Traveling Thursday: The Taj Lake Palace Hotel

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I don’t think it would be right to write another Traveling Thursday post before I tell you about the best hotel stay I have ever had. I’ve been lucky to have stayed in some great hotels over the years so this is quite a statement. But the Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, India is that special.

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I had wanted to go to India forever and we finally made it there last year. When I was making the plans, I debated long and hard between the Lake Palace and the Oberoi but in the end, I went for the history and the unparalleled location. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made!

Everyone describes the white marble building as seeming to float in the middle of the lake. And it really does! There’s just no place like it anywhere.

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It was originally built over 250 years ago as a summer residence for the Maharajah and the rooms are definitely worthy of the royal family.

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There’s a beautiful lily pond in the courtyard of the building. It’s famous for being in the James Bond film “Octopussy.” (The hotel has it in its DVD collection and even though it’s not the best movie, it’s definitely fun to watch on location!)

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The pool area is also just gorgeous.

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I spent many hours swimming, lounging, reading and just enjoying the views of the city. (Here is where my photos begin. The photos above are from the hotel’s site.)

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Refreshments and magazines poolside with the best view of the city.

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The only way to reach the Lake Palace is by one of their private boats:

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from their private jetty:

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And to top it all off, the service was just flawless throughout and the food was amazing. We had a private dinner on the rooftop one night and these photos don’t come close to showing how fantastic it all was.

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It was a traditional thali dinner and I can state without any hesitation that it was the best thali I’ve ever had in my life. And I’ve had a lot of thalis in my day. It was also so beautifully presented on a silver thali tray. (With all those silver bowls, that tray weighed a ton!) Okay, I’ll stop saying word thali now.

Moving on to our farewell breakfast. It took two people to deliver it to our room. (This was just the first part!)

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And have a look at what I called my “bathtub room.” Not the bathroom, mind you, because that was another room. This room just had the tub and that view. One night we came back from dinner and found it drawn, filled with rose petals and the room lit with candles.

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Fresh flowers, intricately inlaid furniture and marble accessories in the white marble bathroom:

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They also have their own fleet of beautiful vintage cars for touring the city:

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and traditional dancing and music in the evenings:

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Did I mention that they also have their own flutist? You have to look hard but he’s playing sweet music under that flower covered arch.

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Oh and I haven’t even talked about the spa! Well, I could talk nonstop about how wonderful it is so I’ll just stop here by saying that I seriously thought I had died and gone to heaven. It’s been almost a year since our trip and I still find myself savoring all the details. It’s the one place I would fly half way around the world for just to stay in again for a few days.

Happy Traveling Thursday and bon voyage!

(Photos: 1-7.Taj Lake Palace Hotel 8-14.alek)

48 comments

  4. Julie

    Glorious!! This is one of my dreams… and I think If I ever make it to India I will NEED to stay here also. Thanks for cheering my Thursday. I will be coming back to re-visit this glorious post over and over again! x Julie
    .-= Julie´s last post ..To The Moon Alice: August 2009 =-.

    Reply
  8. Maria

    alek, ahhhh!!!! Your india trip is BEYOND!!! i just got back from visiting southern india where my sister was practicing yoga for 3months….it was by far the most memorable, heart-breaking, and life-changing place I've ever been!!! Your hotel is just to die for, wow!! thanks for sharing your amazing pictures, I can smell the spices from here (love their food!)
    .-= Maria´s last post ..Let there be light =-.

    Reply
  10. tiina

    näääh, i don't wanna go…

    // one piece of so horribly jealous girl sitting in the office and just daydreaming away to india (and googling for tickets)
    .-= tiina´s last post ..picture tag =-.

    Reply
  13. nora johnson

    A gorgeous hotel in gorgeous surroundings can turn any trip into an experience never to be forgotten! Had the same reaction earlier this year at the Mandarin Oriental in Chiang Mai (returning from Cambodia & Laos) where the villas are grouped around a WORKING rice paddy! Superb food too (you know I'm a bit of a foodie too!)

    Glad you had such a great time in India – wonderful photos!

    xxxLola & Nora:)
    .-= nora johnson´s last post ..YOUR LOLA LIFELINE! =-.

    Reply
  14. gatherings home

    Hi Alek. A while back I had read a series of posts that the Paris Market and Brocante had done about a trip to India she had made. Now I see you are also singing her praises. I think I feel a trip coming my way soon! Breathtaking!
    .-= gatherings home´s last post ..This floor is the bomb =-.

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  19. Meg

    Insanely jealous would be an understatement of my feelings right now. This is my absolute favorite post you've ever done. I LOVE India, and we cut out Udaipur of our trip because we ran out of time and went to Dharamsala instead. But you know what? I'm super glad we cut it out, because we wouldn't have been able to afford to stay at this hotel, now I have every reason to go back! These photographs are insane. This place is so magical. Dreamy. Heaven. When I go back, I'm going here and then I'm staying at the Oberoi in Agra & the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai and the Imperial hotel in Delhi. I want to make up a business bringing back textiles from India just so I can go on business trips there to stay at these hotels. I live in a dream world basically. Traveling Thursdays are one of my favorite parts of the week.
    .-= Meg´s last post ..Whatcha Got Cookin'? =-.

    Reply
  30. {g}

    so happy had a chance to read through the travel posts — can you imagine ca maria adele? completely adore the taj lake palace as not one but two posts would indicate :) a trip must be soon . . . your photos are stunning! — must have been such a lovely, lovely trip — beautiful post!
    .-= {g}´s last post ..{fashion inspiration: caroline seikaly} =-.

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