India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (9 page)

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Mihir Garh
(Rohet, near Jodhpur, Rajasthan): Gallop up to this brand-new property on a Marwari stallion to see the silhouette of your dreams appear out of the horizon against the setting sun. Recently established by the same clan responsible for Rohet Garh (a reputable heritage property), this stunning, intimate nine-suite desert sand castle will capture your heart and fuel your imagination, filling your stay with wonderful memories. With a plunge pool or Jacuzzi in every suite, and sweeping views of the surrounding desert and farmland, it’s sure to leave a lasting impression.

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Rawla Narlai
(Rural Rajasthan): Rawla Narlai, the 17th-century hunting retreat of the Maharajah of Jodphur, is another rural gem that will have you feeling like a royal guest—and it’s the ideal stopover if you’re traveling between Udaipur and Jodhpur. Surrounded by the rocky granite outcrops deep in the Aravalli Hills, with a pretty medieval village to explore, a gorgeous pool to cool off in, and a stiff climb to reach the summit of a miraculous rock, it’s more than a mere stopover—you’ll stay for 1 night and wish you’d planned for three.

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Lake Palace Hotel
(Udaipur, Rajasthan): Built on an island by the maharana in 1740 as a cool summer retreat (swimming distance from his palace), this is perhaps the most romantic—certainly the most photographed—hotel in India. Whizzing across the waters to your private palace, you’ll feel you’ve finally arrived—and if you’ve booked one of the heritage suites, you have. Floating like a beautiful white ship on the waters of Lake Pichola, the hotel offers excellent service, a spa-on-water and spectacular rooftop dinners overlooking the City Palace. All with picture-perfect 360-degree views.

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Shahpura Bagh
(Shahpura, Bhilwara, halfway between Jaipur and Udaipur, Rajasthan):
Located in a lush 18-hectare (45-acre) wooded estate with a sense of peace and homeliness not found in any chain hotel, yet also without the sometimes cloying claustrophobia of a heritage property, Shahpura Bagh is a destination location, even with the kids. A family run affair
and with
excellent food, service, and
perhaps the best pool in Rajasthan, this is at least a 2-day visit and the beginning of a lifelong affair.

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Devi Garh
(near Udaipur, Rajasthan): If you’re a modern-design enthusiast, this hotel will blow you away. The formidable exterior of this 18th-century Rajput palace-fort, towering over the tiny village at its base, remains unchanged. But step inside and you’ll find a totally reinvented minimalist interior, with 14 floors transformed into 49 chic suites that have clearly utilized the talents of the best young Indian designers—all of whom laid to rest the perception that design here reached its apotheosis with the Mughals. It’s an unparalleled modern Indian masterpiece, and a destination in its own right.

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Umaid Bhawan Palace
(Jodhpur, Rajasthan): Splurge on one of the sumptuous Deco heritage suites in this glorious, monumental palace (still partially inhabited by Jodhpur’s royal family), with the city and its populace somewhere far below. It stands on the summit of a hill, with the staggering Mehrangarh Fort across the way. Guests here are treated like royalty, with access to a private cinema, fabulous lounges, a squadron of butlers, and two pools—one an indoor Deco masterpiece and another at the edge of the beautiful, lush gardens where Liz Hurley married her Indian beau.

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Amanbagh
(Ajabgarh, Rajasthan): Fringed by date palms and mango and jamun trees, Aman’s shimmering pink-sandstone resort is the oasis you have always wanted to stumble upon while traversing the Thar Desert. Begin your day sipping ruby-red pomegranate juice on your private porch, then hike to ancient Somsagar Lake or explore the haunted ruins at Bhangarh. Or go nowhere but your private villa pool on the edge of the palm-lined canal and listen to the joyful twittering of birds.

