Lovely reflection of the night lit Taj Lake Palace in the waters, Udaipur

Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas) is a luxury hotel, of 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls, located on a natural foundation of 4 acres (16,000 m2) rock on the Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India. The hotel operates a boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace. It has been voted as the most romantic hotel in India. Accommodations at Taj Lake Palace, a Leading Small Hotel, are as delightful as the exterior. Every one of our romantic rooms holds a story and among the most compelling is The Chandra Prakash Suite, meaning Lustre of the Moon. The decorative gilt moldings, sculpted marble columns, and fine fretwork screens impressed even the Maharaja who held court in this very room in the 1930s.

There are countless unique experiences to be had. Indulge in royal Mewar fare at the Lily Pond, where courtesans once welcomed royalty into the folds of the palace. Or sail into a purple sunset on a 150-year old ceremonial barge complete with candlelight and resplendently dressed oarsmen. Indulge in a heritage walk with a royal escort armed with caviar, pate and a bottle of bubbly. Soak in the sounds and sights of the city as your royal butler accompanies you on a shopping trip. In this royal dream, anything is possible.

Jag Niwas, now Taj Lake Palace, is one of 4 lovely islands in Lake Pichola. And each island has a story to tell. Mohan Mandir is the place from where the king would watch the annual Gangaur festival celebration. Arsivilas used to be an ammunition depot and later was used as a helipad by the royal family. And of course, Jag Mandir is the location for the original pleasure palace of Maharana Jagat Singh I. The Royal Dynasty of Mewar had palaces to spare. In addition to Taj Lake Place there was the City Palace, which used to be the official residential palace during winters, the hill top Monsoon Palace also known as Sajjan Garh, and the aforementioned Jag Mandir.

What may have begun as a prince's rebellious gesture was turned into one of the most romantic hotels in the world by Maharana Bhagwat Singhji in 1963. Then in 1971, with its legacy of hospitality, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces was the perfect choice to carry on the royal tradition of the luxurious Lake Palace, Udaipur. The palace's decadent reputation was cemented when the James Bond film Octopussy was filmed on the premises. Taj Lake Palace was the secluded lair of the film's eponymous Bond girl. As both royal abode and luxury hotel, the Taj Lake Palace has captured the affection of the likes of Lord Curzon, Vivien Leigh, Queen Elizabeth, the Shah of Iran, the king of Nepal and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Source: http://www.tajhotels.com

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