When our travel agent booked us in the heritage hotel ’’Palanpur Palace’’ the only parameter we had to gauge it was the price tag. The tariff told us that this property which once belonged to the Nawab of Palanpur must be a real exotic place to stay. When we entered the premises, the beautiful pink exterior visible after a steep driveway and the spacious marble clad lobby raised our expectations to the next level. About five minutes in the room and we were rudely awakened to the reality. The peeling plaster and discolored wooden furniture was just a glimpse of the things to were not right here. The soap dish and the hooks in the bathroom were broken. The shower was just not showering! You could see and feel dust on the furniture! We got the room changed the next day- which could be described as functional- nothing more. We stepped outside to find out that the grounds were nothing more than a patch of lawn which had balcony of the adjoining bungalows next to it. The gymnasium and the game room were tucked in a basement accessible via an under construction stare without lights! The food was great- but served on the tables clad with table cloth that was reused for a number of meals! Granted that Mt. Abu has shortage of water- but then they could have served on glass tops- instead of unwashed table cloth! Overall- a big disappointment.