India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (210 page)

Chittaranjan Palace, 2270 Vinoba Rd., Jayalamipuram, Mysore 570 012.
0821/251-2536
or
0821/425-5000, -5001, and -5002. Fax 0821/251-6139.
www.greenhotelindia.com
. 31 units. New Wing: Rs 2,750—Rs 3,750 double. Palace Rooms: Rs 5,250 Marigold, Rs 3,250 Writer and Small Bollywood. Palace suites: Rs 6,250 Maharani Suite, Rs 5,750 Princess’s Room, Rose, and Large Bollywood. Rs 800 extra bed. Rates include breakfast. MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; doctor-on-call; green auto-rickshaw service; Internet (Rs 130/hr.); library; room service; TV room; volleyball. In room: Fan.

Royal Orchid
Metropole
In the heritage category, it’s a bit of a tossup between The Green Hotel and the 120-year-old Royal Orchid Metropole, built by the Maharaja of Mysore to entertain his foreign guests. The stately colonial structure is a striking contrast to neighboring Hotel Regaalis (mentioned above) and extremely popular with foreign tourists for its laid-back ambience and good cuisine. The standard rooms are small but located away from the road, while the bigger royal rooms hear a fair amount of traffic noise—still, these are preferable given the greater charm of antique furniture and patios or balconies. The bathroom of the only suite in the hotel incidentally features the first bathtub to be brought to India from England, still functioning today without leaks! Real silver swings and chairs from Rajasthan adorn the tiny lobby, while a 100-year-old portrait of Tipu Sultan looms large in
Tiger Trail,
the in-house restaurant that is quite popular with locals as well.

5 Jhansi Lakshmibai Rd., Mysore 570005;
0821/425-5566.
www.royalorchidhotels.com
. 30 units. Rs 5,600 Royal; Rs 6,600 Heritage; Rs 7,500 Maharaja Suite. Rates include breakfast. Taxes extra.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; doctor-on-call; outdoor pool. In room: AC, TV, minibar; Wi-Fi (Rs 200/hr., Rs 600/day).

The Windflower Spa and Resort
Situated in the quiet environs of the Mysore race course (3km/1 3⁄4 miles from the city center) and flanked in the distance by the Chamundi Hill, this relative newcomer is located on a 4-hectare (10-acre) property. It is midway between a high-end hotel and boutique resort, and exudes a sense of space from the moment you walk into its delightful reception area. Cottages line the shallow canal-like pond with gorgeous giant brass
urlis
(cauldrons) placed at intervals, and plenty of swaying palms. Almost the entire resort has been designed using furniture from Indonesia—massive low beds with a wooden step, chunky teak wood coffee tables, sofas with silk covers, and lots of cane and bamboo everywhere. The
Emerge
Spa
offers plenty of treatments and won’t leave your pockets empty. (
Warning:
You will probably be greeted by a snow-white Australian cockatoo called Rosy, who has a fondness for punching holes in footwear.)

Maharanapratap Rd., Nazarbad, Mysore 570 010.
0821/252-2500.
Fax 0821/252-2400.
www.thewindflower.com
. 39 units. Rs 4,500 Executive; Rs 5,400 Deluxe; Rs 7,200 Club Class Suite, Rs 9,900 Royal Presidential Suite. Rs 1,000 extra bed. Rates include breakfast. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; currency exchange; doctor-on-call; fitness center; pool; spa. In room: AC, TV, DVD player, Wi-Fi (complimentary).

WHERE TO DINE

Visitors with a sweet tooth will get a kick out of the local specialty, Mysore
pak
(mysurpa),
made from gram flour and liters of ghee
(clarified butter). You’ll find a number of outlets at Devaraja Market. The best place to try is at
Bombay Tiffany’s
(
0821/2427-511
); the famous and long-established
Guru Sweet Mart
(Sayaji Rao Rd.) or any of the Nandini milk stalls—all equally good. Hotel Dasaprakash’s canteenlike restaurant
Akshaya
(Gandhi Sq.;
0821/244-2444
) serves simple, hygienic vegetarian fare, typical of the region, and a sumptuous thali that costs just Rs 55!

Le Olive Garden
NORTH INDIAN/ECLECTIC The in-house restaurant at Windflower Spa and Resort (reviewed above) offers alfresco dining in a leafy garden with geese and wind chimes for company. Arranged on landscaped terracing, the dining area is surrounded by water and reached by tiny bridges. Most of the dishes are Indian, with a good range of kebabs
offered, but you can also order Chinese or choose from a small selection of Continental dishes. We recommend the
murgh malai
kebab
(chicken grilled with fresh yogurt cream) or the
Peshawari kebab
(pistachio- and almond-flavored grilled chicken). The owner of the resort is also the proprietor of Joy ice cream, famous in this part of the country, so it makes perfect sense to end with a bowl of delicious butterscotch ice cream or the Olive orange-flavored caramel custard. Incidentally, you won’t find better iced coffee (don’t ask for ice cream in it) anywhere else in Karnataka.