Samode is a quiet village near Jaipur  it was only about an hours drive.  Having been to and dealt with the crowds of Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi, Samode was a wonderful getaway. What was special about Samode was how few tourists we encountered.  The crowds were minimal and the people friendly. 

We enjoyed being able to walk the streets of the town in a hassle free manner and interact without touts trying to sell souvenirs.  Among the things I enjoyed the most was looking at the colorfully painted doorways to the many havelis (private homes) in Samode.

We stayed at Samode Palace - an old palace that has been converted into a hotel.  The palace sites with the rugged Aravalli hills looming as a back drop. The hotel was a good experience and we enjoyed staying there.  Apparently it has won several awards as a heritage hotel.

One of the things that was most impressive about the hotel were some of its stunningly decorated and immaculately maintained rooms (e.g. the Durbar Hall and the Mirror Room).  Words can't describe what we saw....so I will just leave it to the photographs that I have included in this blog.

It certainly felt like we were in the palace of a king but we told that the ancestors who built the palace were not "royalty" but "nobility" and were conferred a prestigious title by the King of Jaipur for the good work and loyalty they demonstrated.   

In hindsight, I wish we had used Samode as the base to explore Jaipur instead.  Given that Jaipur was only an hour away, we could have enjoyed the peace and calm of Samode much more.

 

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