India: Jodhpur – Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace is a relatively new palace built in 1929-43 by Maharaja Umaid Singh for – surprise – himself. The official line was that the construction was a way to create job for famined residents of Jodhpur. To this day, the palace is the royal residence of Jodhpur maharajas and also an ultra-luxury hotel (a little side business apparently). You can visit a tiny portion of the palace that is the museum – a couple royal trinkets, family pictures, and a luxury car collection. The hotel is strictly off-limits only for guests that are shelling out $1000 per night (I can’t understand anybody who would do this as frankly the modern palace is nothing special, located far from the fort or other beautiful parts of Jodhpur, and there are several much more interesting and unique historic options to stay at). Touted as a major Jodhpur attraction, it was rather disappointing and a waste of time.
