D#002: Lotus Palace Hotel & Retreat - The Sim (Closed)

If you love India or are attracted by exotic destinations, where beauty and comfort meets spirituality this is the place for you.

Lotus Palace Hotel & Retreat is a luxury resort built on an artificial island in the middle of a lake. The building itself is majestic, stunning, and inspired by a real life 5 stars hotel, one of India's most famous hotels, the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur on Lake Pichola.

Dirk Lemon (Ares Lemon), the SL Hotel Inspector, wrote a very interesting and detailed review on Lotus Palace Hotel & Retreat on his blog covering every aspect and services offered by this structure which I highly recommend you all read if you are interested in booking a stay here (https://virtualhotels.online/blog/review-lotus-palace).

What really left me speechless was the beauty of the sim surrounding the Resort, built by Nea Narstrom & Beric01 Resident, which is a very detailed reproduction of an Indian village and a beautiful and lustful rainforest with its hidden treasures.

From the Hotel, you can take a boat to reach the Village in just a few minutes. Once on land, you are immediately captured by the sounds of the nearby market and the beauty of the Ghat (a ceremonial and holy bathing site) and two small temples on both its sides - a reminder that this is also a place of spirituality. 






At both ends of the Village, left or right, a small path leads you into the forest and straight into the adventure! I have taken the path on the right side of the Village and the first thing I encountered was the beautiful temple ruins, territory of a few small monkeys who made this place their home.


From the temple ruins, the path goes deep into the beautiful rainforest and suddenly the remains of a small airplane propeller appears out of the vegetation. Further down the road, you find yourself at the base of a stone stairway on the sides of which there are two immense statues representing two elephants, a recurring symbol in the Indian spirituality. The stairway leads to a beautiful temple surrounded by the luscious forest: the Ganesha temple: remember to remove your shoes as a sign of respect and ring the bell before entering to announce your presence to the Hindu gods.




The view from the Temple hill left me speechless. Take your time exploring the areas around the Village. You will not be disappointed!

Back to our exploration! Leaving the temple, the path will lead you to an impressive waterfall and the nearby natural hot springs, pools of fresh water where you can take a bath and relax alone or with your loved one. Wetlands are next and you better be careful as this is the territory of the dangerous Bengala tiger and other animals. Take your camera out but mind your steps as you never know what might hide in the water or behind the many trees and bushes. There are also a few treehouses and huts that can be rented out if you wish to spend some time in the wetlands. 








Take some time also to explore the beach. There are some lovely open huts where you can relax, alone or with your loved one - even better - with a breathtaking view over the lake and the beautiful Resort at its centre. 


The Lotus Hotel & Resort and the surrounding sim is absolutely a place that deserves a visit at least once. The Village and the rainforest are open to everyone, while you need a group tag to access the treehouses/huts and other rentals on sim as well as the all the facilities the Resort offers.






SIM INFO:

Owners: Nea Narstrom & Beric01 Resident

Name: Lotus Palace Hotel & Retreat

URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mumbai/134/107/21

Official website: https://secondescapes.wixsite.com/lotuspalace


SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Dirk Lemon, for making me discover this beautiful place.

Make sure to check his blog:  https://virtualhotels.online/

Follow him on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kirkusmaximus/


UPDATE (15/12/20): the sim unfortunately closed just recently and therefore it is no longer possible to visit it. Fingers crossed it will be back one day :) 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D#013 Cats lovers paradise: Nekomachi Street & Maneki Cafè

Image
As a good cat lover, I take note of all the places I find during my explorations in Second Life that have to do with these adorable felines. Here are two places that I found and are worth a visit: - Nekomachi Street - Maneki Cafè The list will be updated in case more places are found. Please leave a comment if you already know of others (include a URL if possible!) NEKOMACHI STREET Nekomachi Street can be found in Tonarino, a Japanese town (see my post here ). To get there, you need to click the cat inside the tunnel near the town's Garage/mechanic.  Nekomachi Street is a - fantasy - representation of what a Japanese town would look if its inhabitants would be cats instead of humans, living their everyday lives just as much as we would do.  Everything takes place along the main road, among the little shops, restaurants, and market stalls that overlook it. Here we have a cat enjoying some sakè sitting outside the liquor shop while watching some other fellow cats drag a cart and...
Read more

D#007: Winter in New York & The Poconos Ski Resort (Winter 2020)

Image
The Poconos Ski Resort RL New York is a huge attraction all year round, with its immense skyscrapers that make you walk around with you chin up in the air, its lights and the traffic at all hours: it's no coincidence that New York is also called " the city that never sleeps ". Aereal view of part of the city from the gaming-fun area There is something different about visiting New York during winter and I challenge anyone to tell me they never dreamt of spending their Christmas holidays in the Big Apple at least once in their life! The snow, combined with the lights and Christmas decorations make the athmosphere of the city even more magical and incredible in this particular time of the year. I had the honor and pleasure of visiting Winter in New York a few weeks ago with my partner Dirk - The SL Hotel Inspector. At that time, we stayed at the Dinzel Hotel on the 42nd Street ( read Dirk's review here:   https://virtualhotels.online/blog/review-winter-in-new-york- ) and...
Read more

D#017 Winterset Hollow (Winter 2022/2023)

Image
 2023 has just started and winter is at its peak.  One thing I love to do in SL during this time of the year is going around and visiting sims that have a wintery-kinda atmosphere, where snow plays a major role. What follows is my review of the sim Winterset Hollow I visited a few days ago and I found it absolutely incredible and very cold. ⛇ Make yourself a cup of tea or hot cocoa, grab a blanket, and hope you will enjoy the reading! 💗 Winterset Hollow is a Swedish-inspired winter village created by Tolla Crisp and Terry Fotherington, owners of Frogmore.  The landing point is located at the beginning of what we can call the "main street" of the village, which most of the commercial activities of the place overlook. Here you can find a lovely bakery, a post office, a small grocery shop, little stands selling gluhwein (mulled wine), hot cocoa & marshmallows, a tailoring workshop, and a few, cozy cafes. Aerial view of Winterset Hollow and its "main street" The B...
Read more