breakfast

The first day we explored the property and realized that if not for our curiosity of the ancient city of Udaipur, there would be no need to ever leave the hotel.  As we rambled through the property, it seemed endless.  There were courtyards, attached to manicured gardens adjacent to grassy expanses that led to boundless corridors leading to hidden enclaves. All surrounded by the impressive Rajasthani traditional architecture.  There is also a complete nature preserve that surrounds one side of the hotel (with peacocks & deer) and two ancient Maharajah’s hunting lodges hidden on the property. In addition to the semi-private pool that we had, there was another semi-private pool on another side of the hotel, as well as two regular pools for the rest of the hotel.  There was also a three story, impeccably designed spa and numerous shops and restaurants.  We were there for 4 full days and we are not sure if we saw everything. 

The reflecting pool and fountain

Looking up from the lake

The city of Udaipur across the lake

The other semi-private pool

Fountain in the area between the first courtyard and lobby

Another courtyard

The lobby from the backside

One of the two main pools

The Candle Room

Courtyard at night

The other main pool - this one is attached to the Spa

With all the aforementioned amenities, one would expect the place to be buzzing, but in reality, there really are not that many rooms.  You rarely saw another guest and you never saw the hotel staff unless you needed something.  It was peaceful, relaxing and completely stress free.  You could roam about on your own personal adventure, swim in your pool or just grab a bench and read and no one would disturb you. 

Looming across the lake, though, was the city of Udaipur and it would be a shame to come to this part of the world and not see the old city.  Often called the Venice of the East, this 600-year old city sits in the dessert surrounded by mountains.  To supply water to his people, the Maharajah constructed manmade lakes around the city.  The result is a stunning landscape of Rajput palaces, lakes and mountains.

Udaipur looming across the lake

When you live in India, you are not looking for the quintessential Indian experience when you travel, but the best way to maximize the positive and minimize the, well, Indian.   No tuk-tuks (small covered scooters), no “local guides,” no tourist shopping!  I get enough Indian “culture” on my way to work everyday.  Nope, I am looking for the best way to see the city sans the stink, garbage and hawkers.

I figured the hotel concierge would understand what I wanted and, true to form, she did.  We hired a hotel car for the day to take us into the city to see the sights - air-conditioned, plenty of water and cool towels! India always looks a bit better from the window of a BMW. 

We started off with the City Palace which I have been told is a “not-miss” site in Udaipur.  Figuring everyone else has been told the same thing, we arrived as the gates were opening and the crowds were low.  The place was stunning.  It is a massive series of buildings built over the last 500+ years as each maharajah added his own touch and personality, but left his processors’ vision alone.  Each section has the unmolested look and feel of whatever era in which it was built. 

The City Palace

City Palace

City Palace

Note the sun symbol

Front of City Palace

The Lake Palace which is now a hotel as seen from the City Palace

We spent the morning meandering through the palace and then headed down to the one of the oldest temples in the city.  I would have more to say about this, but as we entered the temple grounds, there were the typical Indian “helpers” trying to relieve you of your money.  Having no patience for this, we peeked at the temple and walked back to the car.  

The Temple

We still had a few hours left and asked the driver what he recommended.  He told us that there was an abandoned palace that sat on the top of a mountain not too far from the city.  Apparently, tourist go in the evenings to see the sunset, but in the afternoon is would be deserted.  Sounded like my kind of place. 

Sajjan Garh Palace or, as it is more commonly know, the Monsoon Palace was built in 1884 for the Maharajah to have a place to watch the incoming monsoon clouds.  It sits on the edge of a 3100- foot cliff and has a commanding view of the valley below.  Unlike the City Palace which is still run by the Maharajah’s family, the Monsoon Palace was donated to the Indian Forestry Department, so, like all things under the responsibility of the Indian Government, it has fallen into a state of disrepair.  With a little vision, though, you can see that this place must have been very grand at one point.  The views are breathtaking and the architecture is stunning.  Inside, though, it is just a gutted building with all the former adornments, no doubt, now hanging in the Indian Minister of Forestry’s vacation home somewhere in Switzerland. 

The Monsoon Palace

View from the Monsoon Palace

The Palace

What remains inside

Entrance

We strolled around the pillage palace for about an hour enjoying the views and the cool mountain breeze.  It was a serene and lonely place with almost no noise except the wind blowing through the empty windows and doorways.

After a brief encounter with some monkeys, we were back in the car, properly toweled and hydrated and cruising back to our hotel.  It was a great day out, but I was looking forward to getting back and taking a dip in my pool. 

Monkey at the Monsoon Palace

The rest of the vacation was pretty much a combination of spa appointments, swimming, eating and taking long walks around the property.  The highlight of each day, though, was dinner.  Dinner was served on the same veranda as breakfast, but without the curtained tents.  The al fresco dining was accompanied by a traditional two man, Rajasthani band consisting of a drummer and a fiddle player.  They churned out the beats of the region providing a sublime background to the illumination of the city of Udaipur at night reflecting off the lake.  It was the perfect end to every evening. 

Olga at dinner with Udaipur illuminated across the lake

We loved our time at the Udaivillas and, unfortunately, the end came much too soon.  The downside of having a great vacation like this is the reality of India tends to hit even harder.  Upon returning to Delhi, it was even more difficult for us to get back into a routine and conversations began to turn to “alternatives.” 

The next few months would prove critical to our decision to stay or leave.