Fairmont Udaipur Palace

The 380-room Fairmont Udaipur Palace sits well beyond the cluster of five-star, slightly intimidating heritage haunts standing shoulder to shoulder within Udaipur’s city limits. And while I would still urge you to check yourself into one of those lakefront palaces at least once for the full bucket-list moment, there’s a reason I recommend this one.

Around 20 km from those storied facades and postcard views, you’re suddenly removed from everything well-worn. Admittedly, Fairmont Udaipur Palace doesn’t have centuries-old tales to tell, nor does it have a shimmering lake view to admire. What it does offer is space, the unmistakable feeling of starting afresh, and several activities to keep you amused.

Built from the ground up with a big opening in 2025, it lays claim to being one of the largest palace-style resorts in the country. Tucked in serenity into the folds of the Aravallis, it’s discreet from the outside and amazingly expansive once you step in. The property sprawls across roughly 18 acres of built-up estate within a much larger 125-acre undulating site, all low-slung domes, sandstone facades and courtyards that open out to big skies.

Why stay at Fairmont Udaipur?

This is for folks in search of a palace that feels light and outward-looking rather than closed and guarded. For travellers who don’t gravitate towards heavy wood-panelled interiors but prefer glass atriums and panoramic windows framing the hills. This is where you swap stiff, poised dresses and blazers for linen co-ords and resort wear, and spend more time reclining on a swing beneath a vast lapis-coloured dome with gold detailing than posing on marble staircases.

It particularly suits anyone keen on a royal holiday with their full entourage in tow, and without a prohibitive price tag. Little princes and princesses can disappear into the kids’ club, browse the library, swim in the infinity pool, play table tennis, ride horses, hop into a horse-drawn carriage, try pickleball or learn to bake with the chef. The property is spread across multiple levels, so much so that it can occasionally be a minor mission to find the people you’ve come with. 

Not just that: you’ve also got eight restaurants (for instance, Bahaar serves global fare, Dahaad’s a leopard-themed cocktail bar, and Sitara’s designed for basking in the winter sun), two swimming pools, a dedicated wellness block, and a long roster of complimentary and paid activities that make it remarkably easy to fill your days.

You’re also just a good half-hour from Udaipur’s historical districts, so it’s likely you’ll be kept busy anyway.