During our two month stay in Udaipur in 2017, we frequented Gulab Bagh at least a couple of times a week. As the former zoo property in town, it’s maintained as a nice park perfect for afternoon strolls. For our second visit, we opted out of the tourist area and instead chose a home rental property near Gulab Bagh. It’s a quieter, more upscale area within walking distance of the park. We planned to stay 15 days — long enough to see old friends and see some new sights. In the end, we unexpectedly stayed three weeks until our planned departure from India.

As (a really nasty dose of) fate would have it, Paul limped into town from Pushkar with dengue fever. This dreaded mosquito-born scourge really has no medically recognized cure or treatment. With daily blood monitoring, if platelet count falls too low a blood transfusion becomes life-saving. One percent of known cases are fatal. Short story version: Paul lived — without a transfusion. Full recovery takes up to four months.

And Santosh Villa was the perfect three-bedroom luxury house for homestyle convalescence. Better than a hotel room. Included in the $109/night price was a live-in house man. An angelic young man named Lakkan who saved every day taking care of us through this difficult time. Our Jaipur-based driver Jeetu refused to leave us and was an equally valuable lifesaver and good friend. We are forever indebted to them both.

Our images below of the lovely house are limited and incomplete. See the property listing website for more pics.