Lake Palace

Lake Palace Review

Managed by the Taj Group, this 250-year-old white-marble palace—the main setting for the James Bond film Octopussy—floats like a vision in the middle of Lake Pichola. You arrive, of course, by boat. The standard rooms are contemporary but elegant, featuring plush beds but small bathrooms; the suites are much larger and more opulent and come with your own private butler. The bathrooms are modern and spotless—the ones in the suites have both showers and bathtubs; the water pressure in the showers is fabulous and the housekeeping has thought of your every need. Most rooms have lake views, though some look onto the lily pond or the courtyard, where nightly folk dances are performed. The interiors have numerous inviting public alcoves and balconies for hanging out in. Nonguests can't visit the palace unless they have a reservation to dine at the restaurant or on the hotel's wooden barge, Gangaur.