Holidays fit for a maharaja

28/04/2008 

TALK of travel in India might summon up thoughts of crammed buses and dicky tummies, but there has been a revolution in what a tourist can expect. The economy is growing and with the money has come swanky hotels and a booming tourism industry.

The luxury market in particular is being transformed and is a business that is reaching ever deeper into the subcontinent — even an excursion over the border into Himalayan Bhutan can be done in five-star style. CityA.M. looks at some of the best destinations in the world’s most exciting emerging nation.

HIMALAYAN SPA BREAK

Once the residence of the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal, the magnificent Viceregal Palace (pictured above) is nestled among acres of virgin forest, 3,000 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Himalayas. After flying into Delhi, travel the 260km to Haridwar in the first-class, air-conditioned comfort of the Dehradun Shatabdi Express.

The palace, which includes an annex built for the British viceroy including a billiard room, library and ballroom, serves as the frontispiece of a resort containing 70 deluxe rooms, five suites and three villas, as well as a magnificent restaurant built within a grove of old sal trees.

You can wander through the sweep of the palatial gardens, tarry at the tea lounge and relax your body, mind and soul with a full range of holistic spa treatments, traditional Ayurveda therapies and personalised yoga sessions.

Eight-day package, including spa treatments and return international flights, from £2,099 per person from On The Go tours

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, MUMBAI

Many of India’s finest hotels take inspiration from the luxurious traditions of the country’s rich colonial past, but the Indian subcontinent’s first Four Seasons hotel, opening this May, taps into the modern vitality of the country’s quickly awakening global aspirations.

Mumbai is at the heart of India’s economic explosion, home to its booming financial and commercial industries as well as countless international corporations and the national stock exchange.

Occupying a dominant central position in the city’s Worli district, the hotel’s gleaming glass tower extends 33 storeys superb views over the Arabian Sea, the hotel’s 202 guest rooms and suites include the largest rooms and presidential suite in the city.

The Four Seasons’s two restaurants are expected to be welcome additions to Mumbai’s booming cosmopolitan dining scene, with Prato serving up modern Italian food while San-Qi combines Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisine as well as containing a chef’s table and hip bar.

For those needing to escape the city’s bustle, there’s also the opportunity to eat al fresco on the pool deck, and a two-storey spa includes whirlpools and ice fountains.

Rooms from £250 per night. For reservations visit www.fourseasons.com/mumbai

INDIAN FORTS & PALACES

India contains some of the most magnificent monuments in the world, from antique palaces to the grand creations from the era of the British Raj.

This package arranged by Ampersand Travel, which specialises in luxury travel on the subcontinent, starts with the Mughal monuments and Imperial City built by the British in Delhi, before moving on to the Taj Mahal in Agra. #

You can meander through the breathtakingly majestic palaces and forts of Rajasthan, take in the Amber Fort in Jaipur by elephant, ride camels in the desert around Jaisalmer and explore the Blue City of Jodhpur, while experiencing Rajasthani hospitality in a luxury tent in rural Nimaj.

A number of these ancient buildings have been converted into some of the finest hotels on the subcontinent. You will live like Indian royalty in an exquisite mirrored suite in the domed palace of Deogarh.

You’ll enjoy the luxury of the lavishly restored Fort of Devi Garh at the cutting edge of contemporary style, before finally moving on to the fairytale lake city of Udaipur to unwind before returning home.

£5,795 per person from www.ampersandtravel. com

CLASSIC BHUTAN

The kingdom of Bhutan, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and sharing borders with India, Tibet and China, is one of the most remote nations in the world, and also one of the most beautiful.

This exciting journey takes you through some of the area’s most entrancing valleys while staying in the splendid comforts of the Aman and Uma Paro hotel resorts.

Starting with the bustling capital city of Thimpu, where you can see the modern side of Bhutanese life, visitors travel onto the rural heartlands of the Phobjikha Valley where electricity is still a novelty and flocks of blacknecked cranes are seen migrating from Siberia for the winter months.

In the district of Punakha visit the awe-inspiring Punakha Dzong, a legendary fortress dating from 1637. End your trip in the pristine Paro and Haa valleys, taking in the culture and Bhutan’s most famous landmark, the Taktshang Tiger’s Nest Monastery perched on a sheer, 3,120-metre cliffface accessible only on foot or by mule.

The trip costs £6,000 per person from www.ampersandtravel.com

By Timothy Barber