Hotel Reviews of Riverside Palace & Orchard

5.67
TravelBug, Bellary | 27^th January 2008
Hotel Review of Riverside Palace & Orchard
Comments: We arrived to a picturesque town of Gondal, driving down from Rajkot. On the way, we passed the impressive Swami Narayan Temple on the left. Passing small push cart vendors, we arrived at a junction with huge iron gate from which we could just about make out a red palace behind. That was Orchard Palace. The rooms were huge, and the bathrooms bigger than a bedroom in New York or Mumbai. The vintage car museum was a treat, as was seeing the old railway coach. The person in -charge, Mr. KanakSinghji, personally escorted us to the bigger nau lakha palace which now functions as a museum. Huge gardens, dining rooms, period furniture, it was all there
Best Experience: The food was amazing, and as the Palace has only 7-8 rooms, we were all seated on a huge dining table, where it was pleasant talking to the other guests. Dinner stretched well past the meals, as people talked about their travel experiences. Waiters in uniform served food from china dishes, and it was all very proper. There is no restaurant as such, but the dinner menu is decided by the chef in the afternoon, and if the guests so wish, they can ask for some minor customization. We were impressed that the cook could come up with succulent continental fare.