Sayaji Resorts & Spa in the lake city of Udaipur straddles luxury and royal tradition even as it woos the great outdoors, discovers Gustasp and Jeroo Irani
In the fabled city of Udaipur, in India, palace hotels preen at the sight of their own reflections in limpid lakes. They were built by kings with abundant resources and a passion for building monuments that would last for centuries.
READ: M.Y. Northern Escape Ups Great Barrier Charter Ante
However, a plucky newcomer, Sayaji Resorts & Spa, marches to a different drummer. Located on the outskirts of Udaipur, the City of Lakes, Sayaji Resorts & Spa combines luxury with an outdoorsy appeal. Cupped in a valley of the Aravalli Hills, the new property makes the most of its alluring setting by lassoing picturesque vignettes from its rooms and suites.
The muted colour palette of cream, green, grey and bronze in the interiors finds echoes in the exterior, where the mountain range unravels like an ancient scroll. The design language is contemporary yet rooted in the locale of the north-western state of Rajasthan with strategically placed dome-shaped pavilions, jharokhas (carved projecting balconies), scalloped arches and fretted balconies giving the property a retro look.
READ: Golden Eagle Luxury Trains Head to Istanbul
The 48 rooms are located in clusters called mahals (palaces) but obvious palatial flourishes like intricate carvings and gold gilding are absent. The resort has an open airy feel with spaces and courtyards flowing seamlessly into each other. Less is more is the mantra that is at work here. Cool expanses of marble, paintings by local artists and the sheer luxury of space (every room has a generous balcony and comes with views of the Aravalli Hills) combine to impart a kind of vintage vibe to the property. (Our suite had a bathtub that was more like a plunge pool than a bathtub!).
This Udaipur property burnishes its other assets, too – culinary prowess! In the all-day dining Taraksh restaurant, the chef serves royal Rajasthani fare on pure silver platters and ingenious fusion cuisine on designer crockery. Tuck into some culinary sleights of hand: Pearl millet bruschetta perked up with buffalo mozzarella and dried tomatoes; a silken scallion chicken risotto in a scallion and saffron sauce whose flavours shine with every bite. Tacos stuffed with a piquant Indian-style filling; Ras malai (Indian-style cottage cheese dumplings in thickened sweet milk) encased in light-as-air puff pastry and garnished with chocolate powder.
READ: New Itineraries to Canada, Iceland & New England
If a guest would prefer to dine in an outdoor setting, an intimate dinner in a domed pavilion, beyond which a free-form blue swimming pool glitters in the moonlight, can be arranged.
High tea on a nearby hillock is another exciting option to create lasting memories. Romance is born or rekindled in an aesthetically designed open space adorned with throw rugs, cushions, ottomans with crocheted covers, baskets of pink roses and a wind-blown awning. Nibble on cucumber sandwiches, melt-in-the-mouth pastries, local sweets, and a refreshing lychee drink as you listen to birds roosting for the night. Inhale the fugitive scent of the hills and connect with the landscape’s antique soul.
Way below, the cream façade of the resort is lit with fairy lights even as the sun sets and bleeds into the horizon of curvaceous hills. On the drive back to the resort, the world is canopied by a star-veined sky.
READ: You’ll Love These Nocturnal Travel Adventures
Guests may also opt for a breezy picnic by a hidden lake so they get a feel of the rustling wilderness and are unlikely to bump into other tourists seeking Instagrammable moments. During your stay, discover the meaning of peace and solitude or opt for some energising activities. The days are a blur of walking, hiking, riding the two handsome steeds on the property, playing badminton, cricket or pickle ball and occasionally venturing into the city to explore its palaces, museums and lakeshore charms.
The resort can also arrange for you to enrol in a miniature painting workshop (a traditional art form) and arrange shopping sprees and visits to brimming-with-antiques and handicrafts emporiums in Udaipur city, which is a 20-minute drive away.
READ: Kenya’s Ishara Safari Camp Reopens
At the end of a tiring day, unwind at Nilaya spa where rejuvenating massages, facials, wraps and Thai foot reflexology are on offer. Try the Kundalini Back Massage designed to relax the muscles of your back and enhance oxygen flow, or a traditional Swedish therapy with its long flowing strokes or even an anti-ageing facial!
Want to call it a day? The turn-down service in the suites includes thoughtful touches like a turmeric latte with a side of nuts and honey; or a soothing Chamomile tea, served artfully by smiling staff.
For more Accommodation stores click here