USP Located in the Oberoi Udaivilas, this is the ultimate outpost of the celebrated Banyan Tree Spa. Step out of your lush massage room, down a spiral marble staircase and out to the spa’s infinity pool. The cliff-edge pool overlooks the palace in the middle of Pichola, one of the man-made lakes of Udaipur. The location is billed as India’s Venice, and its most romantic city. Not a bad way to end a rough day of pedicures. Additionally, India is the motherland of Ayurvedic medicine, and there are authentic practitioners on hand to answer questions and apply your oils.

AMBIENCE As in nearly all spas, tinkling new-age music filters down from hidden speakers in this vaulted marble enclave. The staff, in typical Indian fashion, bend over backwards to accommodate your every demand. Treatment rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the hotel’s nature preserve, home to wild deer and boar. Don’t be surprised if you catch a peacock’s eye as you lay back and are lathered.

EXPERIENCE The caring is so meticulous that staff take everything you say deeply seriously. No sooner had I mentioned in passing that I loved a particular rose-syrup iced tea than a glass was thrust in my hand by a panting assistant who had sprinted to procure some for me. I opted for a scrub, to slough away the sweat and grime from a day touring the streets and chose from a menu of fruit and natural fibre-flecked potions. I made the wrong choice. My cumin and black sesame scrub left me smelling a bit like a market stall vending roast chicken – not exactly the image I was going for. However, when I complained, my masseuse quickly fetched rose water and adjusted the treatment to suit my nose, and constantly checked on my satisfaction throughout.

FOOD I was a bit shocked to see Western spa favourites such as Vietnamese spring rolls of rice paper and shredded cabbage on the menu; after all we were in Rajasthan. A variety of salads were on offer, but this is no detox spa. The slim-minded should stick to watermelon and feta salads but the wise will go for the rich, ghee-lashed Indian specialties. Fresh paneer, India’s firm mild cottage cheese and croquets of various legumes tossed with a medley of Indian spices (remarkably similar to those that had just been rubbed all over my body) are in abundance. Less heavy options are roasted kebabs that are about as far from your neighbourhood kebab shop as, well, India. I recommend straying from your comfort zone to sample it all.

IN CROWD Rated No.1 in the American Travel + Leisure magazine's top 100 hotels for 2007 guests are predictably wealthy international families.

WALLET WATCH This may be a £500 a night hotel but the spa treatments offer excellent value: the 30-minute cumin and black sesame scrub costs about £20 (1600 INR); the 60-minute mint cucumber healer and a tomato wrap each cost about £36 (INR 3000); a whole range of Ayurvedic treatments from £24 (2000 INR) ; and the Royal Treasures 3-hour spa programme including a sandalwood and turmeric scrub and a milk and rose bath costs £89 (7300 INR).

NEED TO KNOW Oberoi Udaivillas, Udaipur - 313 001, Rajasthan, India (+91 294 2433300; www.oberoiudaivilas.com) E-mail: gm@oberoi-udaivilas.com

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