Bundelkhand riverside looks more like a heritage building than a luxury hotel. It took the Maharaja of Orchha twelve years to make it look that way. Attention has been paid to every detail. The deep blue tiles covering the arch in the spacious dining room are made by the same indigenous technique as is used in Orchha Palace, whose domes can be seen from the rooftop terrace. And instead of white, plastic switches and plug-points from the 21^st C. you find sturdy early 20^thC. round, brown ones mounted on dark lacquered wood, matching the locally-made doors and closets.

The four wings make out a square, surrounding a big space with a tented lawn, lots of shady trees for the hot season, a pool and three cenotaphs overgrown with creepers. One of them is 400 years old! When the light fades, tinted glass-lamps are lit along the arcades lining the courtyard and so are the bonfires. Either on the lawn or by the side of the river Betwa, where a separate tent has been erected for just that purpose. The river runs only 30m. from the rooms  all of which face it and if you are an early riser, you can wrap one of the thick duvets around you and have tea served, while watching the sun rise over the rocky river.