Hotels in Jodhpur | Jaisalmer | Bikaner and Barmer

Built of sandstone as the residence of the younger brother of the maharaja of Jodhpur in the 1940s, and one of ~ most charming, and personalised properties of Rajasthan, known for the atmosphere in which its dinner service is held in an open courtyard, Ajit Bhawan has 51 rooms in the main building, and in cottages especially created in the gardens. Each cottage is named after the Indian zodiac, and furnished in ethnic style. There is also a swimming pool on the premises.

A modern home built by the jagirdars of Soda, was in the 1940s, it has a swimming pool, health spa and sprawling lawns. The Dhani is a group of huts where meals are served, and breakfast can be had on the terrace with its uninterrupted view of Mehrangarh fort. Known for its Rajasthani cuisine, the hotel has 32 rooms, of which 25 are airconditioned.

Umaid Bhawan can qualify for several fIrsts: the largest private residence in the world, the fillest extant example of art-deco, the only palace to have paintings from the Ramayana painted by a Polish artist, the fIrst to use airconditio-ning, electricity and elevators, and the most impressive for its size and dimensions. Yet, that should be hardly strange, for the architect, H.V. Lancaster, who planned it, wanted it to rival the Viceregal Lodge (now Rashtrapati Bhawan) then being planned by Sir Edward Lutyens in the new capital at New Delhi, also then under construction.
For starters, Umaid Bhawan is a formal building that is perfectly symmetrical, and its 347 rooms offer few concessions to Rajput architecture other than such devises as concealed corridors and balconies for the women of the zenana, and the use of courtyards around which the several wings of the palace are arranged. Built at the height of the art-deco period, there are several embellishments on the outer walls, such as the eagle, carved from sandstone. All original fIttings have been retained.
While many of its accoutrements are in use, others have been placed in a museum within the premises. Here, you can fInd out for yourself the fIne china used by the royal family, trace the history of the clocks and telephones that were once put to use in the different rooms, and discover a bit of your own past in a nostalgia-driven journey through a time not so long ago.
Fittingly, you can end the journey in a room of your own, one of 95, in the palace.

Barely 10 km from Jodhpur, the 18th century fort has a quiet, soothing ambience, and provides a glimpse of the way a Rajput family lives in the rural countryside. From the Dari Khana terrace, there is a breathtaking view of Jodhpur town. The fort has 18 rooms, and provides Rajasthani and continental cuisine on request.

This royal palace was fIrst built in 1825, and additions were later made to it. Constructed of yellow sandstone, it has an imposing entrance, a fully carved Durbar Hall with coloured tiles, and a terrace Badal Mahal which has canopies where one can take the air. From here, the sunset is dramatic, and there are views all over the citadel. The palace has 10 rooms.

A haveli built in the early years of this century by Seth Bhanwarlal Rampuria, it combines Western aesthetics with a regional sensibility to create a novel form of architecture in the traditional red sandstone used in the city's buildings. Well maintained, Bhanwar Niwas is known for its blue drawing room, its grand staircase, library, and impressive entrance hall. As a hotel, it has 14 rooms, a multi-cuisine restaurant, and a bar.

The last prime minister of the state of Bikaner built himself a simple home in 1926 without any fuss or clutter, reminiscent of what was to come in post-independent India. The rooms, however, were spacious, and the planning took care to incorporate lounges and courtyards. Now a hotel with 12 rooms, and meals according to a fixed menu.

The last maharaja of Bikaner, and an Olympic shooter, Dr Karni Singh built this art-deco palace in 1940, and surrounded it with a bower of trees. It is now a 15-room hotel, and serves Rajasthani meals on request.

The most perfect example of a Rajput palace, Lallgarh was built at the turn of the century and is a sprawling red sand-stone residence with separate wings, one of which is occupied by members of the royal family while another wing forms a museum. Pierced screens shade large windows from the harsh sun of the desert, while extensive corridors lined with photographs co~t with rooms and suites where the princes once trained in the art of kingship. There are formal lounges, and meals are se'rved in a dining hall reminiscent of the banquets once hosted here.