Varija — Lake Villa

The entry villa at Arq, and it is the size of 4 suites. Dark panelled wood under a gold-edged coffered ceiling, brass inlaid into the hardwood floor, thikri mirrorwork and rare lapis lazuli set into the detailing. It is heavier and more deliberate than the palace itself, and it works because there is one of it and it stands on its own piece of shore.

The living room opens straight onto a sun deck, and off that is a private temperature-controlled pool with a jacuzzi in it. Lake Pichola is uninterrupted from both. Everything is included, and the list is long: arrival by dedicated electric boat, a petal shower and a foot ritual, champagne breakfast wherever you want it, a floating breakfast in your own pool, lunch and dinner, an in-villa bar stocked with premium spirits, evening cocktails made in front of you by a mixologist at a live grill, spa daily, laundry and both airport transfers. A Palace Service associate arranges the rest.