At first, Devigarh, a 23-suite hotel that opened in January 2000 near Udaipur, appears to be another scruffy 18th-century Rajasthani fort-palace with bleached frescoes, broken domes and shattered glasswork. Monkeys scamper along the ramparts at the sound of approaching guests. As it turns out, this is deliberate understatement, for within the unpromising exterior lies what seems like an Indian Amanresort. Its owner, an Indian industrialist, was significantly a former partner in the aborted Rajasthan Aman.
Devigarh is a 45-minute drive north of Udaipur. The villages, including Delwara at the foot of the fort-palace, are dusty, dirty and jammed with cows, the valleys are cultivated and colourful. The stroke of genius of Devigarh's architect, Navin Gupta, was to frame this landscape by installing floor-to-ceiling windows. The best rooms face east towards a series of perfect, pyramid-shaped peaks. The interiors, which took eight years to create, are exquisite. The large bedrooms are spread out over five floors built around three inner courtyards. There are also eight garden suites and an Ayurvedic spa in converted stables once inhabited by the Maharaja's elephants. Everything is carved out of white marble, from the beds, tables and chairs to the baths, floors, bookshelves and even vases. Curves are smooth and lines clean-cut; the look is contemporary and the museum-quality lighting is used to dramatic effect. Stand-out details include headboards set with lotus flowers made from mother-of-pearl and amber teardrops. Colour is used sparsely - a swatch of jade or olive-green silk, for example, thrown over a bed or draped across a window.
The Presidential Suite is recommended to those who can afford it, but the second-best suite (number 36, without a plunge pool) is sufficiently palatial. Service is impeccable. The staff, who are young and good-looking, hover on the terraces like anxious bodyguards (the staff-guest ratio is four to one). Emerge dripping from the green-marble swimming pool and you will be greeted by someone with a towel and dry lime soda.
COST
Suites from around £98. Premium suites from around £260
CONTACT
Devigarh, Delwara, Tehsil Nathdwara, Rajsamand, Rajasthan (00 91 29 538 9211; fax: 538 9357; email: reservations@deviresorts.com; www.deviresorts.com). Bookable through Abercrombie & Kent, Colours of India, Cox & Kings, Greaves Travel Limited, Steppes East, Scott Dunn World, Western & Oriental and Worldwide Journeys & Expeditions
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