Taj Hotel

It was my beloved wife’s birthday last month and in true mystery style, I asked her to apply for leave from office as “I was going to kidnap her”! And, that’s actually what I had planned! I didn’t book anything on a credit or debit card so that she does not even get a chance to know about my plan. I made the hotel and flight bookings with a friend’s credit card and my wife who was quite ecstatic about the kidnapping, stayed blissfully oblivious to all my elaborate plans!

Prior to this, my wife had traveled to Rajasthan once and that too during a university tour. It was just a short trip and not very great.  She had once talked of visiting the awe-inspiring state again to see the stunning Palaces, but could not get a chance because of her busy schedule. Thanks to my job, I had earlier also had the opportunity to spend some unforgettable vacations in the majestic Palaces of Rajasthan. I wanted to make her birthday SUPER SPECIAL. So, I left no stone unturned to materialize her dream of seeing and staying in the palace like a QUEEN. The Palace that I chose for her was the one and only magnificent Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur.

Taj Lake Palace has always been closest to my heart whenever I visit Rajasthan. It seems that a majestic white carved beauty has emanated like a charming lotus flower from the lake. The Grand Palace stands proudly amidst the azure Lake Pichola and the captivating Aravalli ranges create the wonderful picture-perfect backdrop. In fact, it has also been the location for many a Bollywood film.

As soon as our flight landed on the Udaipur airport, all our weariness evaporated after seeing that an elegant heritage car was waiting to pick us up. My wife almost jumped in happiness as it was certainly a dream come true for her. It was just the trailer of surprises and there was more in store for her. I must confess that the car ride was just out of this world and truly incredible.

After a fun-filled car ride, we were ready to take a boat to reach the majestic palace. I had booked the Royal Suite and it was simply breathtaking! The suite was awesome, overlooking the beautiful lake. The room was opulent, comfortable and replete with all the luxurious facilities. We had a fabulous cup of coffee with delicious freshly baked cookies. After relaxing for some time, we opted to take a heritage walk of the hotel and the magnificent architecture captivated our attention.

Now, with the help of the friendly hotel staff, I had arranged a unique memorable Royal Dining experience for my wife at the exquisite Mewar Terrace of the hotel. A special table was set up and a personal butler was on hand to take care of the smallest details. A huge chocolate cake with some champagne was nicely decorated with flowers and candles. I was very delighted to see a big smile on my wife’s face and she gave me a tight hug. The traditional folk dance by the Rajasthani artists just magnetized us. We cherished traditional Rajasthani food under the umbrella of stars and moonlit sky.  The whole ambiance soon turned out to be romantic and magical.

And then like a dream, the night ended and we went to our Suite dreaming of the luxurious lives of the ancient Rajasthani kings and grateful that we were able to relive some of the experiences!

The next morning, we checked out from the Palace not before taking some amazing pictures and enjoying a lip-smacking breakfast. My wife felt like a Queen and I was very happy that I was able to make her feel like one!

Manish is an expert blogger at Trans India Holidays, he has been writing for the last half a decade. His passion for traveling made him a travelogue. Manish's dream is to explore every nook and corner of the country. When he is not on board, he pens down his experience through articles and blogs.

And so before you could actually know it… we’d hit number 6! The sixth anniversary dawned upon us and this time I wanted to do something special for my beloved wife. I was scouting for a destination that offers a perfect combination of sun and sea along with a luxurious stay. Goa was the first place that cropped up into my mind, but one of my office colleagues suggested, "why don’t you celebrate your special day in Mumbai? ” I really liked his idea, because we had been to Goa several times and so I thought to give Mumbai, fondly called as the “City of Dreams” a shot. Without wasting too much time, I booked a stay in a Club Room at the ICONIC Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. BELIEVE ME! My anniversary was more unforgettable and mesmerizing that I could have ever imagined.

On the day of our anniversary, we checked in to a luxurious Club room at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. While booking the hotel, I had told the staff to make some special decoration in our room and to my utter disbelief, what they did for us was truly out of this world. It was like the room had been specially kept just for us! Heart-shaped balloons and rose flowers were amazingly decorated on the walls. There was a huge greeting card and a bouquet of colorful flowers kept on the bed. We were truly delighted when almost every staff member wished us a Happy Anniversary. The Executive Chef of the hotel sent a big chocolate cake to our room. The hotel really lived up to its reputation of treating its guests like a GOD.

Well talking about the room, it seemed that we were in the fairyland. The room was very elegant and swanky. The decor was the state of the art that immediately captivated our attention. The colors of the room were tastefully chosen and replete with every facility that one could dream of. Our room offered the stunning view of the majestic Gateway of India and overlooked the large pool filled with crystal-clear water. The large bath tub in the glass-walled bathroom meant that we could knock out fatigue while watching our favorite movies on the large screen TV. We had lunch at the Souk restaurant, on the rooftop of the Tower Wing, with beautiful views of the Mumbai harbor, the Art District and the Gateway of India. The entrance to the restaurant itself is grand and will astonish you with its magnificent architecture. The restaurant has an amazing ambiance and decor. One word which can describe the taste of the food is SUPERB. From the moment you enter the restaurant and the time you leave, you are actually treated like a VIP. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal as well as the ambiance and clicked some great pictures too. It is simply heavenly! 

WOW!!! This was our reaction when we saw the Sea Lounge restaurant in the hotel. The restaurant has the best high tea in Mumbai, with an elaborate buffet spread of classic English delicacies and local Indian favorites. Surprise! Surprise! We saw the Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan enjoying a cup of tea at the same place. We were so delighted to see him and wasted no time to click some pictures with him. He made our day when he too wished us a Happy Anniversary. As we left the lounge, we were still in an awe of the superstar. And the next morning, after a cup of coffee, it was time to say goodbye to the hotel. We thanked the hotel staff for making our anniversary memorable.

Anniversary or no anniversary, I think, I would certainly like to stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel each time I travel to Mumbai!

Manish is an expert blogger at Trans India Holidays, he has been writing for the last half a decade. His passion for traveling made him a travelogue. Manish's dream is to explore every nook and corner of the country. When he is not on board, he pens down his experience through articles and blogs.