Rajasthan, India

Alsisar Mahal, the former seat of the Thakurs of Alsisar is a beautifully refurbished country residence. It’s typical Rajput pile of high-walled courtyards and romantic, domed apartments are all richly decorated in traditional style. With their carved four-posters, antique furniture and scallop-arched windows, the suites are palatial. But the real show stealer here is the cavernous Durbar Hall, where you can dine on fine Indian cuisine beneath crystal chandeliers and gilt-framed ancestral portraits. Princely weapons and hunting trophies hang in the billiards room, and there’s a delightful pool that gets plenty of shade as well as sun.

Our opinion

Alsisar Mahal’s comfortable rooms offer standard grade facilities and the perfect base to explore the painted havelis of Shekhawati.