Taragarh Palace

Back home from our weekend vacation to the Taragarh Palace with friends. Situated in the Kangra Valley, the Palace is not the typical kinds one would imagine or connect with Royalty.
The journey took us close to seven hours from Jalandhar, stopping for less than an hour on our way. Rain entertained us for most of the way and remained loyal throughout the trip as well. When we reached, we were a little apprehensive. The gardens looked lovely but the Palace, as such did not quite impress. Because of the rain, there was an awkward damp smell in the air and the wing from where we entered looked quite like a horror movie set. It was the original old wing, equipped fully with the Maharani, Maharaja and Rajmata Suites. Since these were carpeted, the damp smell was even stronger in there.
We took a breath of relief when we were led on to the new wing. This was quite nice with open spaces, marble floorings and a picturesque forest-like surrounding. The rooms were comfortable, though not worth the price they had been paid for.
Most of our time was spent sitting in the open verandah, enjoying the rain while playing hilarious games. The Swimming Pool was a great experience in the heavy downpour. The downside was the food - which lacked in basic masalas and salt, making it very bland. The service was also quite poor, for they only had five to six people on the staff who seemed to be doing everything from the cooking to cleaning.
The new wing of the property is built well and many nooks and corners are there to enjoy the pretty Palampur hills. If you plan to undertake a trip to Taragarh Palace, it would be a great idea to do it with friends, because it can get quite lonely by oneself due to the lack of any amenities around the Palace.
At the end of it all, it is recommended as a decent place for a nice weekend getaway with friends - provided you think of good entertainment beforehand.