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Hotel Eagle’s Nest
(Dharamkot, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh): High above the bustling cosmopolitan town of McLeod Ganj, this guesthouse offers one of the most charming stays in all of India. Set in a marvelously restored old mission station surrounded by a forest, each of the spacious guestrooms is imaginatively turned out, and the best afford jaw-dropping views of the Dhauladar mountain range. You’ll be happy to just loll about all day taking in the fresh, clean air and staring across at splendid vistas. But your hosts—self-proclaimed refugees from London’s fast-paced music industry—will be on hand to pamper you, whether it’s with their excellent advice for exploring the region or putting together a special meal in the homey kitchen. And when you absolutely must purge your sins, the Dalai Lama’s temple is a therapeutic half-hour downhill walk away.

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Gangeshwari Suite at the Glasshouse on the Ganges
(Garhwal, Uttarakhand): It’s the location—just steps away from the raging Ganges River—more than anything that gives this room its special appeal. The simply laid-out sleeping area has a four-poster canopy bed and antique furniture, while the bathroom features a tub carved into the rock, with greenery spilling down the walls. You can relax on your private balcony and watch India’s holiest river gushing by, or dive in for a refreshing dip knowing that you’re far away from the pollution that enters the river much farther downstream.

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Shakti Homestays
(Ladakh): In the time-forgotten villages of Ladakh’s mesmeric moonscape, you will discover a way of life that’s little changed over the centuries. Thanks to an innovative upgrade on the average homestay experience, you can now enjoy the comfort of luxurious linens and fire-fueled heating throughout the night as you bed down in a converted space above a traditional family home. By day you’ll explore the region with a knowledgeable guide and driver who will take you to spectacular Buddhist temples, journeying through lunar landscapes and snow-tipped mountains that will leave you awestruck. At night you’ll dine with the families whose homes you’ll share, getting to understand a distinctive culture that’s a far cry from the increasingly touristy experience of the crowds who flock to Leh, the Ladakhi capital, the moment summer makes access to this remote Himalayan region possible.

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Glenburn Tea Estate
(Darjeeling): Centered around the 100-year-old Burra Bungalow, which offers just four magnificent rooms, this tea plantation is by far the best place to stay in the “Land of the Celestial Thunderbolt,” with great decor, delectable cuisine, and superb views of the Kanchenjunga. You can spend a night at Glenburn Lodge by the river without giving up your room at the Bungalow—the two rooms here are charming, especially at night when bathed in the orange glow of hurricane lamps (no electricity) with only the burbling of the river for music. Picnics (anywhere on the estate) will be served by liveried bearers on portable tables complete with a tablecloth, delicate crockery, and a vase of fresh flowers—all that’s missing is a chandelier.

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360° Leti
(Uttarakhand):
If you want to feel top of the world, look no further than this stylish four-cottage paradise perched on a mountain, with panoramic views, fantastic walks and excellent whiskey to come back to.

4 Most Memorable Moments

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Sharing a Cup of
Chai
with a Perfect Stranger:
You will typically be asked to sit and share a cup of
chai
(tea) a dozen times a day, usually by merchants keen to keep you browsing. Although you may at first be nervous of what this may entail, don’t hesitate to accept when you’re feeling more comfortable, for while sipping the milky sweet brew (often flavored with ginger and cardamom), conversation will flow, and you might find yourself discussing anything from women’s rights in India to the individualism that mars Western society.

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Helping Lord Venkatesware Repay His Debt to the God of Wealth
(Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh): Tirupati, the richest temple in India, is the most active religious pilgrimage destination on earth, drawing more than 10 million devoted pilgrims every year (more than either Jerusalem or Rome!) who line up for hours, even days, to see the diamond-decorated black stone idol Lord Venkateshwara (aka Vishnu) for just a few seconds. Afterward, you stare in disbelief as vast piles of cash and other contributions are counted by scores of clerks behind a wall of glass. See chapter 8.

