Most of Asia’s legendary hotels, especially those in the tropics, were built in the days before air-conditioning, when high ceilings and open verandahs were essential for catching any passing breeze. Here a plantation chair and a handy table for afternoon drinks provide a view of the luxuriant garden at the Amangalla.
A staircase with wrought-iron railings leads to upper floors in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. Molded stucco decorations at the top of archways and columns and in the ceiling were often features of such neo-classical structures.
ASIA’S
LEGENDARY HOTELS
THE ROMANCE OF TRAVEL
WILLIAM WARREN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JILL GOCHER
PERIPLUS EDITIONS
Singapore • Hong Kong • Indonesia
Published by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd, with editorial offices at 61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12 Singapore 534167.
Copyright © 2007 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
Photographs © 2007 Jill Gocher
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-0674-1 (ebook)
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First edition
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Printed in Singapore
Evening view across Lake Pichola from the Shiv Niwas Palace toward the Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur. Both are former royal residences which have been converted into hotels, a trend that has become increasingly popular in India’s Rajasthan region where princely states remained semi-independent during British rule.
Comfortable wicker furniture provides numerous spots for conversation over tea or cooling drinks in the spacious public spaces of the Raffles Hotel. The white columns and marble floors offer a contrast to the tropical foliage just outside.
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