We planned this trip about two months ago to celebrate my Cheriamma’s birthday. A trip was originally planned for 2019 or so, and then the pandemic and other factors delayed this, and finally in 2024 we made this trip. We had four days in total, with two days dedicated to exploring Udaipur and the other two for travel.
Summary
Day 1 : COK-HYD Flight, and then HYD - UDP. Dinner with Gaurav's family
Day 2 : Explored Trident. Explore Sajjangarh, Moti Magri, Nimmat Mandir via ropeway, Camel and Horse rides, pics in Rajastani attire, and back to Oberoi. Dinner from Ambrai Restaurant
Day 3: Explore Oberoi. Explore Gangore Ghat, Jagdish Mandir, City Palace with Gaurav and Ankush. Back to Oberoi, and dinner in the night with Gaurav and family.
Day 4: Travel back to COK
Day 1: Travel Day
We hit the airport bright and early at 7:45 am for our 9:45 flight. After breezing through check-in and security, we had some time to kill, so I showed Cheriamma some cool pics on my phone. We snagged some good seats on the plane and enjoyed a bite to eat. After a brief layover in Hyderabad, where we grabbed coffee at Starbucks, we continued on to Udaipur. We landed at 5 pm and were picked up by Gaurav, a childhood friend of Sree’s. We headed to his place, met his lovely family, and enjoyed some delicious home-cooked food before they dropped us off at the Trident. The kids immediately connected with Gaurav's kids and enjoyed the time there.The hotel was fantastic, greeting us warmly and showing us to our balloon-decorated room. We settled in for some rest.
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| All set to board |
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| Udaipur Airport |
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| With Gaurav- Sree's childhood friend |
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| At Gaurav's parent's place - traditional food |
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| In the hotel room, decorated for Bday celebrations |
Day 2:
We started the day all dressed up and headed for a delightful breakfast at the Trident, where they whipped up a custom Dosa for Pappu and pancakes for the kids. After exploring the hotel grounds, the humidity drove us back to our room to cool off. We checked out and Gaurav had a car ready for us. Our first stop was the breathtaking Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace. Despite the kids being a handful, Cheriamma and I really enjoyed the views.
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| Morning views |
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| Dancing with my mom! |
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| Sajjangarh - Monsoon palace |
Next, we explored the ancient ruins at Moti Magri and snapped some photos in traditional Rajasthani attire. Pappu had a blast with camel and horse rides by Fateh Sagar Lake. We then took a ropeway to Nimath Matha temple before heading to our next hotel, the Oberoi. The check-in was smooth, and our room had a stunning private patio. After lounging by the pool and grabbing some snacks, we freshened up and dined at Ambrai restaurant, which offered gorgeous views of Lake Pichola and the surrounding palaces. A stroll around Fatehsagar Lake rounded off our evening before we headed back to enjoy a relaxing bath and called it a night.
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| Birthday celebrations! |
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| Swim time |
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| Beautiful view of the lighted palaces around |
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| The candle room |
Day 3:
We overslept a bit and rushed to catch the tail end of breakfast at Oberoi, which wasn’t as impressive as Trident’s. We spent the morning taking photos around the stunning hotel. Later, Gaurav took us to Gangor Ghat and Jagdish Temple, which had incredible architecture. We shopped around the City Palace area and enjoyed some local Dal Bhatti. The kids swam again back at the hotel, and we all loved the sunset boat ride—it was a highlight! After showing Gaurav and his family around the hotel, we grabbed dinner nearby, took some last-minute photos, and said our goodbyes.
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| Jagdish temple |
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| In front of city palace |
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| These are bats |
Day 4:
Travel day—Gaurav kindly dropped us off at the airport for our flight to Bangalore, where we had a lengthy wait due to a delay. Eventually, we made it to Cochin and drove back to Thrissur.
It was a whirlwind trip filled with beautiful sights, great food, and even better company!
