Taj Falaknuma - Pearl of Hyderabad

Falak-numa means "Like the Sky" or "Mirror of the Sky" in Urdu. This gorgeous pearl white Palace built in the shape of a scorpion couldn't be described better.

My excitement hit the roof when I was told that I was going to stay in this beautiful Palace hotel on my Taj Familarisation trip to India.

We were treated like a true royalty the moment we stepped our foot in this beautiful Palace. On our arrival we were taken up to the main entrance on a horse drawn carriage (a mile long ride) as we sipped on our glass of champagne. Further a footman opened the carriage door and a standard bearer lead us to the curved stairway. And if this was not royal enough, we were further welcomed by showering of fragrant rose petals as we stepped inside the main entrance of the Palace.

One thing that struck me immediately was that there was no concierge desk or bell boys hoping around in the lobby which is what you would expect in a five star luxury hotel, but rather the walls and celings adorned with frescoes and a marble fountain at its heart. And this is when I got the sense of not being in a five star luxury hotel but rather being a guest in the Nizam's own home.

Set high up above the city of pearls, but still minutes away from the colourful chaos, the Taj Falaknuma Palace commands some stunning views of the old city.

My most memorable experience was the Palace walk with the resident historian whose father and fore-fathers have served generations of Nizam. No one could have taken us back into the Nizams world and history of the Palace as beautifully as he did.

Falaknuma Palace was built by Nawab Vicar Ul Umra, Prime Minister of Hyderabad and brother in-law of Nizam VI. Nizam VI fell in love with this gem on his first visit and decided to buy it from the Nawab who had spent a fortune to built it.

Passed on for generations like a precious jewel, the palace felt silent after 1950's when the Nizam moved out. Finally in the year 2000, it was leased to the Taj Hotel group to convert into a Palace Hotel. It took ten years of restorartion in piecing together Falaknuma's past glory. Today the Palace stands revived and infused with a new life.

Spread across 32 acres of beautiful manicured themed gardens, the Palace has sixty elegantly decorated rooms and suites.

The Palace has some of the finest collections of the Nizam's treasures including paintings, statues, furnitures, books etc. The jade collection at the Palace is considered to be unique in the world.

The Dining Hall has the world’s longest dining table, made in seven pieces which can seat 101 people at a time. Today it serves as grand venue for hosting lunches or dinners for ditinguished guests or for grand wedding parties.

The Palace has a library with a carved walnut roof which is said to be a replica of the one at the Windsor Castle. It is one of the grandest rooms in the Palace with a ceiling of ornate teak and rosewood coffers with superbly carved panels. It has a collection of very rare books in the world.

There is a billiards room. Burroughs and Watts from England designed two identical tables, one of which is in Buckingham Palace and the other in the Falaknuma palace.

Such is the grandeur of this Palace.

My favourite place in the Palace is the Gol Bungalow - which offers spectacular views of the old city of Hyderabad. One of the main highlights was the private dinner arranged for us in the Gol Bungalow, and live qawalli (sufi music) being performed in the background. It was just surreal.

After three days of being in this self contatined world inside the Palace, I left with fond memories and a promise to myself that I would return...