Fancy a sojourn on a 21-acre private island embraced by one of Earth’s oldest geological features, where leopards roam freely? You’re in luck: Raffles Udaipur, the first Indian outpost by leading legacy brand Raffles, conjures visions of Rajasthani fairytale magic from its seat amidst the ancient Aravalli Range. But far from relying on clichés, this resort marches to the beat of its own drum.
Our late-night arrival on the shores of Udai Sagar Lake arguably foreshadowed a take on hospitality as joyous as it is theatrical: there we were, our faces pressed against the warm night, as the hotel’s staff handed us a Raffles-branded coconut and escorted us down a pier that stretched deep into the black lake. Alongside us, a musician played the Ravanhatta – an ancient stringed instrument made from bamboo – and just ahead, the hotel’s purpose-built boat lay in the inky waters. As we took a seat, we found ourselves appreciating wave-like trimmings on the vessel’s fabric ceiling before noticing the embroidered, floral-motif curtains all around. Finally, we saw the resort itself, a distant siren, its golden glow bouncing off the waves ahead.
It’s only when guests arrive on the island itself that the somewhat ceremonial welcome procedures kick into second gear, with a gesture so celebratory and memorable, we can’t quite bring ourselves to ruining the surprise – just prepare to be amazed. What’s apparent from the get-go here is that 2021-opened Raffles Udaipur regards itself as the kind of hotel whose very success depends on its capacity to surprise and delight at every turn, the type where guests don’t simply ‘stay’, but rather experience. And the resort’s grounds alone would evoke awe in most, with their manicured Baroque gardens straight out of Versailles, dotted with alabaster fountains, statues of elephants and mythical sphinxes, as well as an obelisk, presumably for good measure.
When we stayed, the hotel was home to 101 rooms and suites, though a separate building, off the island and by the arrival pier, is set to be finished in 2025, adding more accommodations. Many a guest will want to stay on the island itself, of course, but first-time visitors keen to explore the age-old charms of Udaipur – which is some 30 minutes driving from the hotel – might benefit from not having a 10-minute boat ride added onto their journey into town. Conversely, returning Indophiles who have ‘seen it all before’ will appreciate Raffles Udaipur’s off-the-beaten-path location away from tourist traps and within the vicinity of lesser-visited mountaintop temples. It’s a side of the city that proposes a more serene type of stay: to many, it’ll be worth the extra mileage.
Our 120 sqm/1,291 sqft Manor Suite was certainly worth travelling for: waking up in our kingsize half tester bed, we were just steps from a private balcony overlooking the historical lake (which had been built in the 16th century by Udai Singh II, the 12th Maharana of the Kingdom of Mewar), while a generous living room with a large hardwood desk and dining table for two meant we could both relax when we wanted to and work when we had to – either without compromise. The Suite’s decor was reflective of its versatility, with rhino-grey walls and black detailing on parquet floors offering a modern backdrop, upon which works of Indian artisanship were shown off to their best advantage (think wooden chests, paintings depicting Rajasthani scenes and hand-painted murals on recessed walls).
The space also benefited from a powder room and a small walk-in wardrobe, though it was in our chandelier-lit primary bathroom with Venetian mirrors, twin vanities, a rainfall shower and a freestanding, silver roll top bathtub set in front of an enormous wall painting, that our accommodation was perhaps at its most playful and enchanting. If you were so inclined, you could easily spend a day or two just enjoying the Suite itself – in-room dining and a minibar and coffee and tea station with Raffles-branded chocolate bars and brews offer plenty in the way of culinary delights – but we found that each time we left our private lodgings, we’d return to a little gesture left behind by our butler, from turndown snacks to notes wishing us a restful sleep: when coming back is this rewarding, it pays to go out and explore.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Escapist | UDR | GMT +5.5 |
| While you’re Out There |
| While the City Palace Museum and Lake Pichola deservedly rank among the top attractions locally, Raffles Udaipur can organise private storytelling sessions with a historian, guided hikes to Mahadev temple, or, if you’d like to give back and make a positive impact on the destination you visit, connect you to Tara Sansthan, a local home for the elderly. |
At the hotel’s dining outlets, guests are invited to sample a cornucopia of flavours from across the state and beyond. We enjoyed Sawai Kitchen, which serves ‘lost recipes’ from the royal courts of ancient Rajputana. The team had been made aware of our dietary requirements prior to our stay, and catered to them in style, serving us plant-based dishes like pearl millet soup, three-layered chickpea cake with raw mango pickle (a favourite of the Maharani Jaiwanta Bai, if our menu was to be believed), gram flour dumplings with chilli ‘caviar’ and a fruit cake on guava coulis – chef’s kiss. For lunch, head to the pool where scrumptious favourites meet all things freshly-squeezed, popped and poured.
There’s also the Writers Bar, perfect for afternoon tea made bespoke with the help of a dedicated tea sommelier, as well as the hotel’s version of Raffles’ iconic Long Bar, the Singaporean equivalent of which is famously known as the birthplace of the Singapore Sling (but you already knew that). Owing to the resort’s location on a private island, neither bar is of the ‘mingling-with-the-locals’ kind, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying an expertly crafted concoction or two – the thing to get here, of course, being the Udaipur Sling, a zesty cocktail made with Rajasthani gin, frangipani soda and a number of bitters that result in a genuinely original cascade of flavours.
Tempting though as Indian cuisine and imaginative potions may be, we eventually tore ourselves away from Raffles Udaipur’s epicurean poles and steered towards the one part of the hotel we knew would return us to a place of post-gluttonous equilibrium: the Raffles Spa (yes, we know, the hardship!). The generous wellness space is in the dedicated ‘Zenana Quarters’, which were traditionally the parts of a palace reserved exclusively for women. Disregarding the historical reference, or perhaps seeing the woman within us, our soft-spoken therapist made us feel very much welcome before leading us down a path strewn with rose petals and tea lights, right into one of the spa’s six luxurious treatment rooms. We loved how spacious and thoughtfully designed these were: many a hotel misses an opportunity to wow guests with an amazing treatment room – this one does not.
Raffles Udaipur’s sole flaw, perhaps, is its tendency to want to wow at every opportunity and please each guest along the way. This might sound contradictory, but it’s reflected in the mix of European Palladian architecture and Mughal or Mewari elements like chhatri domes and jali panels (not to mention the pool cabanas featuring Ionic columns… a first in our book) that make the hotel somewhat of a simulacrum. In its attempt to feel like an Indian hideaway for foreign visitors and a property with international ambitions for the burgeoning domestic market, the resort appears a little undecided as to what exactly it wants to be: “We borrow from different cultures”, as one staff member put it during our stay, pointing towards an Egyptian obelisk that appeared a little lost amidst Baroque gardens.
If you can look beyond this somewhat vague identity, Raffles’ overall brand proposition arguably makes up for what some will perceive as an at times artless display of showmanship: the brand, renowned globally for its butlers, is clearly invested in retaining its reputation for industry-leading service standards. There wasn’t a question our butler couldn’t answer or a wish he wouldn’t fulfil with tremendous style, not once allowing us to feel us though we’d asked for anything beyond the ordinary (despite our best efforts in doing just that!). We were so impressed with the service, in fact, we’re confident that if we’d asked for a star, the team would’ve wasted no time in building a ladder. In this regard, the hotel – which is unlike others in the City of Lakes – honours a tradition of joyous, Indian hospitality with an undeniable spirit of generosity. Magical indeed.
Photography courtesy of Raffles Hotels & Resorts
