13 Palace Hotels In India Where One Can Feel Like A Royal

 

1. Rajmahal Palace, Jaipur

One of the oldest and most treasured palaces in Jaipur. The restoration of this palace was overseen by Rajmata Padmini Devi who wanted it to suit the contemporary guests visiting the palace and expecting a royal experience. The hotel is managed by the Sujan group and has several tie-ups with safari camping and tour groups.

2. Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur

Located on a hill that overlooks the city, this grand structure took 15 years to build and was completed in 1944. It blends the architectural styles of an English castle and Rajputana palace. Made of yellow sandstone, the palace has 347 rooms which beautifully reflect the art deco style of the era. It is surrounded by gardens that are beautiful to stroll through in the evenings.

3. Rambagh Palace, Jaipur

Located 8 km away from the city of Jaipur, the palace was the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur whose family used it as a hunting lodge. The building was converted into a luxury hotel in 1957 when the royal family could not manage to maintain the upkeep of the place. Today it is managed by the Taj group.With lush gardens, it is possibly the most luxurious of hotels in the Pink City with a string of awards to its name.

4. Balsamand Lake Palace, Jodhpur

The palace of the former Maharaja of Marwar overlooks the Balsamand Lake which was constructed as a water reservoir for the city of Jodhpur. Built as a summer palace for the king, the red sandstone structure has beautiful gardens which overlook the serenity of the lake and desert.

5. Fernhills Palace, Ooty

Once the summer palace of the Wadiyar royals from Mysore, this palace, provided a fairy-tale like backdrop in the rolling hills of Ooty and spreads across 50 acres of land. The British acquired it later on leaving behind a colonial legacy with large windows and fireplaces in every room.

6. Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad

It was the residence of the Nizam of Hyderabad and probably brings a waft of the Venetian renaissance to Hyderabad. Roman pillars, crystal chandeliers, marble staircases, Japanese gardens and priceless interior decor are just some elements that describe the hotel. The library of the Nizam is said to house one of the rarest versions of the Quran. 

7. Samode Palace, Jaipur

Combining the architectural styles of the Rajputs and Mughals, the Samode palace is built along the Aravali ranges. The interiors are absolutely beautiful with intricately painted frescoes and a marble tiled infinity pool. 

8. Devi Garh by Lebua, Udaipur

This 18th century palace was converted into a luxury hotel. It is a hill top fort with 39 rooms and was home to the Delwara rulers. While the exteriors of the palace look ancient, the interiors reflect a minimalist contemporary style.

9. Phool Mahal Palace, Kishangarh

Built in the 17th century and located in central Rajasthan, the palace has the backdrop of a historic moat and faces the Gundalao Lake in the front. The Kishangarh Fort is located nearby which provides an insightful lesson into the history of the region.

10. Laxmi Niwas Palace, Bikaner

The palace was closed off from the rest of world and was host to the most privileged of people in the social order. Today, it is a luxury hotel inviting guests to experience the opulence of the Bikaner Maharajas. Hand painted friezes and gold plated paintings are just some of the beautiful characters that lie behind the walls of the palace. Some say, architects like Lutyens and Baker were inspired by this mighty structure.

11. Kasmanda Palace, Mussoorie

The palace was built in 1836 but not for the accommodation of royals. It was a sanatorium for British forces and later a school. It was later bought over by the Kasmanda royal family who made it their summer home and then a palace hotel. They still own the property, and the memorabilia around will take you back in time.

12. Lalitha Mahal Palace, Mysore

The palace was built by the ruler to accommodate his guests and lies a few kilometers away from Mysore. The palace is currently run by the Indian government and several parts of the property require urgent mending. 

13. Deogarh Mahal, Rajsamand

Built by the royal family of Deogarh, they still own the palace and live in one part of it. The hotel has 50 rooms, each of which have their own character from a different era of time. The grandest of rooms reflect the Rajput era of the 1600s. The palace is located on a hill somewhere between Jaipur and Udaipur.

10 Crazier Hotels of The World

 1.Dog Bark Park Inn (Idaho, US): a Beagle's Hotel

2.The Inntel Hotel (the Netherlands): a Hotel of Houses stacked on top of each other

3.Hamster Hotel (France): a Hotel that looks like a Rodent Cage

4.V8 Hotel (Germany): a car-themed hotel

5.Corona Save the Beach Hotel (Italy): the first hotel made completely out of garbage

6.Tianzi Hotel (China): the world's biggest image building hotel

7.Nhow Berlin (Germany): Europe's first music hotel

8.9h Hotel (Japan): the first luxury capsule hotel

9.Pavillon des Lettres Hotel (France): the first literary hotel

10.The Salt Hotel (Bolivia): a hotel made of salt

Most Creative Buildings of the World

 Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

 Fuji television building, Tokyo, Japan

 Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan

 Container City, London, UK

 The Hole House, Texas, USA

 Manchester Civil Justice Centre, Manchester, UK

 Gas Natural headquarters, Barcelona, Spain

 Erwin Wurm: House Attack, Vienna, Austria

 Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea

 Solar Furnace, Odeillo, France

 Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China

 CCTV Tower – China Central Television Headquarters, Beijing, China

 The Puerta de Europa towers, Madrid, Spain

 Ripley’s Building, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

 Wonderworks, Pigeon Forge, TN, USA

 Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada

Edificio Mirador, Madrid, Spain

 

Most Unique 5 Airplane Hangars in the World

 However, some airplane hangars are so unique that even those who generally aren’t interested in the topic enjoy learning about them. Consider the following examples!

