videophile

I will be going to India during the last week of Feb and first week of March.
We are looking for a place to stay that is less than $150/nt. We are interested in staying at Taj Hari Palace in Jodhpur, although I am open to suggestions. Can people recommend a place that is worthwhile for this price? We are interested in some luxury, and location.

To give you an idea of where we will be staying elsewhere, Agra: Trident Hilton, Jaipur: Trident Hilton, Jaisalmer: Fort Rajweda.

Thanks!

cram

I'll be in Jodhpur as well some time in Feb. I have no names so far, but there seem to be little fortresses in the immediate neighbourhood of Jodhpur, which offer great, fascinating accomodation possibilities. Anybody experience with those?

krishnan

We stayed last December at the Balsamand Lake Palace in Jodhpur, and loved it. It's very atmospheric and has lovely grounds. But the key is that you have to stay in one of the large suites in the main palace building, and not in one of the (nice but ordinary) rooms in the annex. The suite we were in had a large room (probably 30'x30'), an additional room with a swing bed that my 11-year old adored, and a large marble bathroom with a sunken tub (where you can light candles!). Our extended family had 3 suites and not all of them were as elaborate, but they all had great Rajput palace atmosphere.
The disadvantages are (1) it's a bit outside the city, so you'd need to arrange transport (we had an Indian travel agent make all the arrangements for our trip, but perhaps the hotel could arrange for a car and driver if you don't have a travel agent), and (2) the service in the restaurants is slow - don't expect efficiency here; this is not the Taj/Oberoi.

And since you mentioned Jaipur and Jaisalmer: I particularly like the Samode Haveli in Jaipur (the townhouse of one of the former Jaipur prime ministers) - again, stay in one of the suites to get the full experience (the Sheesh Mahal suite, I believe, is the one that's particularly spectacular). I've also stayed at the Jai Mahal Palace and eaten at the Rambagh Palace hotel - these are more upscale (particularly the Rambagh Palace), but I think the Samode Haveli is much more charming. Btw, there's also another Samode Palace that's well outside the city that sounds wonderful, but not really convenient for city touring.

In Jaisalmer, we also stayed at the Fort Rajwada - it's certainly adequate but it's somewhat soulless. Jaisalmer is a small town, however, and I'm not sure you can do better. Try the Kerala massage if you have the time - massages are a great deal in the Indian hotels.

hobbes

Take a look at www.heritagehotels.com - they ahve a couple of listings. Also take a look at http://www.hotelsrajasthan.com/Jodhpur/index.htm. Perhpas after that if you post specific names of properties you like people can provide feedback.

videophile

Thanks for the feedback.
Has anyone heard anything about the Fortune Ummed Jodhpur? This is not the Umed Bhawan palace, but another hotel.
Here is the website: http://www.nivalink.com/ummed/

thanks!