Our stay at Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur

7-27-2011 we awoke at 6:30 as this is the day we moved to the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur. This hotel is just four years old and was named the best hotel in Asia this year. No surprise. It is the most luxurious place I have ever been. We arrived at about 9:30 a.m. and dropped off our bags. We said goodbye to our driver from the Devi Garh, Naresh. He became a true friend. 
     It needs to be stated that what sets India apart from a hotel and restaurant standpoint is the total deference with which one is treated by the staff. Every person greats the visitor with palms together and 'namaste'. They scramble to get in front of where you are going so they can open the door. And yet they are able to keep themselves almost invisible while doing this. At a meal, they keep a watchful eye while never seeming intrusive, but as soon as you are done with something, they are there immediately without asking.
     We observed that the service at the Devi Garh was superior in that the workers seemed more mature and were much more natural in being able to perform these tasks. That is not to say that the service at the Udaivilas and Peter the Lake Palace was not supreme. I learned from speaking to the workers at the Udaivilas that all of them except the landscapers had had college level training in hospitality management and all had goals to rise in the field of hotel management. One young man said that he would put in 2 years at the Udaivilas and then he would be qualified to work on a cruise ship. The employees at the Devi Garh were not as strong with their english, but they had an innate ability to understand my southern drawl. At the Udaivilas and Lake Palace the workers peak excellent English.
     Anyway, upon arrival, we did not get a tour of the Udaivilas when we dropped our bags off-we saved that for later. The tour of the hotel here is an essential part of staying at the hotel. The staffperson greets you at the door, shows you the facilities and as you walk around with your jaw dropped at the majesty of it all, they turn to you and say 'you like?' as if anybody would not be wholly impressed. It should be noted that this is the tourist off season as it is the monsoon and most people come beginning in October through March. Before coming, we had been concerned about weather with temperatures reported around 110 f. Yet, now that it is the monsoon, temperatures stay in the 80's. And, most interestingly, it does not constantly rain as you would imagine in a monsoon. It rained a downpour on our way to the Deiv Garh on Sunday. It drizzles a couple of times on Monday. There was a brilliant sun onTuesday and Wednesday and most of the day on Thursday. Then it poured down rain on Thursday night.
     Anyway, on Wednesday morning we had our driver to take us to an area near to the Udaivilas where we could catch an auto rickshaw and ride to old city.   The auto rickshaw is essentially a three wheel motorcycle that runs on diesel or gas. The diesel ones are loud. The back seat is big enough for me and Fariba and Troy would hang off of the front next to the river. In that the roads are extremely narrow, if you don't have your own motorcycle or scooter, the rickshaw is the best way to get around. It is generally about 100 rupees for a trip within a couple of miles. You must be careful to negotiate price on the front end. As one goes from the wider roads into the heart of the old city, one is struck by the sheer volume of motorcycles, rickshaws and the occasional car going through. On the first day, Naresh had driven us through the old city in the Toyota Innova van which is essentially the size of a minivan. When we went back on Wednesday, we realized how impossible it must have been for him to make that drive as there is barely space for the van to make it through.
    The rickshaws go through numerous near misses and the occasional traffic jam caused by a cow laying in the middle of the road or a wedding procession. The drivers can artfully miss the cows who sit serenely amidst the chaos. Flocks of motorcycle flow through, most of them hondas and with engines that look very small. Very few women driving motorcycles but the occasional woman driving a scooter. 3 or 4 people piled on motorcycles. Troy saw a first even for his time in Udaipur yesterday when he saw a dog perched on a motorcycle between two guys. 
     We got on foot near the City Palace and walked the streets of the old city as it began to get active around 10 a.m. We saw many food stands where samosa, jalebi and other fried goodies were being prepared in large vats of oil. We saw women dressed in varieties of saris that essentially identify their particular caste. We saw Muslim women wearing hip western pants and heels with the upper two thirds of their body covered with a colorful smock only to see that instead of a veil, they had their heads completely wrapped in a colorful cloth, revealing only their eyes.
