Taj Lake Palace

Arriving at the Lake Palace by boat, I found myself straining to conjure up any sort of satisfaction with the look of the place. Poor Taj—it’s hard to know what they could actually do to fix the problem they’ve inherited. The original Lake Palace of the 18th and 19th centuries, with its fanciful and ornate pavilions and turrets (which you can see in prints on display in the hotel) has been almost completely subsumed by an incredibly insensitive 20th century cruise-ship architecture, such that the entire island is now covered by the hotel, which looks like a white, concrete block sitting on the water. You can spot a few sections of the original palace, but mostly, the exterior is just flat, white surface area with porthole-like windows. But as you step off the boat and walk toward the front entrance, and rose petals rain down upon you, your hope for some sort of romantic idyll re-awakens. And that dichotomy—between what Taj has inherited and their efforts to upgrade that inheritance through superior service and amenities—is what I experienced over and over again during my short stay there. In other words, I had a really mixed experience.

The public areas of the Lake Palace were a major disappointment. There’s a bit of original palace architecture here and there in the public spaces—tilework in the bar, for example—but by and large, you’ve got ugly green floor tiles, or outdoor courtyards paved in what appears to be concrete, so that you feel, even inside the property, that you’re walking around the deck of a three-star cruise ship. At night, the lighting is especially insensitive to any sense of atmosphere or beauty. A tatty and small pool area has been tucked into a back corner of the property, surrounded by rubber floor mats, alongside a negligible fitness room. Even the uniforms of the staff appeared somewhat tired and inelegant.

But then, there is the Khush Mahal Suite, and once we had escaped from the cruise ship feel of the courtyard into the room itself, we had an entirely different experience. While much of the hotel is devoid of atmosphere, the Khush Mahal Suite has it in spades. As one of the historic accommodations, the former boudoir of a royal wife, it is one of the most gorgeous hotel rooms in the world, with a floor made up of red and white marble lozenges, and colored glass in the windows that turn your room into a kaleidoscope in the morning as the sun reflects off the surrounding waters and onto the ceiling, walls, and floor of the suite. The bathroom is very spacious, with a beautiful tub.

Service was quite good throughout, if a bit overzealous at times, our butler calling us despite a do-not-disturb sign on the door to ask us when we’d be leaving the room so he could leave a gift for us. Nice thought, but I’d prefer not to be disturbed when the sign is on the door.

Food was very good, particularly dinner in the rooftop restaurant Bhairo, where the views of the floodlit City Palace across the lake are unbeatable.

I also really liked the small but pretty spa. They also have a boat that they use as a sort of spa-on-water, but we didn’t see anyone using it.

So I can recommend, unequivocally, the Khush Mahal Suite, and if you plan to spend much of your time there, you will likely be pleased with your stay, as you will be during dinner on the roof or when in the spa—so that’s all considerable. But the inconsistency in the atmosphere and aesthetics of the hotel, overall, make it a less satisfying experience than truly great hotels provide, and one that I won’t plan to re-experience.