印度旅游對(duì)外宣傳的口號(hào)是“不可思議的印度！”（Incredible India！），這個(gè)歷史悠久的南亞國(guó)家，文盲眾多卻經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮，宗教盛行卻科技發(fā)達(dá)，左眼貧民窟，右眼大豪宅……這些“不可思議”使中國(guó)人對(duì)印度的態(tài)度總有種說(shuō)不出的曖昧：好奇、懷疑、矛盾、向往。然而，但凡文化濃郁的國(guó)度都會(huì)令人蠢蠢欲動(dòng)，身著沙麗的印度女人使得“千古絕唱”泰姬陵看上去無(wú)比柔美神秘，更何況這個(gè)古老的鄰國(guó)還秉持著令全球酒店業(yè)欽佩的奢華宮殿酒店文化！終于，在這個(gè)熱氣騰騰的夏季，《酒店精品》讀者俱樂(lè)部決定造訪印度，去穿越文明古國(guó)的靈魂之路！

The slogan of the India tourism is \"Incredible India！\". This historical South Asian country is itself a paradox： numerous illiterates vs. economic prosperity， pervasive religion vs. advanced technology， slums vs. big houses……Incredible indeed！ Curiosity， suspicion， contradiction， yearning， Chinese are never lack of complicated emotions towards India. While it is no doubt that countries with rich culture always appeal to the new comers. For India， women in Saree beautifies the poetic Taj Mahal， the luxury palace hotels reinforce the unshakable status of this respectable neighbor country. This scalding summer， come with us to savor the soul of this ancient paradise！

王的土地——拉賈斯坦邦

西起孟買，東到德里，中間行走在素有“國(guó)王的土地”之稱的拉賈斯坦邦，一路之上，壯麗的宮殿、巍峨的城堡、華美的廟宇，令人心馳神往?！鞍咨鞘小睘醮譅枴ⅰ八{(lán)色城市”焦特浦爾、“粉色城市”齋浦爾，鮮明地呈現(xiàn)了“拉邦”典型風(fēng)貌：河流交錯(cuò)、黃沙遍野、華宮圣殿。在這幾座城市的逗留也構(gòu)成了我們此番最重要的體驗(yàn)內(nèi)容——宮殿酒店。

王的宮殿

英屬殖民地的歷史背景使印度封建王朝末期的土邦得以留存至今，雖現(xiàn)已無(wú)土邦割據(jù)，但當(dāng)今印度社會(huì)依然留有王公貴族，他們?cè)诶Z斯坦邦尤為集中?！袄睢钡拇蠖鄶?shù)宮殿建于15到18世紀(jì)的莫臥兒王朝，這個(gè)伊斯蘭教王朝對(duì)印度建筑藝術(shù)的深遠(yuǎn)影響福澤后世，眾多偉大的宮殿城堡留存至今而成為重要的文化遺產(chǎn)。它們由世襲土邦主擁有，上世紀(jì)中葉印度脫離英國(guó)殖民獨(dú)立之后，有些王公貴族便從中搬離，將其改做酒店委托給著名的泰姬酒店集團(tuán)對(duì)外經(jīng)營(yíng)。

泰姬酒店、度假村及宮殿集團(tuán)

作為印度酒店業(yè)的先驅(qū)，泰姬酒店集團(tuán)一直致力于將印度皇室宮殿的特色保留下來(lái)，向各國(guó)賓客傳播富有王室印跡的生活方式，從而折射這個(gè)國(guó)家的光輝歷史，所以，我們可以從泰姬集團(tuán)的官方名稱中看到不同于其它酒店集團(tuán)的“宮殿”（Palaces）字樣——Taj Hotels， Resorts Palaces（泰姬酒店、度假村及宮殿集團(tuán)）。