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Watching the Moon Rise from Pushkar Palace during the Pushkar
Mela
(Pushkar, Rajasthan): The sunset is a spectacular sight on any given evening, but on the evening of the full moon during the Pushkar
mela,
hundreds of Hindu pilgrims, accompanied by temple bells and drums, wade into a sacred lake—believed to miraculously cleanse the soul—before lighting clay lamps and setting them afloat on its holy waters, the twinkling lights a surreal reflection of the desert night sky. If you’re lucky enough to have bagged a room at Pushkar Palace, you can watch this ancient ritual from a deck chair on the terrace on the banks of the lake. See chapter 11.

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Gawking and Being Gawked At
(Dungarpur, near Udaipur, Rajasthan): As a foreigner, you may attract uncomfortably long stares (particularly on public transport), but there are a few moments that you will recall with a wry smile, like the gimlet eye of the toothless old royal retainer as he watches your reaction to the explicit
Kama Sutra
paintings he will reveal hidden in a cupboard of Dungarpur’s 13th-century Juna Mahal—one of the Rajasthan’s undiscovered gems. See chapter 11.

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Playing Chicken with a Tata Truck:
The rules of the road (which is almost always single-laned, potholed, and unmarked) are hard to understand, but it would seem that (after the cow, which is of course sacred) Tata trucks, all with
HORN ON PLEASE
written on their bumpers, rule the road, an assumption your hired driver is likely to test—and you will, more than once, find yourself involuntarily closing your eyes as destiny appears to race toward you, blaring its horn.

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Meeting a Maharaja
(Rajasthan): India must be the only place in the world where you can, armed with a credit card, find yourself sleeping in a king’s bed, having dined with the aristocrat whose forebears built, and quite often died for, the castle or palace walls that surround it. While most heritage properties are still owned by India’s oldest monarchies, many of whom live there, only some (like Mandawa Castle and Deogarh Mahal in Rajasthan, and Nilambagh Palace in Gujarat) are personally managed by these urbane aristocrats. See chapter 11.

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Unraveling the Intricacies of Hinduism
(Master Guest House, Delhi): Staying here is not only the best-value deal in town, but the sophisticated, charming, and extremely knowledgeable Avnish Puri will take you on a “Hidden Delhi” tour, showing you a world not seen by many outsiders, during which he will unravel Hinduism’s spiritual tenets in a profoundly logical way—no mean feat! .

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Being Blessed by an Elephant
(Madurai, Tamil Nadu):
While you may expect to see an elephant in a national park, it’s always a wonderful surprise when you see one ambling down a crowded street in urban Mumbai or Delhi—these days, though, as authorities work at instilling a modern approach, you’re unlikely to see such large beasts in any India city. But outside Thirupparankundram Temple, near Madurai, the resident temple elephant waits patiently to bestow blessings on those willing to donate a rupee.

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Exchanging Printed Paper for a Handmade Kutchi Rabari Woven Masterpiece
(Kutch, Gujarat): Bargaining for unique textiles is a common practice in the bazaars throughout India, but when you stare into the eyes of a seminomadic Rabari woman from Kutch who has spent perhaps over 5 years crafting a particular piece, you understand that this is no mere transaction. You’ll be exchanging money for an item that was made over a substantial portion of her life, and is laden with the narrative of her culture.

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Rocking to the Gentle Rhythm of Lake Pichola under a Firm Hand
(Udaipur, Rajasthan): Taj Lake Palace Hotel’s spa boat, moored in the middle of Lake Pichola, is an expeditious vehicle of enlightenment. Book a late-afternoon treatment and emerge from your private sandalwood cabin to see the sun set over the Aravalli Hills and the City Palace lights wink at your newfound sense of peace. It’s about not only the destination but how you get there.

5 Exploring Natural India

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Watch Cows Sunbathing with Tourists on the Beach
(Goa): While there’s plenty of marijuana doing the rounds in Goa, you don’t have to smoke a thing to be amused by the mellow cows that wander onto the beach and chill out among the tanning tourists and hawkers. Chewing their cud while seemingly gazing out to sea, these cows really take the Goan motto,
“Sossegade”
(“Take it easy”), to heart. See chapter 6.