Did I ever mention how much I love to fly? Airports and flights give me a sense of comfort which only a few things can provide me with, in life. Coffee, for example, is another such ‘thing’. Although the main reason behind my love for flights is its ridiculously quick deliverance that appeals to me, since I’m kinda short of patience. So anyway, I had a flight to Udaipur on the 3rd evening of this month and surprisingly, I reached the Bombay airport before time! And that is a big deal because I have a history of almost-missing-flights. All throughout my journey I couldn’t stop day-dreaming about the things that I would see, do and eat in Udaipur. And also figuring out what the clouds looked like (that is my favourite flying past time)!
A few hours later, my feet was on the land of Udaipur. Thirty minutes later I was still standing in the same freaking spot because my best-friend was late. And that’s not usual, so I let it slide this time (rolling my eyes). While we were planning our next stops for the night, we grabbed on to a bottle of white wine for our post-dinner catch-up session.
Living in a Tent
My abode for the week was – The Aravali Tent Resort situated right opposite to Gulab Bagh. The reason why we loved this place better than any other grand hotel was because this place gives one the mixed vibes of an adventurous yet a luxurious stay.
This resort only has tents as rooms, some with and without actual walls. All the rooms face a huge garden and each room had its own personal verandah seating space. The resort also has a tree house which is forever open for it’s guests and they also host frequent DJ and Karaoke nights.
The rooms were a beautiful fusion of grandeur and desi-ness. With spotless white sheets, printed tent roofs and artistic walls, I don’t think even a five star deluxe suit would have fancied me more.
Lavina carried her portable speakers so most of our nights were spent grooving to different genres of music including konkani and old english classics. Planning the next days while digging into the desserts we used to get packed for the room as every restaurant shuts by 11pm and the kitchen in this hotel won’t serve you any food after the same time either. This, we learnt after starving one night which lead to a lavish breakfast the following morning.
Spotless
Every morning we would order for some breakfast which varied from cornflakes and toasts to aloo parathas and puri bhaji, coffee being the only constant. The personal verandah was our usual breakfast spot where we also made a new chubby friend – an old dalmatian who was just as forever lazy and hungry as me. She would just sit by my side and rest her head on my lap, enjoying the head rubs I’d give her while having my coffee. As much as I’d love to stay a little longer with Spotless (that’s what I named her as irony is my favourite weapon) every morning, the city of lakes awaited to be explored.
Jugnoo rickshaw or an UBER. Normal rickshaws and cabs will otherwise leave you broke before you know it. You cannot roam the city without these two applications on your phone. I have always been a hater of such apps but little did I know how convenient they actually are, in Udaipur at least.
What only enhanced my stay experience there, were the comfortable yet luxurious night garments from Nordlich. I carried two sets of nightwear for my vacation. One being the classic checks night suit in white and gray while the second one being a lively combo of a peach tee and a pair of mint green cup-printed shorts. If you ask me, I still can’t pick a favourite one! Both of them make me feel as different as the earth poles.
The best thing about the Nordlich clothes is that the material is so comforting. It’s like comfort food for your skin. Even the elastic on the pyjamas and shorts are such that you don’t feel a thing on your body. It’s designed to let your body breathe and for you to feel free! At the same time you’ll get some real cozy vibes in them. This might sound abstract but I actually overslept one morning and I believe I’d have to blame the complacent clothes that made me want to snuggle for a bit longer.
Another stunning factor about these clothes (especially the tee-shirt) is that you can very well go out in them without feeling uncomfortable or being judged.
Some things you should always keep in mind when you visit Udaipur or any other city for that matter:
- Don’t oversleep. Three days aren’t enough to explore this beautiful city’s palaces and food joints.
- Get some food packed for after midnight if you’re not the ‘early to bed’ kinda person.
- Don’t hurry to cover every place on your checklist if you don’t have enough time. It’s better to enjoy the present than to obsess over the future. After all, that’s how a vacation is supposed to be.
- Look around and observe for there is so much to learn from every place and the people.