    We found a place to buy saris and Fariba purchased a few. The door had a MasterCard and visa sticker but when it came time to pay, the guy claimed that his credit card machine was not working. Ha ha. Anyway, negotiated a price and paid him cash. Went into a place that was selling cool looking bags. Negotiated a price and bought a few. Then the guy swayed into a pitch for homemade incense. He showed us pictures of his garden where he grew the flowers that he put into the incense. Hell, who knows if was true but it was a good pitch 'all natural'. So, after that schtick, we bough a bunch of incense. Then he tried to sell us something else and Troy wisely put his foot down. We left and entered a jewelry district. Managed to get out of there without buying anything. 
     Went to the City Palace. It was built long ago by one of the Majahranas of Udaipur. Troy's host father, Bhupendra Singh, is one of the top managers there. He set us up with passes and picked out the best tour guide for us. Our guide was fluent in English, French and Hindi. We learned many fascinating things about the palace and the history of the majahrana's family. When India gained independence from Britain in Thelma ate 1940's, the Majahranas were stripped of their powers. The govt then taxed them severely, forcing them to sell many of their assets. In this case, the majahrana sold the city palace to the govt, but the govt did such a bad job of running it, they sold it back to the majahrana. The majahrana lives in the City Palace. He has two hotels in the City Palace to generate income in addition to the small fee charged to tour the Palace.  He also has a shop and a restaurant. The maja also owns the Lake Palace and receives hefty rent from Taj Hotels which operates the hotel. We saw many great examples of glass inlay mosaics as well as miniature painting. We also saw the extraordinary crystal collection, including chairs with legs made of crystal.
     After the palace, we caught rickshaw to Chetak Circle so that Troy could make a deal for some Indian movie DVDs that we could bring back. Troy and Fariba got out while i sat and talked to the driver. I learned that the rickshaw can be purchased new for $3200. The driver owns the vehicle and is entitled to all in come. There is no set route. It costs about $20 per month to maintain plus gas.
    After the DVD shop our driver took us to the entrance to the Udaivilas. We checked out a couple of nice shops and then went to lunch at nice rooftop restaurant just outside the gate.  We ordered taiga (yogurt with fresh chopped veggies) and lal mass, a lamb dish special to Rajasthan. I have had this several times here and it is excellent. Have not seen it in Indian restaurants at home. If anybody knows where you can get some good lal
Maas near Mooresville, be sure to let me know!
     Next it was on to the Udaivilas. The security is tight at all of the hotels in India that serve western tourists due to past terrorist attacks. They run a mirror up under the vehicle and open the hood and trunk, etc. Some hotels, such as the Lake Palace, run luggage through a scanner. We walked up to the front of the Udaivilas to meet the doorman who is an imposing figure in a traditional outfit with a big bushy Rajasthni mustache.
     Then we are greeted by a beautiful young Indian woman who will give us a tour of the hotel and who will check us in. The actual check in formalities take place in the room and they like to be very formal about it. I should also proint out that there are many beautiful women in India, but perhaps the most beautiful work in the hotels. The approach to the front of the Udaivilas is spectacular with an incredible marble fountain, then into the lobby where there is a huge domed ceiling painted a deep blue with gold accents. Then on by the bar with it's very formal British look. It is open 24 hours and you just pull on a gong to get service. Then on to the open air meditation room with a domed ceiling of 40,000 little mirrors where they light 100 candles every night so you can see the reflection in the ceiling. Then on to the room. Again, it is the off season and the hotels are not very full. They surely gave us the best room in the entire hotel. The furnishings and bathroom were immaculate. The windows look across the pool to the old city of Udaipur including an unobstructed view of the city palace and lake palace. There is an enclosed patio and then an open patio with lounge chairs, just for our room. This patio is made private by walls on either side. There is then steps down into the infinity pool which is shared with just 7 rooms in. The hotel. There is a total of 87 rooms in the Hotel. We spent the afternoon in the pool. Troy went to watch the animal feeding at the small zoo on the grounds with spotted deer. Peacocks and wild boar. The preserve is run by 80 year old Roop Singh Ji , a spirited old fellow who has done this job for nearly 40 years. 
     We watched the city lights of Udaipur from the pool. There was only one other couple in the pool as the hotel was nearly empty with the exception of hotel company executives who were there from around the world for a meeting. We understand however that during the high season, all of the hotels are full. We had drinks outside,enjoying the sound of live Rajasthani music . I get the homemade ginger ale here. We don't have anything like this at home. We had dinner at the restaurant with excellent service and food as usual.