Some Guest Houses

Lalit has selected some exceptional places for us on this trip!  From pretty cottages in an orchard next to the Lion Reserve where we could hear Lions roar early in the morning and in the evening just over there in the reserve. "look around before you start out of your cabin". 

Then there were the Great Heritage properties like the Orchard Palace in Gondal in Gujarat. We stayed in the Royal family's guest house in Gondal. Their personal palace and collection of antique cars was behind our place which is called the Orchard Palace.  Just 6 or 7 rooms but spread out in a beautiful palace of large sitting rooms and expansive porches.  The staff were in starched Kaki uniforms with red beret style hats.  Perfect english.  A knock on our door at 7:15 pm was to inform us that the king had requested an additional vegetable dish be served tonight and that the Queen says it will take her until 8:00 to have dinner ready.  The staff explained that the Queen liked to cook and that the food served to us was also what they were eating in their private residence.

There was also the old palace in town that was centuries old and the only people allowed to tour the place were the hotel guests or with special permission.  So in touring the old palace, we found a big construction project underway at the old palace - a set being built for a Bollywood movie!  Fun! The double door open up into our room.  The porch goes all the way around the building.

We also stayed at The Bungalow at the Beach in Tranquebar with the same high -- really high ceilings, wonderful woodwork, huge tall doors, wood and marble floors, and few spread out rooms.  This is called a non hotel hotel.  The same owner has a chain of these heritage hotels that all look wonderful.

Impossible to capture the huge room.  The door opens on the outside porch that wraps around the building and looks directly onto the ocean and the old Danish town and fort at Tranquebar. 

> Lalit has selected some exceptional places for us on this trip! From pretty cottages in an orchard next to the Lion Reserve where we could hear Lions roar early in the morning and in the evening just over there in the reserve. "look around before you start out of your cabin".
>
> Then there were the Great Heritage properties like the Orchard Palace in Gondal in Gujarat. We stayed in the Royal family's guest house in Gondal. Their personal palace and collection of antique cars was behind our place which is called the Orchard Palace. Just 6 or 7 rooms but spread out in a beautiful palace of large sitting rooms and expansive porches. The staff were in starched Kaki uniforms with red beret style hats. Perfect english. A knock on our door at 7:15 pm was to inform us that the king had requested an additional vegetable dish be served tonight and that the Queen says it will take her until 8:00 to have dinner ready. The staff explained that the Queen liked to cook and that the food served to us was also what they were eating in their private residence.
>
> There was also the old palace in town that was centuries old and the only people allowed to tour the place were the hotel guests or with special permission. So in touring the old palace, we found a big construction project underway at the old palace - a set being built for a Bollywood movie! Fun!
>