 

The ‘Hidden’ Swiss Airplane Hangars

Not all hangars are immediately recognizable as being storage spaces for aircraft. There are various hangars that are difficult to spot if you’re not looking for them. Some of them may even be intentionally disguised for military purposes.

That’s one explanation some have for the hidden airplane hangars in Switzerland. In some parts of the country, hangars are essentially hidden inside of mountains, with fake rocks, shrubbery, or stone facades hiding them. The roads near them can be converted into makeshift runways when pilots need to take off or land. Additionally, sections of Swiss highways can become runways when necessary.

 

The ‘Home’ Hangars

Most pilots wealthy enough to own their planes tend to keep them in hangars owned by others. However, some of these hangars are designed to look like personal homes. Some even are homes!

For example, in Peyton, Colorado, you can find a Mediterranean inspired villa on a 2.5 acre lot featuring an adjacent hangar that the home’s owner can reach without ever actually going outside.

Silverwing, in Sandpark, Idaho, is similar. Residents of this development have easy access to a nearby airpark and can even store small planes in their own garages. Even James Bond would be jealous.

 

Hangar One

Most airplane hangars are relatively large structures. They have to be in order to store planes, after all.

However, Hangar One, in Mountain View, California, is particularly massive. Covering eight acres, it’s among the largest freestanding structures in the world. Its size is due to the fact that it originally served as a naval airship hangar. Now it belongs to NASA’s Ames Research Center.

Goodyear Airdock is a similar structure. When it was first completed in 1929, it was the largest structure in the world without interior supports. As the name implies, it was built as a hangar for Goodyear zeppelins. Along with its size, it’s well-known for its unique shape, which some have compared to a silkworm’s cocoon cut in half.

 

Hangar 7

Hangar 7, in Salzburg, Austria, was built by the founder of Red Bull as a hangar for the Flying Bulls, a fleet of unique aircraft owned by devoted pilots. It earns a spot on this list thanks to its interesting glass-centric design, as well as the fact that it may be one of the few hangars in the world with its own attached restaurant where various high end chefs serve up meals throughout the year.

 

Spruce Goose Dome

This famous hangar is now a cruise ship terminal. However, when it was first built, it served as a hangar for the Spruce Goose, Howard Hughes’ famously massive aircraft. As such, the hangar itself must also be extremely large, making it an iconic structure that remains the subject of much attention to this day.

Those are just a few examples! They highlight a point many forget: an airplane hangar’s main purpose may be aircraft storage, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be an interesting structure on its own. These noteworthy examples are proof.

Petra - Half As Old As Time

 Petra - Half as old as Time

Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Nabatean City of Petra is considered among the Seven Wonders of the World. 

In the description of the “Universal Outstanding Value” of this World Heritage Site, UNESCO describes the Ancient City as a “Major Caravan Centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the Spices of India, a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia.” 

The poet John William Burgon memorably described the spellbinding ruins of Petra as “A Rose-Red City Half As Old As Time.” 

Around AD 663, an earthquake destroyed parts of Petra and choked water supply, leading to its abandonment. The city remained lost to the World until the Swiss Explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, in the guise of an Arabic scholar, rediscovered it for the Western World.

Petra, a world hidden within the mountains of Jordan, was built several centuries ago. This ancient "caravan city" was the capital of the Nabataean Arabs, an ancient Semitic race of people who inhabited Jordan. They were mostly traders and agriculturists.

Tombs, caves, temples, monasteries, amphitheatres, gates, street facades – you need at least a couple of days to explore Petra.

The rock-cut architecture takes your breath away. Animals, deities and mortals, mostly carved in rock, greet you everywhere in this World Heritage Site. The architecture is heavily influenced by Assyrian, Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman styles.

Perhaps the most stereotyped image of Petra is Al Khazneh or the Treasury. Entry is through the Siq, a long narrow gorge, no more than 3 meters wide in some places, which gives the impression that the mountain has parted ways to allow you to enter it. Back in the day, caravans made their grand entry to Petra via the Siq.

The Treasury or Al Khazneh is one of Petra’s most recognizable monuments and one celebrated in Hollywood classics such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Tintin fans will also recognize the monument for its appearance in the Red Sea Sharks.

The Street of Facades in Petra is lined with rock-cut tombs in sandstone. Bodies were interred in chambers carved on the rocks.

The Royal Tombs, much larger in scale, and Urn Tombs lead to a single chamber, which was probably an ancient Byzantine church.

TRAVEL TIPS: Royal Jordanian Airlines flies three times a week (ex Mumbai) and five times a week (ex Delhi) to Amman, Jordan, from where Petra is a three-hour drive. Jordan Express Tourist Transportation (JETT) operates air-conditioned luxury buses to nearby Wadi Musa, where a selection of accommodation is available.

Petra is not just a city of tombs and rock cut temples. Meet the Bedouins here, stay in a cave, ride a horse up to the monastery, or watch craftsmen create sand art in bottles. Petra, as the BBC says, is one of the places you must see before you die.

A 102-year-old Ship turned into a Rich Forest

 

You will see a unique spectacle at Homebush Bay in Sydney, where a 102-year-old ship has a rich flora in its rusty hull!

The SS Ayrfield, a 1,140-ton ship, was traveling between Newcastle and Sydney in the 1960s, transporting supplies for US troops to the Pacific.

After the end of World War II, the SS Ayrfield, along with many other ships used, were left there to disintegrate.

But today, so many years later, the rusty ship is a unique spectacle and attraction for many tourists, thanks to its lush vegetation!