Celebrating Holi like a royal

Luxury hotels have taken over feeds and imaginations as the destination of choice to celebrate the festival of colours

- Noor Anand Chawla

Travel and food content creator Damini Passi has spent the past three Holis at the Narendra Bhawan hotel in Bikaner, Rajasthan, and it seems this year will be her fourth. "I love the hotel," she says. "It's not overcrowded, you meet great new people and some old friends. The music is amazing, the cocktails and food are different. It's got a vibe I haven't experienced anywhere else."

For inveterate seekers of pleasure, the search for the perfect Holi celebration is a matter of concern. Gone are the days when people could simply park themselves in Mathura, Vrindavan, Jaipur or a rich friend's farmhouse in Delhi. In the age of social media, luxury boutique heritage hotels have taken over feeds and imaginations as the destinations of choice. That is, if you are lucky enough to get a booking. "I first saw Holi celebrated at a heritage hotel in Rajasthan on a friend's Instagram feed, and it looked amazing.  Imagine the fun of Holi in a beautiful ambiance. But when we tried to book rooms, the price was quite high. So we reconsidered. Now, everything is taken," says Geet Nagi, art consultant and curator.

When it comes to fancy heritage hotels, Narendra Bhawan, Bikaner, and its sister property Suryagarh, Jaisalmer, both helmed by the MRS Group of Hotels, are popular choices for Instagram fashionistas and celebrities. In recent years, they have counted the likes of actor Mrunal Thakur and Grammy-nominated singer Sanjeeta Bhattacharya among the patrons of the "Holi package", which is spread across two elaborate days.

On Choti Holi, traditionally associated with the ceremony of Holika Dahan, the two hotels organise sundowners with open bars and traditional performances by local tribes, often related to a fire ritual.