First comes the pappardelle, and then the fettuccine. After that you have the linguine, the spaghetti, and the thinnest of them, the spaghettini,&rdquo the chef rattles off, in what is an Italian twist to the chicken-and-egg question. With exuberant hand gestures in view, hills in the background that could be mistaken for those in Tuscany, and a moon that hits my eye like a big pizza pie, I wonder, for a split second, if I am in Italy instead of Udaipur. A quick peek at my boarding pass-turned-bookmark confirms that I am not.
My destination, jüSTa&rsquos new property, is an hour&rsquos ride from the airport. As you amble along, you veer temptingly close to the gates of a very green, very large park&mdashthe driver confirms that it is the Sajjangarh Biological Park and Fort&mdashbut then take a sharp left. Before you have a chance to protest, you find that you&rsquore now entering the new jüSTa Sajjangarh Resort & Spa.
In the land of havelis and lakes, this property comes as a contemporary surprise. It is a five-star hotel with four floors and 63 rooms, of which 12 are suites with jacuzzis to go with.
If you&rsquore still feeling bummed about the greenery you skimmed past, enter your room and draw open the curtains. There it is&mdashthe Aravalli hills in their glory and on top of it the beautiful Monsoon Palace. Every corner of the hotel competes for the best view, whether of the palace, the hills or the poolside. The lobby and hallways also moonlight as galleries, with over 300 artworks displayed across the hotel. I can&rsquot help but notice that the rooms look as though designed through a kaleidoscope. A spa, and a rooftop bar and restaurant with live shows is yet to come.
In a city where most menu cards begin with paneer tikka, graduate to thalis and end with the classic gulab jamun, jüSTa&rsquos all-day restaurant, Sabor, is a breakaway. I ate my way through my stay. Some of these experiments turned out well (the honey ginger beetroot risotto and the dual-coloured mushroom and baby corn soup, for instance), while a few could do with a little tweaking (like the activated charcoal macaroon). I enjoyed the classics too, the smokey cheese mushrooms and baked cheesecake, all orchestrated by Chef Surya, who likes to chat with guests, and occasionally give lessons on pasta shapes.
So what do I say to the next person who asks why I didn&rsquot stay near Lake Pichola Three things. First, that word associations are a farce (you say &lsquosky&rsquo, I say &lsquoblue&rsquo you say &lsquoUdaipur&rsquo, I say &lsquolake&rsquo No, thanks). Two, an outdoor dinner with a view of a lit-up Monsoon Palace at night is unforgettable. And three, that baked cheesecake is worth going back for.
The Information
Where Opposite Biological Park, Udaipur 1hr from Maharana Pratap Airport
Accommodation 63 rooms
Tariff From @INR8,000 (rooms) and @INR14,000 (suites)
Contact 91-9590777000 justahotels.com
