artnlight

Yes, the travel stars are shining bright. Blogging live from Ahmedabad where I am today. What does it mean when every single person whose opinion matters recommends a place? What does it mean to create and deliver an experience so consistently that diverse people across ages and professions recommend you, without blinking. House of MG is one such institution in Ahmedabad which has just about everyone raving about it. That it is the pride of the Amdavadi goes without saying. Atop this lovingly maintained hotel is their restaurant 'Agashiye' where we lunched today. The thali is healthy, yummy, and where it wins is that it all tastes home made. And the service is gracious, loving and will always urge you with a smile to take that one extra roti and yes, not having 'ghee' with your khichdi, is just not an option.
Agashiye and House of MG is all about old world hospitality, from the milton tiled floors to the lovingly polished wood with its gleaming brass fittings. There are many little visual delights scattered across this lovingly restored 20th century propery, be it an interestingy shaped mirror cluster or an antique carved wooden Kamadhenu.

The care taker spoke of an Australian artist, Donald Friend,  who came to stay in the Brief Garden for 6 days and stayed on for 6 years. He is credited with a lot of art that one sees in the Brief Gardens.
 At the far end of the patio is this wall with the embedded bottles forming a design-  Scroll to the next image to see the other side of the wall & how the bottles look.

 The bottles that were embedded into the wall open out into the back garden, where stands this quirky irreverent man ostensibly peeing into this mini pool.
"Romantic elements like water fountains, nightmarish gargoyles, and his sculptures with their strong sexual overtones combine effortlessly with the surrounding plant life, all with a punch of wit. One constantly encounters his sculptures, and other creations some of which have been given his own visage." Varna S Dhar




 Opens into this lovely garden with its designed pool in the centre - notice the leaf imprinted concrete tiles

 We will go from out to in. Behind the Palace is this beautiful gatepost with its life sized peacocks perched on scrolls of foliage. Seen behind is the island temple, the royal households private temple.









 Jewel like intricate carvings on stone and marble.
An exquisite marble dining table with a scented water pool in the centre, with inlay work along the edges is the central attraction of the Zenana chowk while  pebble work walls add a dash of extravagance to this unusual dining space.







Something I must say, is while most of the palaces in Rajasthan are open to public, the Udai Bilas Palace is open only to its guests, which means you need to be booked to stay here. And one also needs special permissions for photography. One of the few times that my blogger credentials, opened doors for me and I am grateful to the Udai Vilas Palace staff who got me permissions after my visiting card was taken to the King. In the meantime we were fed a sumptuous brunch. It is not simply that the word Rajasthani spells hospitality and grace.