Decorating & Design
Tour The Gorgeous Interior Of The Best Hotel In The World
Updated on May 20, 2016
Editor in chief Suzanne Dimma shares a look inside The Best Hotel In The World according to Trip Advisor, where she recently stayed during her trip to India.
This past fall, I visited India with my husband Arriz. We had many incredible experiences, but one of the highlights was our stay at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodphur, which was recently voted hotel of the year by Trip Advisor. Built in the 1930s, Umaid Bhawan is a working palace and the Maharaja of Jodphur still lives there, so the guests are treated like royalty. You can’t help but be impressed by the stately domed façade, sprawling symmetrical structure and magnificent setting overlooking Jodphur. Click through our gallery to tour the hotel’s gorgeous grounds.
See more from Suzanne’s trip to India here.
This is the view from the front gardens to one of the hotel’s wings. Our room was in the far turret with a view to the gardens and pool. As you will see from the photos, the palace was a blend of eastern and western architectural influences including Renaissance, Art deco, and Rajput – but it all came together beautifully.
Here is a shot of one of the doormen who greeted us as we entered the hotel. The walkways in the exterior hallways, complete with inset seafoam terrazzo floors, went on forever and paired beautifully with the golden yellow sandstone walls.
This is the unbelievable grand lobby in the central dome. Entering into this space was jaw-dropping.
This is the aerial view from the first tier above the lobby. The magnificence of the inlaid marble floor was especially clear from this angle.
Everywhere we turned, there were meticulous design details, like this brass elephant motif door handle on the front gate.
The hallways wrapped around this tranquil inner courtyard with openings every four feet so that lovely breezes passed through. The smell of jasmine wafting in from the trees in the yard was ever present.
Our room looked out onto the sprawling, manicured gardens and a sliver of the pool (which can be seen on the upper right).
We stayed in one of the historical bedrooms, which was heavily influenced by Art Deco.
Peacocks roam the hotel grounds, so they’re featured in a lot of the artwork and murals, like the one over our lacquered wood bed.
The black and white bathroom with its center tub – flanked by his and hers vanities – was also Deco influenced, though it was hard to photograph because of all the mirrors.
There were various restaurants on the grounds, but being served lunch on this serene covered patio was one of our favorites.
Hotel guests could arrange to have dinner at the top of the building on special occasions, which had incomparable views to the city of Jodphur and Mehrangarh Fort. I loved how the architecture created a dramatic backdrop for the table that felt very Gotham City.
We ate breakfast at the top of the main steps with views to the grounds. The food was impeccable, so we ate a lot and stretched out every meal to take in the beauty of the setting.
Breakfast always included a selection of dumplings, naan sandwiches and chutneys served on silver, tiered stands.
Here I am in a trance: stunned to have arrived at this dream-like place.
White lounge chairs and brightly-hued umbrellas surrounded the edgeless pool. I love to swim, so it was a highlight.
When it was too hot to swim outside, the spa had its own indoor pool covered in incredible blue fresco tile work and rose petals on special occasions.