此次行程中，我們?nèi)胱×怂募姨┘煜碌膶m殿酒店，與其說(shuō)入住，不如說(shuō)揭開(kāi)了這個(gè)神秘國(guó)度的多層面紗中最為耀眼的一層，即對(duì)皇家宮殿文化與印度王公貴族生活方式的一次獨(dú)特體驗(yàn)。作為酒店管理方，泰姬集團(tuán)力求將這份寶貴的遺產(chǎn)長(zhǎng)久保存，華貴的石材、高聳的穹頂、遼闊的庭院、精致的餐具、甚或王族的肖像……一點(diǎn)一滴地復(fù)現(xiàn)著這些宮殿曾經(jīng)的榮耀，從空間到服務(wù)。

王的愛(ài)情

印度北方邦城市阿格拉作為泰姬陵的所在地而名噪四方，距離泰姬陵僅600米之遙的歐貝羅伊酒店也因近水樓臺(tái)的位置和城內(nèi)唯一五星級(jí)酒店的定位，奠定了其在印度酒店業(yè)中當(dāng)之無(wú)愧的地位。歐貝羅伊酒店集團(tuán)（Oberoi Hotels and Resorts）雖不比泰姬酒店集團(tuán)的百年風(fēng)華，但也已成立有半個(gè)多世紀(jì)，尤以在妖嬈美景旁興建高端度假酒店而聞名。阿格拉歐貝羅伊酒店的美好就如同泰姬陵的千古景色一般不朽，站在客房陽(yáng)臺(tái)上望向近在眼前的泰姬陵，夕陽(yáng)之下，我們對(duì)這家酒店的記憶永遠(yuǎn)定格在600米的咫尺之遙。

印度是多層面的：奇妙的種姓，濃郁的宗教，廣袤的農(nóng)田，未來(lái)的絲綢之路……但我們認(rèn)為，最為炫彩的應(yīng)該屬于印度王族在歷史中的特殊存在這一層面，精英階層的喜好、品味、選擇，而宮殿酒店則是圍繞有關(guān)他們的一切折射到當(dāng)今的最為濃郁的表達(dá)。

The Land of the King — Rajasthan

From Mumbai to Delhi， and Rajasthan — \"Land of the King\"along the way， majestic palaces， castles and temples warmly beckon. White City Udaipur， Blue City Jodhpur and Pink City Jaipur showcase an authentic Rajasthan， where rivers flow across each other， yellow sands crawl all over the ground and palaces show off grandeur. Surely， lingering in these cities and living in these palace hotels constitute the most important part of this journey to India.

The Palaces of the King

The fact that it once was marked British Colony explains why princely states of late Indian Dynasty remain untouched till now. Though separatist regime is already history， nobles are a phenomenon in India， especially for Rajasthan. Most palaces here date back to Mughal Dynasty， from 15th to 18th century， during which Islam claims religious dominance. Once India broke away from Britain in the middle of last century and regained independence， some nobles moved out， changed them into hotels and entrusted Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces with the operation.

T aj Hotels， Resorts Palaces

As India’ s premier hospitality chain， Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces have invariably been associated with the ability to carry on the royal tradition of many magnificent palace hotels across India. The group present a unique experience of rediscovering the grand heritage palaces and lifestyles of Indian Maharajas. \"Palaces\" is what distinguishes Taj from other hotel groups.

We stayed in four Taj palace hotels along this trip. It is not so much\"staying\" as unveiling the most dazzling layer of the multilayer Indian — a unique interaction with royal palace culture and Indian Maharaja lifestyle. These exquisite palaces， resplendent with domes， terraces， carved pillars and archways have now become true reflections of the grandeur and luxury of Indian royalty， attracting travellers from across the world.

The Love of the King

Agra is a famous city in Uttar Pradesh in India because the Taj Mahal is located here. The Oberoi Agra， which is a five-star hotel， helps establish the Oberoi as one of India’ s most prestigious hotel brands with its 600-meter distance from the Taj Mahal. The Oberoi Hotel Group doesn’ t have such a long history as the Taj Group of Hotels and Resorts， but the former has been well known for establishing luxury hotels at beautiful scenic spots for the past half century. Just like the Taj Mahal， the beauty of the Oberoi Agra never fades.

India has a lot of interesting things： mysterious castes， diversified religion， boundless fields， the future Silk Road…… But what intrigues us the most is the royal history. The preferences， tastes and choices of Indian royal elites are well reflected by palace hotels.