When my dear husband suggested we take time off without kids, it seemed like a  rare possibility, but then I found the perfect babysitters. My brother and my sister-in-law and we were set. We headed for Hyderabad(I wondered why Hyderabad?) for our much-hyped holiday.

The garden view overlooking the city(Prerna 2)

The front lobby

The rose petal shower

The Ittar and Gajra welcome

The celestial roof overlooking the city and Charminar

The dome top of the Celestial Roof

What is interesting is that you can use all these antiques, like sitting on the Nizam’s chair, writing on his desk, using the begum’s gossip room unlike most palaces which are just museums. Every evening there is a ‘qawwali’ by a group of very talented singers(who sing without any mike and just a harmonium ) at the celestial terrace, which has the ‘Charminar’ and ‘Mecca mosque’ along with the city view in the background. Sipping wine with starry lights and city lights and listening to this spell binding ‘ qawwali’, you are transported in a different era.

Other experiences are the super relaxing Jiva Spa which has a special customised ‘Nawab-e-khas’ treatment for the guests. The staff is courteous and makes sure you feel royal all the way, even little things like a taste of Indian fruit platter in the morning, ‘mithai’ in the evening and a silver plate with rose petals and cream in the night on your bed, all add to the experience.

No wonder, that Nizam the VI was named one of the world richest man, with his fleet of 400 imported cars, 35 palaces and riches good enough to fill an entire Piccadilly square. The current Nizam  the VIII lives in Turkey and only visits occasionally.

The luxury doesn’t come cheap though, the rooms are steeply priced starting  at 27,000 Rs per night, but you may look at corporate deals or offers to book online.

I leave you with the preview video of soul searching  ‘qawwali’  to give you feel of the place.

Though I visited the palace  in 2013, this has most recently been the talk of town with Salman Khan’s sister Arpita being married here.To see more pics of the wedding click on the link