Samode, Jaipur.

	Samode, Jaipur
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Hidden among the scrubby Aravalli Hills, Samode, on the outskirts of Shekhawati, is notable for its impeccably restored eighteenth-century palace, which became famous in the 1980s as the setting for the hit Raj-romance movie The Far Pavilions .

It's possible to come here on a day-trip from Jaipur, 42km southeast, but if your budget can stretch to it, spend a night in one of the palace's uncompromisingly romantic rooms, plastered with murals and filled with antiques and ornate stonework.

Nonresidents have to shell out a hefty Rs100 to visit, but it's worth it just to see the beautiful Sheesh Mahal, or Hall of Mirrors, on the south side of the building.

Samode village itself is a centre for block printing and lacquered bangle making, and you can climb the three hundred steps leading from the palace to a hilltop fort, the maharaja's ruined former residence, for impressive views over the surrounding countryside.

Sections of it have been converted into a luxury heritage hotel, the Samode Palace (phone 01423/4114, fax 4123; Rs2500 and upwards).

The same owners also have fifty richly appointed tents, 3km southeast of Samode at Samode Bagh (Rs2500 and upwards), in a campus with its own swimming pool, croquet lawns and tennis courts. Bookings both for this and the palace can be made in Jaipur through Samode Haveli, Gangapole (phone & fax 0141/632407).