If you are planning your Rajasthan tours do visit Bhainsrorgarh, a fortified outpost of the kingdom of Mewar northeast of Udaipur. It crowns a 200 ft rocky ridge overlooking the river Chambal. The rulers of Bhainsrorgarh were conferred with the title of Rawat by the Maharana of Mewar. The Maharanas of Mewar once ruled the entire Rajputana, comprising of what is now Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. The Maharana of Mewar was considered the head of the Hindu race and hence was called ‘Hinduva Suraj’. The famous British historian Col. James Tod after seeing the splendid and mesmerizing beauty of Bhainsrorgarh said that if he was offered a fiefdom and given an option to choose it anywhere in Rajasthan, he would have chosen Bhainsrorgarh.

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The palace has been restored to its old world charm and your stay here will be one of the highlights during your Rajasthan tours. The fort has five large suites overlooking the river and paramount importance has been given to maintain the novelty of the architecture and decor by recreating the same aura in which royalties of Bhainsrorgarh lived.

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There are some rather interesting excursions that can be arranged to make your Rajasthan tours even more enjoyable. Apart from taking a boat ride on the River Chambal and going on a jeep safaris through the Mukundara National Park, do include a visit to the extraordinary Baroli temples dating from 9th century A.D that are situated 15kms from the fort in a secluded and peaceful wooded grove. The centerpiece is the 10th century Ghateshwar Mahadev Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The quality of the carvings here is unrivalled anywhere. The Temples have been sensitively restored and the surrounding gardens are well maintained and clean.

Bespoke India is really where our heart lies. I mean, here is this incredibly vast and varied country, with so much choice of highly individual accommodation, so many options of activity in the same destinations as to be able to cater to virtually every individual taste. How can you package that? Why would you want to? A bespoke holiday allows you the luxury of choosing the most appropriate accommodation for each area. In Agra we unequivocally recommend the sumptuous Oberoi Amar Vilas. It is almost extravagantly indulgent but in an utterly appropriate manner, for Agra was the capital of the Great Mughals and every single room of this magnificent hotel enjoys uninterrupted views of the Taj Mahal – the central attraction that draws people to Agra from every corner of the globe. The Amar Vilas is built in sandstone and in a style that is a modern iteration of the grace and grandeur of Mughal architecture replete with filigreed stone work, screens, courtyards full of fountains and flowers. Perfect base from which to explore the marvels of Mughal architecture that grace Agra. On a package ‘luxury’ tour you would then willy-nilly be locked into similar opulence everywhere your itinerary takes you. And you will have a safe and predictably fantastic time – but it just could be that when you get to Jaipur for instance, rather than automatically stay at the Oberoi Raj Vilas you would take our recommendation and stay instead in the Samode Haveli – a nobleman’s converted town house which affords you the luxury of stepping out of a historic building bang into the middle of the crowds, colour and bustle of Old Jaipur – which is what you have actually come to Jaipur to see and experience. Samode Haveli is an authentic part of old Jaipur in a way that the Raj Vilas for all its extraordinary beauty and luxury, simply is not. A bespoke holiday allows you the choice.

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But it isn’t just about accommodations, its about people. The most extraordinary experiences for a traveller are when you connect with someone local on a human level and go away with insights about a culture and society that is impossible in large commercial establishments. One of the least ‘stylish’ small hotels that we use for example also is a highlight in terms of experience for people we have sent there. Simply because the experience here is so extraordinary, so remote, so authentically exotic – looking for leopards and wildlife that live amongst a stark rocky landscape at the edge of the desert and inhabited by a hardy, extraordinarily colourful shepherd tribe. The family you stay with are descendants of the feudal barons of the area who can trace their lineage to the mid-13^th century.  And they are the warmest, most gracious and hospitable people you can hope to be hosted by anywhere. It isn’t for everyone – but that’s what bespoke means. Understanding what you want and then designing the holiday to your tastes.

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