Devi Garh Fort Palace

Hotel description

Frankly it’s astonishing that there aren’t more hotels like the Devi Garh Fort Palace. Not because 18th-century palace hotels are a dime a dozen in India, certainly they aren’t, but because the contrast between the faded majesty of the exterior and the sparkling modernity of the interiors is so striking. Of course a part of the impact depends upon the novelty of looking out from your all-white marble-floored minimalist fantasy of a suite through traditional jharoka windows over the rugged Rajasthani countryside.

To be fair, “minimalist” is only accurate if you’re squinting very hard. The color palette is as simple as can be, but marble is a damn sight more expensive than the white-painted gypsum board the average boutique hotel room is made of — to say nothing of malachite, lapis lazuli, mother of pearl. At bottom it’s still a palace, just a contemporary one.

As such it comes with all the extravagant trappings of the contemporary luxury hotel. There’s an Ayurvedic spa, offering everything from massages to beauty treatments to yoga, as well as a fully-equipped gym and a heated swimming pool. The restaurant blends Indian traditions with European cuisines and an extensive wine cellar. And the location places you a comfortable distance from Udaipur, well situated for trips to the scenic ancient city and for tours of the Jain temples in the surrounding countryside.