scorecardMy husband and I paid $3,300 to spend 2 nights at a palace in the middle of a lake
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My husband and I paid $3,300 to spend 2 nights at a palace in the middle of a lake

Noor Anand Chawla   

My husband and I paid $3,300 to spend 2 nights at a palace in the middle of a lake
My husband and I spent $3,300 for a two-night stay at the Taj Lake Palace.Prateek Sharma & Chirag Patnaik
  • My husband spent two nights at the Taj Lake Palace — a hotel located on a lake in Rajasthan, India.
  • We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived, and enjoyed the stunning views.

For our 10th wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided to splurge — spending 2,76,748 rupees (roughly $3,330) — for a two-night stay at the Taj Lake Palace Hotel.

Located on India's Lake Pichola, the 18th-century palace once served as a summer house for the Mewar Royal family and was converted into a hotel in 1963.

My husband was especially excited to visit because it was a filming location for the 1983 James Bond film "Octopussy."

Here's what our stay at this beautiful hotel was like.

We were treated like royalty from the second we arrived at the hotel.

We were treated like royalty from the second we arrived at the hotel.
We took a private boat to the hotel.      Noor Anand Chawla

We took a private boat to the hotel, which sits white and pristine in the middle of the lake.

Upon arrival, we were treated to a shower of roses tossed like confetti by hotel staff from above — a royal welcome indeed.

The reception area, which includes a bar, is ornately decorated.

The reception area, which includes a bar, is ornately decorated.
We were immediately impressed by the hotel's beautiful reception area.      Prateek Sharma & Chirag Patnaik

We checked in at the ornately decorated reception area, which also included a common sitting area, bar, and courtyard.

We were blown away by the beautiful courtyard.

We were blown away by the beautiful courtyard.
The central courtyard was our favorite of the common spaces.      Prateek Sharma & Chirag Patnaik

While walking to our room, we were given a mini tour of the common spaces, the most beautiful of which was the central courtyard adorned with a pond and a lovely garden.

Our room was even decorated for our anniversary.

Our room was even decorated for our anniversary.
On our bed, we were greeted by a pillow celebrating our anniversary.      Noor Anand Chawla

Our room, though small, was comfortable. It had a king-sized bed, elegant teakwood furniture, and an ensuite bathroom. We also had a lovely view of the lake.

We were welcomed to the room with a "Happy Anniversary" pillow, a small chocolate cake embossed with an image of the Lake Palace hotel, and a locomotive engine made of chocolate.

The Jharokha restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.

The Jharokha restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.
For our first meal at the hotel, we had Italian food.      Noor Anand Chawla

Located on the ground floor and easily accessible from the reception area, Jharokha serves a multi-cuisine menu.

Its lovely lattice-work windows really set the royal mood.

Though our first lunch here of Italian food was average, we enjoyed the breakfast on both days.

We treated ourselves to a spa treatment.

We treated ourselves to a spa treatment.
My husband and I enjoyed some time at the spa.      Noor Anand Chawla

As a special treat, I booked a rather pricey couple's spa treatment for 26,600 rupees (about $320). Two therapists worked on us individually over twin beds.

After the treatment, we were treated to the bottle of sparkling wine that was included in the package and left to enjoy the bath covered in rose petals.

We also used the adjoining steam room and sauna.

Although we didn't get in the water, we enjoyed time by the pool.

Although we didn
We spent some time lounging near the pool.      Noor Anand Chawla

Though we didn't have time to swim, we enjoyed watching the sunset from the poolside with champagne glasses in hand.

Our favorite meal was at the Bhairo rooftop restaurant.

Our favorite meal was at the Bhairo rooftop restaurant.
We enjoyed dinner at the Bhairo rooftop restaurant.      Prateek Sharma & Chirag Patnaik

Our anniversary dinner was booked at the Bhairo rooftop restaurant, which serves European cuisine.

Only open during the winter months, it offers stunning views of the lake at night, offset by the beautifully lit palaces and buildings opposite.

The Aravalli mountains can also be seen in the distance. The meal we had here was exquisite — definitely the culinary highlight of this trip.

I had the clear chicken soup as a starter and the ravioli with roasted pumpkin, nuts, and baked ricotta for my main course. My husband enjoyed the lamb cacciatore.

Although we didn't order dessert, the staff gave us a complimentary Belgian-chocolate fondant.

We were upgraded to a royal suite on the second day of our stay.

We were upgraded to a royal suite on the second day of our stay.
The royal suite was much larger than our original room.      Noor Anand Chawla

Because we were celebrating our anniversary, we were upgraded to a royal suite on the second day of our stay.

This suite was much larger than our original room and offered a view of the Jagmandir Palace on another side of the lake.

In addition to the large canopy bed and spacious bathroom, we also had a sitting area in the main bedroom in front of the TV.

And we got a separate sitting area in a nook surrounded by French windows.

For our final meal, we enjoyed local cuisine at the Neel Kamal restaurant.

For our final meal, we enjoyed local cuisine at the Neel Kamal restaurant.
We enjoyed local cuisine from Udaipur at the Neel Kamal restaurant.      Prateek Sharma & Chirag Patnaik

For our last dinner, we chose to eat at Neel Kamal, the restaurant that serves local cuisine from Udaipur.

With its live music and stately décor, the restaurant certainly captured the essence of Rajasthan.

We ordered the traditional thali, which is a platter of local menu items, as well as some desserts.

We enjoyed our stay at the Taj Lake Palace.

We enjoyed our stay at the Taj Lake Palace.
Our stay at the Taj Lake Palace was memorable.      Noor Anand Chawla

Our two-day visit was short but very memorable. The staff was helpful and courteous.

We enjoyed being treated like royalty, but we also believe that one stay in this iconic hotel is enough. When we return to Udaipur next, we would love to explore some of the newer, more highly-ranked properties nearby.

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