I had wondered if it would be worthwhile paying the price for the Royal Spa Retreat (76,000INR), but I wanted to give my wife a treat to celebrate our anniversary. In the end, we both concluded it was worth every cent. We were impressed when we stayed at the Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra 2 years ago . However, the Taj Lake Palace far surpasses it. While both are beautiful hotels in great locations, the crucial difference was the level of service rendered.

The service was first-class throughout the entire stay from the moment of the airport limousine pickup. From the reception to the 3 restaurants to the spa, we never had to identify ourselves or ask for our room number. They instantly knew us by name and which room we were from. Every request was attended to promptly and cheerfully. If you ask the staff for directions, they would invariably insist on bringing you to the place themselves. What Anirudhvb said about staff being greedy for tips is totally untrue; he must have gone to a different hotel. There are many signs informing you not to tip the staff, and we never doubted for a moment throughout our 3 days that they truly delighted to serve the guest like royalty. We have been to hotels where they try to rip you off for everything, but it was the opposite here. We got lots of free snacks, free bottled water in the room and cars, free food items during our meals, late check-out, waiver of internet access charges and arranging horse-riding trip for us (with third-party) without extra charge. They may not be cheap, but they are definitely not cheapskate.

After the rose petal shower welcome and drink, we were promptly brought to our room by our personal butler. It took us a while to realise that they had given us a 2-level upgrade to a Royal Suite because they didn't even mention it! The suite was all that we could ask for, spacious, beautifully decorated, with a bathroom fit for a king, and a fantastic view of the lake and mountains. We were given a bewildering choice of pillows and quilts, as well as more fruits, chocolates, pop corn, soft drinks (all complimentary) than we could consume.

We ate at all 3 restaurants. The rooftop fine dining experience under a full moon was wonderfully romantic. They could have squeezed in many more tables, but they chose to keep it to a small number, so there was lots of space and privacy. The food was excellent and we appreciated the nice little touches, like the sorbet to cleanse your palate before the main course and the charcoal brazier for each table to keep us cosy despite the chilly air. The food at the other 2 restaurants was also good. We were more than satisfied with the quality and spread of the breakfast which was included in our package. What was most notable was the service at the Indian food restaurant. The staff by the name of Jaydeep was knowledgeable, attentive, humorous and make the evening thoroughly enjoyable. We were not hungry so we didn't order a main course or dessert, but he insisted on treating us to a sample of the lamb, as well as complimentry dessert.

Our package included 3 hours on the beautiful private spa boat, which also had its own steam room and outdoor bath. The quality of the spa treatment was average, but as always the standard of service was impeccable. The fruits and drinks were freshly delivered by motor boat only when it was time to be served. The staff gave us total privacy; they would materialise only when you press the call button. It was a unique, romantic and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

We did the usual tourist staff in Udaipur, but honestly, it would be good enough to simply go there and stay in the hotel. It was our best anniversary celebration ever. We were sad to leave.