My next destination was Udaipur in Rajasthan situated in western part of India. The Lake Palace in Udaipur is one of most exotic hotels that I ever stayed. The hotel is located in middle of blue waters of lake Pichola and practically looks floating in water from a near by fort.

Built way back in 1754 by Maharana Jagat singh, palace is today maintained by Taj group of hotels and offers prefect ambiance for a romantic stay. The palace has 85 beautiful rooms along with special suites and fascinates everyone with its lustrous marble pillars, ancient paintings and unbelievable works of arts including glasswork. I almost felt like staying in a fantasy island with my room overlooking a refreshing lily pond.

Udaipur also has many other palace hotels but none can be compared to Lake Palace. I was also fascinated by ‘Laxmi Vilas Palace’ which was once a guest house to serve British guests.

Bikaner house (Bharatpur House) In Mount Abu

Mount Abu in Rajasthan is another hill station that fascinated me. Mount Abu has a host of palace hotels as this was a favorite hill station for Maharajas. I decided to stay in Bikaner House palace which is located in one of most scenic locations in Mount Abu. This palace built in 1893 was used as a summer residence for ancient kings.

The palace is well maintained and has spacious rooms that have ancient paintings and art work. The rooms overlook mystic hills that look so much in peace with them-selves. It almost gave me a heaven on earth kind of an experience.

One more palace hotel which fascinated me in Mount Abu was Sunrise palace which is situated in one its highest points. This palace hotel was built somewhere in year 1920, and is quite popular with couples looking for a romantic getaway.

Nilambagh Palace in Bhavnagar

My objective of visiting Bhavnagar, a relatively lesser known tourist destination in western India was to stay in famous Nilambagh Palace. Built by Maharaja Bhavsinghji in year 1723 this palace looks like a piece of architecture in itself. The palace is surrounded by lush gardens and has 18 AC rooms and 5 cottages. The rooms are spacious and offer an extremely luxurious stay. The room in which I was put up overlooked beautiful lawns down below; and I could hear birds chirping and wind blowing mildly over me. The whole atmosphere was so tranquil; it really took me to a different world.

The best part about palace was way it has been designed and maintained. All rooms had antique furniture, beautiful chandeliers and belgian mirrors. Then there was this striking swimming pool that has been designed like a roman bath with marble steps and white walkways. Taking a dip in that exotic pool which was specifically meant for maharajas was I thought a true privilege.

The palace on Wheels

The ‘palace on Wheels’ is not a hotel or a palace, but a maharaja style train that is run by government of India for tourism purposes. I was recommended to make this train journey by a fellow traveler and believe me; I was glad I took his advice.

This train is designed for purpose of giving its voyagers a taste of ancient India and covers all major destinations and heritage spots in Rajasthan. Starting from Delhi (the Indian capital), train takes you to all major destinations in Rajasthan that include Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Agra and back to Delhi in a seven day journey. I really got a good insight about tales of Indian kings and queens and their lifestyles at end of these seven unforgettable days.

The interiors of train look no less than a five star palace hotel and that goes for rooms too. The rooms are comfy, contain artistic furniture and include a private bath; now what more could you ask for?

When boarding my plane back home, there was a strange nostalgic feeling that had crept over me. But I was glad of one thing; I had lived out my dream of living like an Indian Maharaja.