Udaipur - Hyped Much
I was utterly smitten by Udaipur, so coaxed my husband to plan a trip there on his birthday last year. After much deliberation and planning, the day came when we were on the bus to Udaipur. Read an extensive account of our trip that was good but unfortunately not great, hence the title.
Day1: We reached early in the morning post our night long bus journey. We were feeling a little adventurous so had booked fancy cottages in Aravali Tent Resort. The place welcomed us with notorious monkeys jumping all around the place. We found it cute at first but with the ruckus they were creating we obviously got really scared. However, the hotel staff was pretty cool about the situation. They said it was a common occurrence and that the monkeys would go in some time. We checked into our cottage, which was cosy and nicely done but, our excitement died down when the monkeys started jumping on our tent. We were so freaked out that we didn't move an inch. Post complaining to the hotel staff a million times, they decided to do something about it. We wasted close to 3 hours and literally had to drag ourselves to start the trip after the initial let down.
After getting our senses back, we stepped out late afternoon to visit Jagdish Mandir & Bagore ki Haveli. It was close to our hotel and mostly walked down to the place. I already started making a mental note of shops I wanted to see :P.
Jagdish Mandir is architecturally beautiful but not maintained at all, which was frankly quite disheartening.
Day 2: It was reserved for Haldi Ghat, Nathdwar Temple and Ambrai-Amet Haveli for dinner (must-visit).
Haldi Ghat is basically a museum, which showcases the journey of the great Maharana Pratap. Its fun but the place is always very crowded because of school picnics and college visits. We missed going to Nathdwar Temple by merely 15mins and repent it.
Day 3: City Palace, Boat ride to Jag Mandir
We decided to visit the famed City Palace, which is clearly one of the most visited spots in Udaipur. This place is gorgeous and a must-visit. The prices are a bit overwhelming but in all a good experience. By the way a boat ride to Jag Mandir is a must, however, Jag Mandir is no way a Mandir, it is in fact a resort which was used by the royals during summers. Currently, it operates as a hotel where weddings and parties are hosted on regular basis.
Day 4: Relaxed day.
We kept this day to just relax and stroll around mindlessly. We grabbed breakfast at Jheel Rooftop Restaurant, recommend this place highly for omlettes and sandwiches and obviously the gorgeous view of Lake Pichola. I obviously shopped not for cliched jholas and jootis, instead invested in a gorgeous silver neckpiece. Yeah, you guys already know my weakness towards silver jewellery.
I wish to conclude by saying Udaipur is very hyped and there is not much this city can offer. Its good for a short vacation, but after sometime you will really have to figure out what to do. 3 days is more than enough to explore everything here.
I am sure the title must have surprised you a bit but, how many times have you come across honest posts where the writer tells you something that is not comfortable. Very few to none right?. I heard many rave about Udaipur and that is the reason why I planned a trip but if someone would have warned me beforehand I would have definitely thought about it.
Through my blog my I wish to be honest about my opinions and give the right advice. Hope I am doing my bit here and yes this opinion is entirely my own. For people who loved Udaipur, good for you, I am more than happy that you did.
Day1: We reached early in the morning post our night long bus journey. We were feeling a little adventurous so had booked fancy cottages in Aravali Tent Resort. The place welcomed us with notorious monkeys jumping all around the place. We found it cute at first but with the ruckus they were creating we obviously got really scared. However, the hotel staff was pretty cool about the situation. They said it was a common occurrence and that the monkeys would go in some time. We checked into our cottage, which was cosy and nicely done but, our excitement died down when the monkeys started jumping on our tent. We were so freaked out that we didn't move an inch. Post complaining to the hotel staff a million times, they decided to do something about it. We wasted close to 3 hours and literally had to drag ourselves to start the trip after the initial let down.
After getting our senses back, we stepped out late afternoon to visit Jagdish Mandir & Bagore ki Haveli. It was close to our hotel and mostly walked down to the place. I already started making a mental note of shops I wanted to see :P.
Jagdish Mandir is architecturally beautiful but not maintained at all, which was frankly quite disheartening.
We started walking towards Bagore ki Haveli which is also nothing much to look at.
Since. it was Navratri time, we so many processions with idols that were heading towards the lake for immersion.
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| you can see the lake on the other side |
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| Bagore ki Haveli |
Our adventure didn't end with the monkeys jumping around in the morning. Upon our return my husband spotted a baby snake on the chair. which he told me about only later but, it was enough to get us both all freaked out. The entire night was spent searching for another hotel and killing insects that were entering the room. Finally, we managed to find a decent hotel and checked out of this zoonext day morning; pissed as hell and groggy from a sleepless night.
Haldi Ghat is basically a museum, which showcases the journey of the great Maharana Pratap. Its fun but the place is always very crowded because of school picnics and college visits. We missed going to Nathdwar Temple by merely 15mins and repent it.
 |
| The winding queue |
Ambrai is a fancy restaurant by Lake Pichola which is one of the sought-after places to dine at. It is full most of the time to ensure you book table much in advance. We went their quite early (7 p.m.) so luckily managed to grab a table but it was at the center of the restaurant and not at the boundary wall where you can get the expansive view of the lake at night.
We decided to visit the famed City Palace, which is clearly one of the most visited spots in Udaipur. This place is gorgeous and a must-visit. The prices are a bit overwhelming but in all a good experience. By the way a boat ride to Jag Mandir is a must, however, Jag Mandir is no way a Mandir, it is in fact a resort which was used by the royals during summers. Currently, it operates as a hotel where weddings and parties are hosted on regular basis.
Day 4: Relaxed day.
We kept this day to just relax and stroll around mindlessly. We grabbed breakfast at Jheel Rooftop Restaurant, recommend this place highly for omlettes and sandwiches and obviously the gorgeous view of Lake Pichola. I obviously shopped not for cliched jholas and jootis, instead invested in a gorgeous silver neckpiece. Yeah, you guys already know my weakness towards silver jewellery.
I wish to conclude by saying Udaipur is very hyped and there is not much this city can offer. Its good for a short vacation, but after sometime you will really have to figure out what to do. 3 days is more than enough to explore everything here.
I am sure the title must have surprised you a bit but, how many times have you come across honest posts where the writer tells you something that is not comfortable. Very few to none right?. I heard many rave about Udaipur and that is the reason why I planned a trip but if someone would have warned me beforehand I would have definitely thought about it.
Through my blog my I wish to be honest about my opinions and give the right advice. Hope I am doing my bit here and yes this opinion is entirely my own. For people who loved Udaipur, good for you, I am more than happy that you did.
Lovely place. Liked it.
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