Umaid Bhawan's service is so slick that it’s easy to believe you are actually the guest of an incumbent maharaja as the palace once was intended for. Built in the 1930s by British architect Henry Lancaster, and topped by a 100-foot dome, the magnificent palace is still the home of the Maharaja of Jodhpur. A good proportion, however, is now managed by the Taj group as a luxury hotel. Its 22 rooms and 42 suites are delightful in their Art Deco style, and a complete departure from other palaces in Rajasthan.
Beautiful international dishes are served up at Pillars, though lovers of Indian food should head instead to Risala, said to serve the best Indian fusion cuisine in Jodhpur. To work some of the food off, you could have a game in the marble squash courts, play a chukka or two of polo, or take the maharaja’s own horses out for a gallop from the riding school. For something more sedate, how about an excursion in one of the maharaja’s vintage cars, or a trip to the onsite Palace Museum, filled with everything from Victorian timepieces to scale models of aeroplanes.