As an Indian staying in Bombay, I have seen more visuals of the Lake Palace than I care to remember. It is possibly the most photographed monument in India (save the Taj Mahal) and a favorite tourist cliche in posters and calenders. Yet as our taxi turned the corner and I caught my first glimpse of the Palace floating in the water, I realised just why it has attracted so much hype. The Hotel appeared much larger and closer to the shore than the photographs suggest. It felt more accessible now whereas in the pictures it seemed remote and exclusive. It is a two storey structure, completely white and built on a small island (Jagniwas Island) as the summer palace for the Maharaja. It is now run by the Taj Hotels group.
To the critical eye, the warts may not take long to appear. I found myself saying the paint could have been better. The water in the lake could be cleaner. The room itself appeared smaller and dated. Some of the fixtures looked worse for the wear. In that sense this is definitely not the plushest of hotels in its price category. Perhaps things may be better now as renovations to the rear part of the hotel were on during our stay. However, the appeal of the Lake Palace extends far beyond such trivialities.
You cannot help but be gripped by the sheer spectacle and the romance of the place. It is simply audacious. The views of the City Palace from the Hotel is wonderful. Ask for rooms on the first floor as these are larger and have a better view than those on the ground floor. The coffee shop has buffets for lunch and dinner but these are nothing special. The speciality restaurant is a far better bet. It opens only for dinner and serves local and North Indian cuisine.
The swimming pool gets hot during the day but after 4.00 pm the sun hides behind in the West and the place is considerably cooler as the wind picks up. Relax on the easy chairs facing the City Palace with a glass of cold beer and you may be forgiven for thinking you are in Heaven.