Chowmahalla Palace

After the cricket we were skeptical about whether we would warm to Hyderabad the city. But on our surprise day off, we were blown away by Chowmahalla Palace - it is stunning!

The Palace, or actually four palaces on the site according to the name, was the home of the Nizams of Hyderabad - essentially the monarchy, with the London-based last in line deciding to open it to the public fairly recently, in 2005.

The Palaces are set on beautifully groomed gardens, with water features, ducks and fountains.

The Drawing Room is the most impressive room, located in the centre building. It's hanging chandeliers, and the balcony level all the way around three sides of the room, is so beautiful.

Walking into this building there are two rooms which start the journey of history of the region, and the Nizams. Once you find the staircase, you can wander upstairs to the level overlooking the Drawing Room, and explore the personal items of the families that lived here.

Rooms of clothes and furniture, jewels and weaponry, kitchen bits and pieces, as well as dinner sets of all colours, shapes and patterns.

Back out into the Hyderabadi heat, there is another grassy courtyard to walk through, and another gorgeous archway, to the back garden and buildings out here.

One of the standout items to look out for out here is the canary yellow Rolls Royce, in it's glass-casing. The sign says it's only clocked 356 miles, despite being delivered to the family in 1912, it was only used for ceremonial occasions.

The last gem visit for a further glimpse into the world of the Nizams is just a little further in a tuk tuk - to HEH Nizams' Museum, where you can walk through more of the history of the city, but you also get to walk into the "Biggest Wardrobe In The World".

Belonging to the sixth Nizam, a man who cleared loved his grand outfits - in fact, the story goes that he never wore an outfit more then once, and they all then had a special place within this 50 metre, double-sided Burmese teak wardrobe. Today you can see an array of outfits from the time, but none of this fashion-conscious Nizam, because he eventually gave all these outfits away!

The Palace is open everyday except Fridays, and was my favourite spot in Hyderabad - don't miss it!