Tree of Life

Eating

Tree of Life is about customised luxury, and the food is no exception. Each evening, the chef visits your villa to discuss what you'd like for your 4-course menu, and later dinner is served in your private living area or garden. He suggests wonderful Indian and Western choices for each course, and while we appreciated the freshness and sophistication of his Western dishes - Pommery-crusted sea bass with creamy polenta, charred vegetables and orange butter sauce was a particular favourite - we found his tandoor-cooked Rajasthani dishes to be the most mouthwatering. The homemade touches were a delight, too: a luscious banana jam, a pungent garlic pickle, and the creamiest maple and cinnamon ice cream - by far the best ice cream we’ve tasted in India.

If a 4-course dinner is too much, you can always order off the all-day à la carte menu or ask the chef to come up with something - pretty much anything! - to your liking. You can be sure that the ingredients, many of which are sourced from local farms and the hotel’s garden, will be fresh and the taste combinations tantalising.

In-room breakfasts won't disappoint either; we loved our fresh-pressed juices, creamy cappuccinos, fluffy omelettes and delicious Indian fare.

Tree of Life does have an on-site restaurant, Ashtam, which you can eat in if you prefer, but the sparse décor and spread-out tables left us feeling a little cold. We never saw any guests at the restaurant’s bar, either - really just a seating nook off the dining room. But who could blame them? It’s hard to leave your own private villa behind.