The day before I set out on a trip, I am in an ecstatic mood. But by the time I'm on the plane, the excitement disappears. This time it was different. Saturday was a crazy day. I had to balance work with last-minute errands and shopping. On the way to the airport next morning, I wasn't even sure I was really going somewhere. Mom and I checked in, sleepwalked through security check, boarded the plane.
High in the skies, I became a child setting out on an adventure. And then we landed at Udaipur. There I discovered- horror of horrors- a CLEAN public toilet. The bathroom didn't have great interiors, but it was sparkling clean and completely odour-free. Not even a hint of some tacky air freshner. Admirable.
But Udaipur was not our destination. We were headed to a small town called Delwara, where Devigarh is located. Devigarh is a boutique hotel which was earlier a fort. Built in the late 18th century, the fort was in a dilapidated state before it was bought by the present owners. I can only imagine the kind of work they must have done on restoring the fort to its natural glory before opening its doors to the public in 2000.
The first glimpse of Devigarh is stunning. As you go up the winding road to the fort, the peek-a-boo builds an aura of quiet mystery. From afar, it looks like an old empty building, waiting to be conquered by people and objects. It looks the kind of place where you would expect ghosts to be roaming the corridors.
But the warmth of the staff is enough to shake that notion aside. A few things struck me as Mom and I explored the hotel that evening: firstly, the designer and architect have taken painful steps to ensure that everything is just right- the decor and ambience are tranquil, but not boring. This perfectly suits the hush surrounding the fort.
Secondly, hats off to their restoration team for fashioning a look that is contemporary and goosebump-inducing at the same time. The room design is minimalistic but luxurious, modern yet centuries-old. The soothing white finish of the room is complimented with old bronze statuettes, artifacts and paintings.
Lastly, thanks to the hotel's apparent emptiness, geographic isolation and its quiet domination over the surrounding hills, I could not help but feel that we were alone in the middle of nowhere. But when I walked around the empty Durbar Hall, lazed by the vacant pool and dined in an almost-empty restaurant, I could sense the reassuring personal touch. It was there in the refilled marble dry fruit tray in the sitting room, the soft fabric of the lounge chairs, and the flickering candle flame at the dinner table.
Sheer bliss!
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