What makes a place to stay special? Is it the location? The people? The building itself? Maybe in the best places it is all of these things, plus a small helping of \u2018je ne sais quoi\u2019.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I set out to choose the top ten places we\u2019ve stayed I realised how varied they have been, from upmarket hotels to friendly B&Bs and even a boat! But they all had something that made them stand out from the ordinary, which I hope you\u2019ll see as I present the second set of five:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rawla Narlai, Rajasthan<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n In the seventeenth century Jodhpur\u2019s royal family built a hunting lodge on the edge of a small village in the heart of the Aravalli hills, Narlai. Today that lodge is an exquisite hotel, which was my favourite of all the places we stayed in Rajasthan. It has been very tastefully converted, retaining bags of character. It still feels old, unlike other heritage hotels we stayed in which were perhaps almost too well restored, albeit beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our room was really lovely, packed with historic detail and antique furniture; yet with the modern conveniences we appreciate such as good plumbing and air conditioning. The king-size bed was very comfortable. We had seating inside and a day bed on the shady terrace outside. This room was in the older part. I gather that those in the newer wing are larger but have less character, and personally I was very happy we were where we were as the room was more than large enough and I wouldn\u2019t have wanted to sacrifice the character!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are plenty of activities on offer, including jeep safaris to look for leopards and village walks, and we took advantage of some of these. But it was also a great place for some time out from our busy sightseeing schedule in Rajasthan. The hotel grounds are gorgeous. Bougainvillea, morning glory and frangipani flowers trail everywhere. There’s a good-sized swimming pool tucked in one corner, while elsewhere there are pretty courtyards, fountains and lots of marble elephants. Elephants are a bit of a theme here because of the huge carved marble elephant on the top of a rocky outcrop, Narlai Hill, that towers above the property.<\/p>\n\n\n