Taj Falaknuma Palace

In a nation as rich in palace hotels as India, there are only a select few where guests are still feted like royalty. None more so than Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad (hotel.qantas.com.au/taj falaknumapalace). From the welcome at the Victorian clock tower entrance, where you’re served sparkling wine in the company of peacocks (there are 87 in total), to the horse-drawn carriage that transports you to the palace proper, and then the pinchme moment: being showered in rose petals as you climb the staircase to the grand Renaissance-style foyer with its 17-metre ceilings and cherub-adorned fountain.

Once the property of the fabulously wealthy sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, its architecture inspired by Versailles and the White House, Taj Falaknuma Palace is set in 13 hectares of fragrant hilltop gardens on the edge of the southern city.

The bulk of its 60 lodgings are “palace” rooms but even an entry-level guestroom – undeniably comfortable, with terraces onto perfumed courtyard gardens – guarantees entrée to such treasures as the Dining Hall with its 101-seat mahoganyand-rosewood

For our full review of Taj Falaknuma Palace, visit qantas.com/taj-falaknuma-palace table and the Jade Room with its priceless collection of stone artworks and a silver mango tree with fruit cast in gold. For the full royal treatment, book one of the more elaborately appointed suites, such as those within the former zenana or women’s quarters of the spectacular citadel.

As the sun sets, hazy and ethereal from the terrace of Gol Bungalow (above), the lights of Hyderabad flicker to life on the plains below and calls to prayer fill the air with sacred chanting. “It’s like you’re in the heavens, looking down,” observes manager Abhijit Masurkar.