Travel 49
Need to
knowGETTY IMAGES; BHARAT AGGARWAL; ALAMYmore chic
places to
stay in
India
Ahilya Fort, Maheshwar
Ahilya Fort is probably the most
magical palace hotel in India, and the
Narmada Suite occupies a privileged
position overlooking the temples
and ghats of the Narmada River;
a situation unlike any other.
Maheshwar is a holy town, a mini
Varanasi rich in tradition and
religious customs. The 18th-century
fort is the home of Richard Holkar,
the maharajah of Indore, and he has
taken enormous care to preserve the
extraordinary charm of this building.
The food here is outstanding and
served not in a stuffy dining room
but at candlelit tables positioned
around the architecture and gardens.
One night we were led by lanterns
to a table for two on a candlelit
turret. Magic.
Details Full-board doubles from
£355 (ahilyafort.com). Fly to Indore3
one night here at the charming Aodhi in
one of its mountainside cottages, where we
had a peaceful evening sitting on our ter-
race. We watched langur monkeys swing
like trapeze artists through the trees high
above the first twinkling lights of Diwali.
Next is Jawai, a remarkable Rajasthani
desert area famous as a sanctuary for leop-
ards, crocodiles and hundreds of bird spe-
cies. The three-hour drive west was spec-
tacular. Guided by helpful locals nodding
us in the right direction, we ended up on a
very scenic shortcut. It headed steeply
down past grassy, rolling hills dotted with
trees and cattle before giving way to a tree-
covered gorge and a biker’s dream — a
proper mountain road that snaked its way
around the rock offering sheer drops and
views for miles. This took us down to Ra-Gabby Deeming travelled
independently. Greaves
India has a 12-night tour
from £2,265pp, B&B,
including internal
flights and transfers
(greavesindia.co.uk).
Fly to New Delhi. For
entry requirements,
check gov.ukourselves deep among fields fat with sugar
cane, and quiet villages where we bought
marigold garlands to decorate the bike,
following a way of life unchanged for
decades. Small roadside shrines are paint-
ed in the vibrant hues of a fairground at-
traction and bright fabric-shaded fruit-
and-vegetable wagons are in every village.
The main attraction in Kumbhalgarh is
the 15th-century Mewar fortress, which
we visited an hour before sunset, the low
golden light bathing the pink walls of the
building and catching the tips of its intri-
cate family of temples. From the very top,
your eyes can follow the “Great Wall of
India” as it ribbons its way along the
mountain ridge. It feels wonderfully still,
with only the sound of temple bells and
chatter from the village below. We spent
nakpur and its famous white marble Jain
Temple, where more than a thousand col-
umns, great halls and shrines are covered
in impossibly fine carving.
I found our accommodation in Jawai,
the charming Rawla Bislapur, through
Instagram (probably the only time I’ve
tried searching by hashtag). It’s a small
palace guesthouse in the lovely village of
Bisalpur with four pretty bedrooms
converted from the owner’s home, a
1930s Indo-European villa that was con-
structed next to the family’s 18th-century
original palace, or “rawla”, an atmos-
pheric ruin at the foot of one of the
ancient volcanic rock faces that stands
guard over the property. The old stables
that once housed the famous Marwari
horses are now a place to enjoy a G&T
and delicious home-cooked thali.
The two brothers who opened their
home in 2019 took us on an early evening
safari. We drank tea on the banks of the
Jawai Dam while crocodiles basked on
rocks, and when the call of a leopard
sighting came through, our SUV raced us
across giant rocks and up sandy paths in
time to watch a beautiful mother leave
her cubs in search of supper. It is the most
remarkable landscape. We took the bike
back to explore the next morning and
were struck by the combination of natu-
ral elements that have formed to create
this magical place; giant granite rocks
smooth as bone, the many-fingered
sculptural cacti Euphorbia caducifolia
and bright yellow flowers of the Senna
auriculata, which the local Rabari shep-
herds, distinctive in their red turbans, use
for medicine.
Leaving the heat of the desert, we
climbed back up the mountain road to
Ranakpur for our last night and found
ourselves needing jumpers and duvets.
Good preparation for our return to winter.Kumbhalgarh fortressElsewhere, Goa
You can’t go wrong at Elsewhere,
above, because all five of the classic
Portuguese villas at this beautiful
Goan resort have brightly painted
old-school charm, and the Bakery
fronts on to the beach. If you
thought the days of seclusion and
peace were long extinct for Goa,
you will be delighted with this
wonderfully private estate, accessed
via a bamboo footbridge. Each of the
villas is secluded among the long
grasses and sandy dunes. Although
the properties are individual villas,
Elsewhere is run more like a hotel,
with a dining tent, room service and
plenty of staff on hand. We loved
the fact that there was no cut-off
time for breakfast.
Details B&B doubles from £86
(aseascape.com). Fly to DabolimThe City Palace, Jaipur
This is a rare opportunity to stay as
the solo guest in Jaipur’s beautiful
City Palace, which is still occupied
by the royal family. The Gudliya
suite is available on Airbnb, with all
profits going to a palace charity
that supports rural women. As a
guest you will be swept up from
the airport by your chauffeur and
transported to a delightfully colourful
suite of rooms. A butler is on hand to
oversee your needs, while palace
guides offer access to normally
closed rooms and tours of the palace
museum, which houses an
extraordinary collection of Mughal art.
Details All-inclusive Gudliya Suite
from £1,000, including transfers
(reopens in December; airbnb.co.uk/
rooms/39622530/). Fly to JaipurCity Palace Museum, Jaipur