Bujera Fort

Bujera Fort is a chip off the old block, resembling one of those faded-yet-fanciful heritage hotels that Rajasthan does so well. In reality, though, it’s a touch younger – new, in fact – the handiwork of two talented English émigrés, who travelled to India some years ago, in search of an exotic holiday home, and ended up building their own version of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on a private plot of land. It’s a beauty now, of course: a pastel-pink confection of colonnades and domes, set around a centrepiece courtyard, pool and gardens. But what a task it must have been to see this vision through to the end, after so many years of building work and bureaucracy…

Luckily, the pair – friends Richard Hanlon and Trish McFarlane – had form. Especially Richard, who trained at Sotheby’s auction house, before working as an interior designer for Tim and Kit Kemp, sourcing textiles for the celebrated Firmdale Hotels. Richard’s keen eye for interiors is evident throughout Bujera today, from the reclaimed wooden doors that guard the 14 rooms, to the abundant Indian antiques and hand-carved stone columns that line the main courtyard. In my room, on the ground floor, I’m won over by the intricate jewel-like windows above the marble bath tub – a patchwork of crescents and moons – that mirrors Udaipur’s extravagant City Palace, just down the road. 

The real triumph, though, are the textiles (as you might expect from a man behind one of hospitality’s signature looks). Many are sourced from Jaipur – Rajasthan’s reigning textiles hub – and showcased deftly in mismatched, exuberant style, across curtains, bedspreads and cushions. The bathrobes too, are photo-worthy (I buy one to take straight home). Richard and Trish’s pedigree means that Bujera has the atmosphere of an English country home (a very stately one), with a hearth-lined lounge and handsome library, adorned with oil paintings and hardback books, plus a revolving door of double-barrelled guests, who drop in while touring India. Mr Smith and I are very kindly invited to cocktail hour on the roof terrace one evening, followed by dinner with Richard and fellow guests, who include a celebrated surgeon and roving textiles’ doyenne. It’s worth noting that the mood here is very much high-end homestay, rather than hideaway hotel. 

What I love best about Bujera, though, is its location. Having spent a week amid the parched national parks of eastern Rajasthan, we touch down in Udaipur to find a lush landscape transformed by the Lake City’s abundant water – as if everything has taken a collective gulp. The last monsoon has helped. Indeed, the seasonal deluge has rendered the road to Bujera impassible, so we take a circuitous route through rural villages, where locals smile and wave, schoolgirls stroll home in the sun and corn fields glow golden in the last of the light. The dusky folds of the Aravalli Hills rise and the muezzin’s call to prayer echoes across the land. It’s magical – and a welcome reprieve to the erstwhile bustle of Rajasthan’s big cities. 

There are three great assets to the team at Bujera: ever-affable manager Shakti Rathore, who met Richard through his rickshaw-driving uncle; and then Jack and Sadie, two gorgeous labradors (puppies at the time I visited) who gambol around the grounds, generally causing mischief. Many heritage hotels in Rajasthan have these canine companions, adding four-legged spirit to the prevailing homey feel. 

With some difficulty, we tear ourselves away and head into Udaipur. Renowned as one of the world’s most romantic cities for its sigh-worthy setting on several lakes, it’s an ideal place to dial down the sightseeing pace. The City Palace is the chief attraction, an ochre-hued beauty that’s stood guard on a hillside above Lake Pichola for over 400 years. After weaving through the flamboyant, bejewelled rooms – once home to maharajas of the Mewar dynasty – spying Udaipur’s ice-cream-coloured rooftops through intricate jharokha windows – we hop onto a boat for the best views of the lake. Puttering past waterside havelis and age-old mansions, we glide up to the iconic Taj Lake Palace, which sits in resplendent fashion atop a lakeside island. Udaipur’s bazaars also grab our attention, so we delve into the tangled lanes around Hathipole, past streetside barbers, fruit sellers and local children who shout ‘hello!’ and pose for photos. Then suddenly, the streets clear as a funeral procession passes through: white-robed men silencing the clamour. 

Seeking sanctuary from the afternoon heat, we head to Ambrai – an alfresco restaurant, whose waterside terrace rests beneath a lantern-lit tree, and snack on spicy pakoras as local kids perform backflips into the water. It’s one of the best spots in Udaipur to take in the City Palace at sunset – so we watch as the fortress fades to red: a crumbling old block, but not a chip on Bujera.