Vasant Vilas

The best seat at Vasant Vilas is not a chair. In the Superior Deluxe Room a traditional jarokha, the projecting Rajasthani window alcove, has been fitted out as a cushioned window seat with bolsters, and the hotel has built a whole room category around it. It is a neat statement of what this self-described heritage boutique hotel in Udaipur is trying to do: take the decorative language of the city's havelis and wrap it around clean, comfortable, simply run rooms.

Close to the postcard sights

The hotel stands on Mali Colony, and its own pages place it close to Udaipur's most iconic landmarks: the City Palace, Jagdish Temple and Lake Pichola. That puts the lake-city circuit within easy reach while keeping you out of the tightest lanes. Back at base there is a swimming pool, a multi-cuisine restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, and a practical facilities list that covers high-speed Wi-Fi, laundry, currency exchange, a travel desk on request and a doctor on call. A continental breakfast is served each morning.

Made with love, welcome with love.

That is the hotel's own description of itself, and the homely pitch is honest: this is a guesthouse-spirited stop rather than a palace stay, and in our view all the better for it.

Three ways to sleep

Besides the jarokha room with its city view, there is a King Room with a balcony looking over the garden, and a Junior Suite that the hotel describes with a terrace and a panoramic view of Udaipur. All three come with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV and an electric kettle, and the hotel's room facilities list adds a wardrobe, a fan and a mini bar across the board. One thing to know: the hotel's own reservation form lists a different set of category names (Super Deluxe Patio, Super Deluxe Balcony, Premier Room), so it is worth confirming exactly which room you are getting when you book. Families are catered for sensibly: infants up to two stay free using existing bedding, and cots and extra beds can be requested directly from the property. For travellers working Udaipur into a longer Rajasthan run, this reads to us like a sensible base done with more care than its own modest "backpacker trail" billing suggests.