Palace On Wheels, Rajasthan
Palace on Wheels lives up to its name. This luxury train is the best known of all the luxury trains of Rajasthan. While the train promises to take you to various tourist destinations of Rajasthan, it happens to be a popular tourist attraction itself. The comfort and luxury of the journey cannot be matched by car or even air travel. What is more, here, you can sleep off the weariness of travel in the comfort of your own room, and get down at your destination whenever you feel like it. If not, just stay on board and wait for the train to move to the next destination.
The train looks very much like other Indian Railways trains from the outside; only the markings and colors are different. Once you step in however, you might as well forget that you are inside a train. Private rooms, restaurants, bar, and many other facilities such as a lounge, satellite phone, and library.
Let us start with the accommodation. The rooms are few, numbering just 14. So you have to book well in advance if you want to avoid waiting lists and last minute cancellations of your travel plans. Each of the rooms has been named after a former princely state of Rajasthan. They are themed on those states as well. The USP of these rooms is that while they are all the same in size, the décor of none of the rooms is the same. The rooms have attached baths and wall to wall carpeting, as well as intercom to connect you to the staff.
The train looks very much like other Indian Railways trains from the outside; only the markings and colors are different. Once you step in however, you might as well forget that you are inside a train. Private rooms, restaurants, bar, and many other facilities such as a lounge, satellite phone, and library.
Let us start with the accommodation. The rooms are few, numbering just 14. So you have to book well in advance if you want to avoid waiting lists and last minute cancellations of your travel plans. Each of the rooms has been named after a former princely state of Rajasthan. They are themed on those states as well. The USP of these rooms is that while they are all the same in size, the décor of none of the rooms is the same. The rooms have attached baths and wall to wall carpeting, as well as intercom to connect you to the staff.
The Palace on Wheels has a well stocked bar too, featuring liquors from various Indian and international brands. Many travelers prefer to have a drink at the bar with their friends once their day of sightseeing in some city or desert hamlet is done. Near the bar is a tiny library, where people select books to keep them company for a few hours.
The Palace on Wheels has two restaurants, the Maharaja and the Maharani. The restaurants are multicuisine, offering gourmands a choice of delectable platters from Chinese, Indian, or Continental culinary traditions.
The days when princes traveled in style from their forts to their hunting lodges or forts of fellow royalty are long past. Today, the Palace on Wheels offers visitors a taste of the same thing – traveling in style. In the air-conditioned luxury, surrounded by modern amenities, you can forgive yourself for thinking that perhaps even the maharajas did not have it as good.
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