As dusk falls we arrive at a Fort, Palace or Rawla (a small mansion of erstwhile nobility). All these properties are still owned by genteel aristocrats who have gracefully converted their homes to classic heritage hotels – combining luxurious modern amenities with timeless traditional charm. What enhances the experience is that the owners are almost always present as your personal hosts to bore you with tales of their glorious family history.

We use the following heritage hotels. (Visit these sites and please return)

• Samode Hotels
• Shiv Niwas Palace
• Umaid Bhawan Palace
• Ajit Bhawan Palace
• Ranbanka Hotel
• Fort Chanwa – Luni
• Rohet Garh
• Sardar Samand Palace
• Karni Kot – Sodawas
• Kotri Raola
• Rawla Narlai
• Maharani Bagh Orchard
• Ghanerao Castle
• The Aodhi – Kumbalgarh
• Deogarh Mahal

Fodder: We start the day with a full English breakfast - cereals, eggs, toast, juices and fruit.

Lunches and dinners consist of the varied flavours of Rajasthan – traditional Indian curries, with a choice of Continental – though we take great care to go slow on the chillies and not burn the western palate (unless specially requested for!).