His Highness Maharaja Krishna Raja Wodeyar Bahaddur IV built Lalitha Mahal palace situated at the foothill of Chamundi hill in 1921 to house his important guests. Lalitha Mahal Palace is an imposing structure designed by Mr. E.W. Fritchley an English architect of contemporary fame. Several minor ornamentations in this building are reminiscence of British Palaces. The imposing domes are modeled on the St. Paul's Cathedral of London.

On a low hill, just outside the royal city of Mysore, stands a shimmering white palace - a splendid Italian palazzo, double columned and domed-set in sprawling terraced and landscaped gardens. This is the Lalitha Mahal, built by the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore to host his most important guest, the Viceroy of India. The Lalitha Mahal is now one of India's most opulent hotels. India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has converted the Lalitha Mahal Palace into a Five-Star hotel managed by the Ashok group of hotels.

Accommodation
Set amidst palaces, collonaded markets, statue circles, temples and lakes is the prestigious Lalitha Mahal Palace hotel, with 54 rooms with original atmosphere and charm and modern luxury of the highest standard with impeccable service. It has a very elite banquet hall and a marvelous ball room.

The enchanting 300 room hotel offers a glimpse of princely living to anyone who chooses to stay here. My family and I decided to experience a taste of this bygone era, for just one day when we visited Mysore last month.

The Suite:
Our suite had a very generously proportioned living space that led into a bedroom on the left through a colonnaded archway, and to the dress, and the bathroom on the right. The living room housed a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table, a work desk, a TV, and an armoire that discreetly housed a refrigerator. Black and white prints depicting the colonial raj era graced the walls. A basket of fresh fruit awaited us when we entered our suite.

The bedroom had a four poster bed, two nightstands with marble countertops, a velvet upholstered chaise lounge, and a rosewood table with ivory carving in it. And yes, there were chocolate éclairs on the nightstand.

All the furniture pieces were genuine antiques, and made out of either rosewood or teakwood. The drapes, the bedspreads, and rest of the furnishings were done up in raw silk, in a color scheme of browns, and beiges. The 25 foot high ceilings, the Persian rugs, and the rosewood wainscoting added to the grandeur of the space.

The dressing space was again an elaborate affair on two armoires, a shoe stand, and a sit down dressing table with a Belgian mirror, all made out of rosewood. The very spacious all-marble bathroom had an old fashioned wash basin, and a really huge bathtub. The upscale toiletries had a sandalwood scent, and were a pleasure to use.

The erstwhile Ball Room has been recreated as a gourmet restaurant and the central hall is adorned with life-size portraits of the Royals, lithographs portraying Tippu's skirmishes with the British, decorative motifs on the walls and ceilings, stained Belgian glass domes, carved wooden shutters and myraid touches of regal embellishment.

Amenities
24 hr coffee shop, Laundry, Gymnasium, Games, Jacuzzi, Sauna Steam , Swimming Pool, Beauty Parlour, Halls, Bar Pub, Baby Sitting, Doctor on Call, Safe Deposit, Shopping Arcade

Services
Banquet Facility, Executive Lounge, Conference Facility, Money Changer, Fax, Photocopy

Sports
For sports enthusiasts there are many facilities like swimming pool, billiards room, tennis court and jogging track. There is a health spa for the health conscious.

Room Facilities
Room facilities include air-conditioned mini bar and refrigerator, telephone, television, personal safe and tea/coffee facility.

Hotel Facilities
Hotel facilities include restaurant, bar, coffee shop, swimming pool, babysitting, Business services, guest laundry, 24hr reception and child minding.

Sightseeing
Mysore is a charming city in Karnataka, a southern state in India. In this formerly princely city, opulence is often taken for granted; it is not very unusual to see a palace or a fort perched on top of a hill, in almost every part of the city. However, other than the main palace of the city, the Lalitha Mahal Palace is perhaps the most regal, in this city of palaces.

In the year1920, Sri Krishna Raja Wadiyar, the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore, hired a British architect named, E.W. Fritchley to design a special palace to house his royal guests, the most important one being the Viceroy of India. Almost ten years later, the architect saw this magnificent building to fruition, and the building was named Lalitha Mahal.

Since the hotel is located on a hill, it overlooks the romantic Mysore skyline. On left side of the hotel, you can see the Chamundi Hill with its ancient temple, a huge rock carving of Nandi the Bull and the smaller royal summer palace. The Brindavan Gardens, the Ranganathitoo bird sanctuary, and the fort and summer palace of the legendary Tippu Sultan, are all a short drive from Lalitha Mahal.

Architecture
The circular lounge itself is a magnificent space right under the central dome of the building. Polished marble floors, painted and chandeliered ceilings and antique furniture grace this regal space. A bifurcated marble staircase, which is the focal point of this lounge, literally sweeps you up to the grand upper floors of the building. Do check out the quaint elevator also, which is equipped with a seat upholstered in velvet, and takes you up to the upper floors in style.

Restaurant, and the Tea Lounge
The restaurant was originally the Banquet Room of the palace, and is a grand space done up in blue and white, with dining areas under stained glass domes.

Other Details
The Lalitha Mahal has a nice bookstore, and three other stores that sell jewelry, silks, and Indian handicrafts respectively. Except the bookstore, the other stores are a little overpriced, even though they have some really nice stuff.

The Grand ballroom of the hotel has now been converted into a conference room, which can hold up to 150 people. We did not have time to check out the Game Room which offers billiards, cards, and chess, or the Bar. The hotel also has an outdoor swimming pool, and tennis courts.