So romantic. Lovely friendly staff. Superb suite with stained glass windows. Secluded pool. Excellent service. Delectable breakfasts. The few days there were the highlight of our long tour of India. Thank-you everyone at the Lake Palace, from Richard & Sue, London.

We stayed for a couple of nights here on our honeymoon last year. We arrived by car just as the sun was setting over the lake and it really was magical. It's quite an experience to stay here, but the only problem is that once you're there you can't actually see it. Our room was good, although a niggle was that we'd specifically booked a room with a freestanding bath and there wasn't one available on arrival. They offered to move us after one night but felt it wasn't worth it. The hotel itself is lovely, and we were fortunate to be near an 'outside area' with lovely views of Udaipur.

We did however feel that too much is made of the Octopussy connection
- for example you can eat by the Lily Pond for $200 per person which is ludicrous. The restaurant was good, although not quite as gutsy as some of the Rajasthani fare we'd had previously - possibly dampened down for the large percentage of European guests. The hotel was fully booked during our stay, which possibly impacted on the service (and we had just come from a much emptier Taj hotel, Umaid Bhawan in Jodpur, where the services was 150%), although by normal standards it was pretty good. Udaipur is great too with a very different feel the rest of Rajasthan.

The Lake Palace is everything people say it is, it's luxurious, comfortable, beautiful. The staff is incredibly friendly, and always greet you with a smile. The view is spectacular. The food in the restaurants, we thought, was great. It's expensive - no, I take that back, VERY expensive - but a once in a lifetime experience.

A note: there is a walk of the hotel offered each afternoon, a boat ride to the neighboring palace as well, and folk dancing in the evenings before dinner. All nice touches.

One note of caution: the pool is typically crowded and the spa gets booked up quickly, so if you want a treatment (these are not expensive compared to most places I've stayed), then book ahead. Since we only stayed one night, they had no room for me to do a massage either in the evening or the early morning.

Yes, it is very expensive and the rooms aren't that big ... But there is really no place like this in the world. As other reviewers indicated, it is a destination in itself. My girlfriend and I took a 1 week tour of Rajasthan and loved the whole trip. But the highlight of the trip was the 1 night we spent at the Lake Palace. From the moment you step off the boat, you're in a different world - gleaming white courtyards and hallways and a beuatiful view of the city. If you can fit it into your budget, it is well worth the price.