FIT FOR A QUEEN: SAMODE PALACE

by Kumkum Ramchandani

What do Caroline Herrera, the late Jackie Onassis, Boris Becker, Amitabh Bachchan and Jeremy Irons have in common? They have all stayed at Samode Palace, a heritage hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and been transported into the enchanting world of royal splendour that was the heritage of India’s erstwhile maharajas.

Samode Palace is situated just 42 kms from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and 264 kms from New Delhi. Its beautiful environment has been the setting for The Far Pavilions, M.M.Kaye’s tempestuous novel which was turned into a successful film and TV serial and Koyla, a blockbuster Hindi film starring Shahrukh Khan. The picturesque heritage hotel has won eight consecutive national awards for best hotel and a citation as fifth best hotel in 1999 in The Times, London.

For me and my two grown up daughters, who have never lived in India, a two month holiday in the country December 2003-January 2004 was a well deserved break from the nerve wracking daily grind of the western world. We stepped into the gracious atmosphere of Samode Palace for just one day and one night (all we could afford) to vicariously soak up the luxury that must have been taken for granted by the maharajas and maharanis of bygone days.

As we approached Samode after a one hour drive from Jaipur, we could not help but gasp at the picturesque surroundings. One one side the Aravalli Hills formed a lush green backdrop for the majestic palace while on the other, the village of Samode formed a perfect foil with its crumbling houses, water wells, smiling children and colourfully clothed men and women.

As we drove up the winding road through the village, little children waved to us and goats and cows looked up from their feeding buckets. We noticed several shops and workshops for textiles, quilts and gemstones. Our driver pointed out that the establishment of the heritage hotel had provided a great economic boost for the villagers of Samode. Later on, during a walk, we bought two exquisite silk quilted double bedcovers in traditional motifs for a laughable sum of Dh 35 each.

On our arrival at noon at the entrance to Samode, two ethnically garbed bell boys took charge of our luggage and we were escorted to our first floor deluxe suite which took our breath away. It was a triple room which had been decorated to retain its princely ambience with dark mahogany antique furniture, lots of black and white photos of royal family members, mosaic water fountains and luxurious muslin drapery in traditional blue and green motifs. Colourful antique rugs adorned the tasteful mosaic floors. The girls would share a huge canopied bed while I had pride of place in a sunken curtained majlis with bolsters and plump cushions.

I heard a happy shriek from the royal bathroom. My younger daughter who has a penchant for lingering all day in the bath was ecstatic. The bathroom was as big as a house with a huge sunken tub and several alcoves stuffed with bath salts and moisturizers. One could distinctly imagine the royal princesses luxuriating in the bath while handmaidens anointed their limbs with fragrant oils. Once again, we were pleased to see that the original décor had been retained with the antique wash stand and dark wood fittings.

However, we were not going to waste precious time wallowing in the washroom. After unpacking, we decided to visit the swimming pool for some much needed sunbathing. In keeping with the general ambience, the pool was quite old world with all the mod cons cleverly concealed. It was too cold to swim so we draped ourselves on several beach chairs while sipping on numerous glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. The gently undulating Aravalli Hills were visible and added to our feeling of contentment.

A tour of the hotel revealed that it has amazingly retained its original décor. There are elaborately and lavishly decorated and handpainted convention rooms where the royal darbars must have been held. Twisting staircases and painted corridors abound while painted motifs embellish the ceilings and walls. There are numerous courtyards with wonderful views where one can sit and enjoy the peacefully pleasant surroundings.

At three pm the Kerala massage centre opened its doors and we went in for the general ayurvedic massage which was one oil-soaked hour of pure pampering. Feeling rejuvenated we went back to the room for our baths and prepared ourselves for the evening’s promised festivity. At 5pm everyone gathered outside to see the setting sun on camel back. Just outside the hotel was a huge patch of ground where the animals were tethered and we climbed the surrounding hills to gaze dreamily at the rosy horizon.

On returning around 6pm, we saw a lot of activity in the courtyard and were told that a bus load of tourists were expected. Roses and marigold petals were strewn all over, colourful buntings were hung up, a puppet stand was erected and three folkloric musicians started tuning their instruments while three adolescent boys dressed in ethnic dance costumes awaited their turn.

As the busload disembarked, the musicians began to play their reedy lilting music and the three dancers began to sing and dance to traditional folkloric lyrics. The guests were handed welcome drinks and some wandered over to watch the puppet show while others were entranced by the antics of the dancers. Rajasthani music and dance is quite interesting as male dancers tend to gyrate gracefully and play female roles leading to much hilarity on the part of the onlookers.

At 7pm, we were led to the main dining room where a huge buffet of traditional Rajasthani dishes awaited us. Never having tasted this cuisine before, we were pleasantly surprised by the tastiness of the food. The a la carte menu featured western fare including the inevitable fish and chips and hamburgers. The new guests were busy outside where a barbecue was in progress and we could hear them making a lot of noise and having a good time. It seemed to be an office party.

After a good tuck in, we were ready to hit the sack as it had been a long day. We went back to our room, watched TV and soon went to bed.

We woke up in the morning to scary thudding on the roof. Looking outside we saw a group of monkeys with white faces and long black tails. They were a tribe of langurs, we were told later. We quickly gathered up all the bananas in our room and went outside on the balcony to feed them. A mistake as one of them almost jumped into the room! Another almost landed on my head in his excitement.

Soon, we rang for breakfast and it took three uniformed waiters three trips to bring in one of the most sumptuous meals we have ever had in the morning! There were eggs, toast, juice, muffins, fruit, cereal and coffee. After the heavy meal we thought a walk would be in order and meandered around the village soaking in the sight of the village belles drawing water from the wells, the children running around and waving cheekily and the local dogs guarding their territories with cocked heads and growls. Goats and cows were strolling around while we visited some of the gem shops and bought our silk bedcovers after much goodnatured haggling.

Soon, however, it was time to pack and with heavy hearts we went back to our room. Our driver was waiting for us and as we drove away from the beautiful palace and its quaint village, we knew that it would a long time before we would ever experience such splendour again. Our royal sojourn was over.

Some facts about Samode Palace:

Samode Palace is four hundred and fifty years old and dates back to Prithviraj Singhji of Amber, the seventeenth prince of the Kacchawaha Rajputs. Today it has been converted into a heritage hotel by descendants of the original feudal lords. Built in the traditional Rajput-Mughal style, the hotel has 43 rooms, each of which is decorated differently. Of the 43 rooms, 15 are deluxe suites and 3 are royal suites. All rooms have airconditioning, heating, minibars, TV and telephones with international dialling facilities. The royal suites have LD and CD players, jacuzzis, fireplaces and private courtyards. Horse riding, camel, horse and jeep safaris can be arranged on request. Puppet and cultural shows are held every evening. There is a fitness centre and sauna/steam rooms.

Samode Palace is 42 kms from Jaipur. It can be reached by road on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. Jaipur is well connected by road, rail and air to all major cities in India.

Website: http://www.samode.com

Email: reservations@samode.com