Stepping into Samode, 45 kilometres from Jaipur airport in India, looks like getting into a half-remembered epic. First, the cobbled road of an outdated village, then 4 domed gateways, and immediately, a palace with the Aravalli mountains rising behind it. Each doorway frames the one throughout from it, making a hypnotic development by centuries. Outside, it might be the twenty first century, however at Samode, you might be in the period of Rajputana royalty, and that temper carries by every little thing: the service, the delicacies, the structure, the decor. What started as a Sixteenth-century fort advanced over generations right into a palace. The household nonetheless runs it as we speak, and their contact is palpable, from the nice and cozy welcome by employees who anticipate wants earlier than they’re spoken. Like in all nice palaces, intrigue lingers in its particulars: hidden alcoves, scalloped arches, carved parapets, frescoes of a light Durga on her tiger, a centuries-old miniature of Radha and ceilings painted in indigo and rose. The Sheesh Mahal dazzles most dramatically, the place 250-year-old Belgian glass mosaics glimmer throughout vaulted ceilings. The palace has its enchantments, however the kitchens are the place the alchemy actually occurs, recipes examined over centuries: lamb in gently spiced curry, regionally grown greens, wines from a cellar stocked with unbelievable vintages. There are two eating places on the palace, however the true pleasure is in its movable feasts – a dinner in the Durbar Hall, lunch on the Sheesh Mahal, a tea in the backyard or supper on the pool deck underneath the celebrities. Everything right here feels unstaged, unfiltered and regally genuine. Just accurately. From $340 –Shunali Khullar Shroff