The Oberoi Udaivilas

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India

Haridasji Ki Magri, Mulla Talai, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001
Coordinates: 24.5672°N 73.6781°E

author:

Raj Yamgar

The Oberoi Udaivilas: Udaivilas is a 30-acre resort located on land along the lake where the maharanas of Mewar once began their hunting trips. The predominantly single-story structure rises with the slope of the land, creating different levels and stunning views of the 17th- and 18th-century island palaces and the long, sprawling City Palace. «The design is an assimilation of the spaces in traditional royal residential palaces, using Mewari architectural elements,» says architect Nimish Patel, who, with partner Parul Zaveri, conceived the building.

The entire complex with 90 rooms, including five suites is a creamy white monotone that instills an overall serenity. This effect is achieved with ghutai, a traditional lime-plastering technique that requires up to 18 months of preparation and is known to last centuries without any maintenance. Udaivilas rambles elegantly around verdant gardens and courtyards. One courtyard has a dramatic, rectangular swimming pool rimmed with alternating squares of black-granite and white-marble steps leading down to the water; another features a pond with large, carved marble lily pads. Fountains and reflecting pools throughout the grounds soothe the soul like a restful yoga pose and catch the light like the gold thread on vermilion saris.

• Guests are ferried across the lake and arrive by golf cart at the main gate, whose large cusped arch has historically been used by Mewar craftsmen. Other Mewari features, such as large domes and cupolas (ghummats and ghumtis), arrest the eye and define the Udaivilas skyline. Chhatris, or ornamental pavilions, dot the roofline.
• The lobby sets the interior theme of Udaivilas. A large dome with floral painting on gold leaf gives an arrival royal importance.
• The cozy bar off the lobby has burlwood-and- leather armchairs and chenille sofas. Chandelier light dances off the thikri, or mosaics made of mirrors.
• The cozy bar off the lobby has burlwood-and- leather armchairs and chenille sofas. Chandelier light dances off the thikri, or mosaics made of mirrors.

• Guests are made to feel royal with a variety of accommodations. Every room has generous garden space with a patio, and some have a semiprivate, infinity-edge pool. This pool actually stretches along a bank of rooms, making it possible to swim from one room to another.
• White walls in the rooms show off such details as the jharokha, or window seat. Vivid accent colors celebrate the tangerine, pomegranate and raspberry tones worn by Rajasthani women, contrasting emphatically with the desert palette.
• Udaivilas has two restaurants as well as outdoor dining areas. The informal Surya Mahal, for all-day dining, has a ’30s-era colonial feel. Udai Mahal, the evening restaurant, is an octagonal space, edged in cusped arches.

• The domed ceiling, painted midnight blue with
gold stars, evokes the evening sky. Temptations range from saffron linguini to prawn curry with coconut and curry leaf to the dishes of the royal kitchen, like gholiya, a stewed lamb.
• Royal calories and royal sight-seeing in Udaipur—from palaces to museums and bazaars—might prove exerting enough to require some royal rejuvenation at the spa. Here one can tend to the architecture of body and soul in the über-modern gym or relax with an Ayurvedic massage, a treatment based on an ancient Indian healing system.