Riverside Palace

The Riverside Palace is part of a small collection of heritage palaces in the historic town of Gondal, alongside the Orchard Palace, surrounded by orchards, rivers and the old royal quarters.

These are former family residences rather than converted hotels, and the family still treats them as home. The owner, HH Himanshusinhji Jyotendrasinhji Sahib, describes the palaces as deeply personal to him long before they became a place for guests to stay, and the house is presented as a living heritage rather than a preserved one.

Days here are quiet by design. Mornings start with birdsong and peacocks in the gardens, afternoons pass in shaded courtyards and galleries. Gondal itself carries more to see than the palaces: the family also keeps the Naulakha Palace museum, a vintage car museum in the royal garage, and a rail museum.