What a beautiful place to end our Indian adventure. Udaipur is for me one of the most magical places in this world. Set amidst the beautiful Aravalli hills is man-made Lake Pichola, which has one of the most recognizable landmarks of India, the Lake Palace. Floating amidst the not-so-deep lake, the Palace is an extravagant and romantic symbol of the glorious Raj past. It has also been made recognizable by the James Bond movie Octopussy, which was partly shot here. As you walk through town, you will still see signs everywhere saying ‘dinner and Octopussy viewing at 1930’ even though the movie was shot somewhere in the mid-70’s. But there’s more to Udaipur than just the Lake Palace. There’s the wonderfully maintained City Palace on the shore of the lake which at sunset beams with a glorious red/orange hue, there are the busy street bazaars where you can find wonderful Raj handicrafts, there are several vista points around the city from where you can view this crown jewel from way up above and of course, there are some top hotels and restaurants. It all adds up to a magical location with a sunset that will blow you away.
As an interesting side-point, when the monsoon season is very short or does not produce much rain, the lake has a propensity to dry up, as it did between the years 2004 – 2006. During those years, one could walk across the lake to the Lake Palace, and although I never saw it like that, I can imagine it would look quite barren and ghostly. The Lake Palace hotel, however, did some great PR by replacing its boat ride from the shores of Udaipur to the hotel with elephants clad in traditional Raj gear. What a way that would be to enter the hotel, on the back of a large elephant walking across the empty lake-bed!
Moreover, when we landed at the airport and drove into the city, I was really shocked, for this city has cleaned up tremendously since 1999, when I was last here. There is barely any garbage on the road, due to the smaller size of the city the streets are not as crowded, the people are gentler and the general feel in Udaipur is pleasantly calm. What a change from the rest of India. I was really quite astonished at this!
And this is definitely the place to end your Indian getaway. However way you plan it, make sure that you leave Udaipur for the end. You will leave India with a romantic image that will stay with you for a long time.
HOW TO GET THERE
We took a very early morning flight from Jaipur to Udaipur with Jet Airways. Although the airport at which we landed was a small ‘house’, the new airport right next to this structure is nearly complete, and looks very modern. They said it will be open in March 2008. Overall, the infrastructure in Udaipur is impressive. The roads from the airport and all around town are the best we’ve seen on this trip.
WHAT TO DO
> City Palace: This is one of the most magical palaces that I’ve seen in India. The setting along Lake Pichola is romantic and the palace is very well preserved. It has a myriad of courtyards connected by small and narrow hallways and stairways. Besides just having wonderfully preserved rooms, it also has the authentic furniture in place which shows you how the Maharaja’s used to live. The reason for this is that the royal family of Udaipur still owns this palace and thus it has left a lot of its furniture in the display areas. This is unlike other palaces in India, which were over time sold to the government and simultaneously emptied out of their possessions by the Maharaja’s.
> Walk through Mandi market, in the Delhi Gate area of Udaipur: to see how the Indians live and shop, go to this market. It’s very authentic – we saw not one tourist!
> High tea at Lake Palace: if you can get into this Taj property do it. I say this for they are starting to close the property to non-residents. As one of the most recognizable landmarks of India, it feels very special to be in the Lake Palace and look out onto Udaipur as if you were a Maharaja, even if it’s only for those oh so brief 15 minutes. From the shores of the lake you take a beautiful boat ride to the Lake Palace, where you will find yourself sitting in ornate rooms located by open courtyards, sipping tea and feeling like a king!
> Banyan Tree spa treatment at the Oberoi: I had a 3.5 hour ayurvedic treatment that was divine. The first part consisted of hot oil being consistently and gently poured onto your third eye (middle of the forehead) for more than 30 minutes. It’s amazingly meditative for it forces you to focus on your third eye. After that I had a massage, scrub, sauna and ended with a milk and rose petal bath. To have the spectacular view that I had, make sure you ask for the therapy room that faces the far-end of the pool (there are no hotel rooms on that side). As you’re soaking in your rose petals, you will be able to admire the romantic view of the City Palace and the Lake Palace from across the lake, bathing in the afternoon sun. A beautiful touch to the end of your treatment.
> Monsoon Palace: It’s a long and windy road up to this palace on the outskirts of Udaipur, where the Maharaja and his family would retreat to from the monsoon season. And even if the palace architecture is nothing special compared to the City Palace, the view from up there is from out of this world. The magical Rajasthani hills roll on forever, and Udaipur with all its glory spreads out in front of you like a rolling carpet. Go at sunset and the pleasure will be double.
