Andrew Harper visits the Hotel de Crillon in Paris after its four-year $200 million renovation. It proved impressive but certainly not flawless.
India's palace hotels are living links to the era of the maharajahs, the 200 years prior to independence when semi-autonomous princes ruled much of the country. The best-known are in the state of Rajasthan, southwest of Delhi. But in the current economic boom, new areas are on the rise.
India's palace hotels are incomparably grand and atmospheric. I vividly remember my first visit to Rajasthan, wandering awestruck through vast ceremonial halls beneath stupendous crystal chandeliers. From the walls, life-size portraits of bejeweled potentates gazed sternly down.
The French department of Haute-Savoie and its towering Mont Blanc Range have attracted generations of American skiers. But when the snowfields have been replaced by flower-strewn meadows, the high Alps remain a wonderful destination, with enchanting small hotels--some of which have been owned by the same families for more than a century--and an increasing number of fine restaurants serving the region's delicious and distinctive cuisine.
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