Rajasthan is full of havelis (former private mansions) converted into hotels. Some are more modest than others, while some are extravagant in every sense. In most cases they all have one thing in common: each haveli is a masterpiece of design and architecture, through which it tells a story to its visitor. A visit in Rajasthan would not be complete without sleeping in a haveli!From Jaipur our journey continued to Shekhawati region, but along the route we had planned to stop at Samode Palace, located just over 40km north of Jaipur. Samode Palace is arguably one of the most famous hotels in Rajasthan. It is stunning and full of curious, wonderful and elaborate decorations. Even if you don’t stay with them, you can do as we did: pay an entrance fee (at the time of our visit it was 500INR per person) against a private tour of the premises. In most cases, and this was true at Samode Palace, too, you can spend that amount toward food and beverages, so I would suggest using the moment as your breakfast or lunch break! Our stop at Samode Palace lasted for just over an hour and we left the premises breathless. This is exactly the type of place where one comes for a honeymoon or a wedding anniversary. Or just to spend a few nights in order to understand how it felt to be a maharaja in the past…. The more I think about, the more I conclude that it was only after visiting different parts of India that I truly learnt to understand the richness of hotel accommodation in Rajasthan. In fact, it is very easy to find affordable and beautiful hotels to sleep at in almost every city, town and village of Rajasthan, and to me this is one of the main reasons why I love Rajasthan….  

SAMODE PALACE: http://www.samode.com/ (they have four properties in Rajasthan, so check the website for more information)

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Note: This is the 11th post about our trip in Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan and Bombay in March-April 2008. Previous posts are:

Part 1. Arrival in Delhi: first impressions
Part 2. Eight cities of Delhi
Part 3. Road from Delhi to Agra
Part 4. Visiting Agra and Taj Mahal
Part 5. Fatehpur Sikri: what a pearl!
Part 6. Neemrana Fort-Palace: the magnificent 15th century palace
Part 7. Breathtaking Amber Fort
Part 8. Chaotic but charming Jaipur (part 1.)
Part 9. Chaotic but charming Jaipur (part 2.)
PArt 10. Hotel Pearl Palace in Jaipur

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