> Shopping for handicrafts: yes, your guide will invariably take you shopping as part of any tour, but if you go to these shops, you won’t be half-as angry. These shops have a great collection of marble, wood, silver and copper carvings, miniature paintings, jewellery, furniture, etc. The selection is very extensive. Two of the shops require a bit of a drive for they’re located outside of Udaipur. Mayur Arts is located on the drive midway along the east shoreline of Fateh Sagar Lake. I don’t have the exact address, but you can e-mail mayurart@datainfosys.net or call +91 294 653 6333 or +91 982 920 2555 to find out the coordinates. The same owner also has a show piece home called The Royal Retreat further down the lake, the address being Badi – Hawala Road, Village Badi. The website is www.royalretreatudaipur.com Even if you’re not going to shop, it’s worth visiting this Royal Retreat. The drive takes you through small Indian towns and is very picturesque. However, I would not recommend to stay at the retreat no matter how great it looks on the internet. It’s very isolated, albeit in a beautiful spot. The other store is in Udaipur and is called Gem Arts Emporium, which can be found at Opp. Sahelion Ki Bari.
NEED A TOUR GUIDE?
We had an excellent guide that I highly recommend. He was friendly, not imposing, very knowledgeable, took us to some great shopping areas based on what we wanted to buy and was willing to take the time to be with us. His name is Shakti Singh Shaltawat and he can be reached on his mobile +91 94143 42797 or by e-mail shaktikolyari@gmail.com
HOTELS
Oberoi Udaivillas Hotel: This is the ultimate luxury! The domed property is set on the shores of Lake Pichola, just across from the City Palace and Udaipur centre. It’s a new development, only 5 years old, with 77 units I believe. We had a room with a private pool and facing the city that was just magnificent! I think Room 112 is one of the best rooms in the hotel, for it faces the City Palace and Lake Palace, has the sun on the deck for most of the day and is very private. As is to be expected, the grounds are manicured to perfection, with beautiful walkways and reflection pools adorning the site. To get to this hotel, you can also take a boat from the city centre. Although all of the Oberoi hotels that we stayed in on this trip were magnificent, this is the crown jewel! And would you believe it that we missed Madonna and her family by one night! We could have been breakfasting with Madge if we had timed this out better. Oh well, next time!
Taj Lake Palace Hotel: this is the only competition that Oberoi has in Udaipur, and it definitely has its charm. The Lake Palace is peacefully floating just of the shore of the City Palace, thus it’s the location that is its prime asset. From the roof-top lounge area, the view of the City Palace at sunset is stunning. There is no other property in Udaipur that can come close to that. But what I liked a little bit less are the smaller rooms, low ceiling in some of the main areas and a feeling of formality. The pool is also not that spectacular. However, they also have what looks like an old pirate ship that is used for a cocktail cruise at sunset. That would be a great thing to do. I also have to mention that Taj is changing their policy and now allows only resident guests to come to the Lake Palace for a visit. Through connections though, we managed to get in. And if you can, it’s worth the visit. Especially when you’re sitting on the roof-top terrace watching the sun go down on the beautiful City Palace.
> Amet Haveli Hotel (a heritage hotel): Our guide recommended that we go for dinner to the restaurant attached to this hotel (Ambrai) and it was a wonderful surprise. The Haveli looked beautiful with newly restored rooms facing the lake. And it comes at budget prices (approx 100 US$/night). The vantage point, though, is spectacular. From here you have the view of the City Palace on your left and the Lake Palace just in front of you. It’s got to be one of the best views in town if you want to see the two crown jewels of Udaipur at the same time! The address is Out Side Chand Pole, the telephone +91 294 243 1085 and e-mail amethaveli@sify.com
Trident Hotel: Although we did not see this property, the hotel belongs to the Oberoi group and was till recently managed as a Hilton brand. It’s located on the same complex as the Udaivilas, and although they would not have a view of the City Palace and the centre of Udaipur from the property, I can imagine that the hotel is good, given that Oberoi takes very good care of its properties and given that the Trident in Delhi was excellent.
WHERE TO EAT
> Ambrai Restaurant: as mentioned above under Amet Haveli hotel, it’s the view that completely strikes you when you sit right on the waterfront of Lake Pichola, eating dinner, and watching the lights of the Lake Palace and the City Palace, all in front of you. It’s a very romantic spot. We had a great dinner here with live entertainment. Go and try it out, and reserve table 9. It has by far the best view!
> Suryamahal restaurant at Oberoi Udaivilas: great Indian and International cuisine on a spacious terrace overlooking the old city. Every evening also has a cultural performance which is an added bonus.
Bojan Tercon
Crown is to change their policy and only allows for guests to come now to the Lake Palace for the visit. Through contacts with that, we were able to enter and if you can, it is worth the visit.
Posted by: travel recommendations | June 08, 2011 at 22:29
Thanks for sharing your experience at my lovely Udaipur. Reading about it brought back fond memories of my birth place. My heart lies there, even though I'm far away...
Posted by: Salma | February 27, 2010 at 14:50