Royal Orchid Metropole, Mysore. Discover Incredible Heritage In A Royal City

Bindu Gopal Rao stays at the Royal Orchid Metropole and soaks in the vibes of the city with a regal past.

A quick two-hour drive from Bengaluru, courtesy of the motorway, and I am at the beautiful Royal Orchid Metropole in the midst of the bustling locality of Lakshmipuram in Mysore. I have timed my visit with the ongoing Dasara festivities, and it is impossible to miss the sparkle of the city in this time.

The Setting

It is not often that you have an opportunity to stay at a place where an erstwhile royal would host personal guests. I was recently lucky to experience this when I visited Royal Orchid Metropole in Mysore. After all, I am at a property that was built in 1920 by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV of the Wadiyar dynasty as a private guesthouse for his European and British guests.

Originally designed by British architects Sir Arthur Dorman and Sir Albert de Lande Long, the pristine whitewashed colonnaded façade is a nod to Indo-Saracenic and British-era architecture. The 2.5-acre heritage space has imperial arches, imposing pillars, high coffered ceilings, wide verandas, and ornate corridors that take you back in time. I am given a traditional welcome with a Mysore Peta (local headgear) and a shawl as well as a glass of kokum juice.

The large reception area has comfortable teak sofas and furniture pieces that are antique. Salon doors on either side of the space open to an in-house store as well as the private office space, reflecting the heritage vibe of the property.

Guest Rooms

I am shown the way to my room on the first level – accessible via a grand teak wood stairway whose engineering is by Dorman Long & Co. Ltd., the London-based construction firm known for building iconic bridges. The property has 30 rooms, and I am staying at the Royal Maharaja Suite (the property has four of these). My room is expansive at 1,200 sq. ft. (111 sq. mt.) and opens to a semi-living space, a large spacious bedroom and a magnificent balcony that envelops two sides of the room.

The balcony is so large that it has a four-seat dining table, two sofas and a bench and enough space to walk around. The room itself is elegant with a four-poster bed, a study desk, a sofa, a large chair and more that all make the room very luxurious. The attached bathroom has a seater jacuzzi, a shower cubicle, and toiletries from Kimirica that specialises in vegan formulations. The room has a selection of local snacks that are replenished during the evening service as well. The Royal Wing with Courtyard View and Luxury Heritage with Lawn View Balcony are other room categories here.

Dining

The property is well known for its Indian cuisine, and at Tiger Trail you can relish some good food. Some of the must-try dishes include the Mysore Chilli Chicken, which has chicken chunks tossed with spices and an authentic Mysore chilli masala and tempered with curry leaves. The Badnekayi gojju is another winner, an eggplant dish that is made in a tangy sauce in typical Karnataka style. Do try the Kancha, a fried milk-based dumpling in flavoured sugar syrup, a chef speciality. Every evening there is a high tea arranged in the alfresco restaurant Shikari.

This is also a great dinner venue under the shade of the mango trees, even as you enjoy fresh barbeque dishes. Skan’del is the in-house bar that whips up interesting drinks. The buffet breakfast here not only has several Indian and international options but also sees a live performance by a saxophonist every day.

Do More

While you are here, there is much to do. The property has an in-house swimming pool and gym, ideal for health watchers. To add to this, there are also special yoga sessions, a perfect retreat for your body, mind, and soul. The hotel also has a tie-up for experiential walks with Gully Tours, where you can sign up for a Mysore Cookery Tour or a Mysore history walk (charges are extra).

The retreat also has a horse chariot ride where you can hop on to a chariot and stroll through some of the city’s leafy annexes. A private tour of the Mysore Palace is also on offer. If you prefer to look around yourself, check out the nearby attractions – Railway Museum, Kukkarahalli Lake, Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, Mysore Zoo, and the St Philomena’s Cathedral. The best time to be in the city is during the annual Dasara festivities. The city is fully lit up with all kinds of lights, and you can book a ticket on an open top bus as well.

Several restaurants also offer special local menus at this time. The pièce de resistance, of course, is the Amba Vilas palace, or the famed Mysore Palace, which is also the most visited monument in India. To see the palace lit up with close to one lakh custom-made, incandescent transparent bulbs is something that must be experienced. This trip helped me tick off a long-pending wish list to see the city during the Dasara. The palace is also lit on Sundays and public holidays. What makes a holiday to Mysore special is its heritage, history and culture, and the Royal Orchid Metropole makes for the perfect stay to do all of this and more.