Sardargarh Heritage, Udaipur

Sardargarh Heritage Hotel Reviews
Sardargarh Heritage Hotel is located about 94 Kilometers north of Udaipur. In other words it is about half way between Jodhpur and Udaipur. It is difficult to locate on most maps. It was built by a Dhodia (an ancient Kshatriya warrior race of India) by the name of Sardar Singh between the years 1738-1743. The location is very picturesque as it overlooks a man-made lake called Manohar Sagar and the village below. Sardar Singh also supervised the construction of Jag Niwas (commonly known as Lake Palace of Udaipur) for Maharana Jagat Singh II the ruler of Udaipur. Sardargarh is personally operated by Mr Mahipalsingh (seventh generation hereditary owner) and his wife unlike the other heritage hotels which are operated by managers on behalf of the hereditary owners. Ask the staff to give you a tour of the castle. You will go through some amazing narrow passages and maybe to the roof to get an un-obstructed view of the lake.

From the time you drive up the narrow steep entrance (tour buses cannot negotiate this narrow entrance – which is a bonus), and receive a traditional Rajasthani welcome fit for a bridegroom, you will be led to your room into a different world.

The owners have spent considerable amount of time, effort and money in renovating the guest rooms and common areas (there are only 21 rooms/suites) to a very high standard with all the modern conveniences and exquisite décor. Each room has a large swing in the entrance porch which is well lighted and ventilated with a ceiling fan. Our marble-floor air-conditioned suite consisted of a bedroom, a dressing room with wardrobe and enough shelves to place the luggage and a separate very modern bathroom. The rooms are kept in immaculate condition. Our room had widows that overlooked a well tended garden with lots of beautiful flowers. You will find that the staff are continuously either watering or trimming the well kept gardens.

The owners employ about 40 staff from the small village of Lawa (population about 7500) located at the bottom of the fort. Again the owners in the very short period of time this resort has been open to guests (first year of operation was 2006) have done a commendable job in training the young staff he employs from the village in the art of guest service as they had never seen a fork, never mind which side of the setting to place it!! You will be well looked after at this hotel.

As there is no large town close to this fort, you have to accept this hotel as a place to rest and relax in its beautiful gardens and swimming pool away from the hustle of someone trying to make a sell. The mouth watering Mewari, Indian and Continental dishes is prepared by a professional chef and served under the glittering stars on the terrace by the ever-attentive and eager young staff while the Rajasthani folk singers and dancers entertain you as you enjoy your dinner.

There are a number of other things you can do if you are visiting this place with your own car and driver. Camel and horseback rides can be arranged or you can visit the local market in the village. They will also arrange Jeep safari with prior notice for bird or wild-life watching or trekking. A must see fort in the vicinity is the Fort of Kumbhalgarh which has the second longest wall after the Wall of China. You can even visit the famous Jain temples of Ranakpur from here. Other places to visit are the Desuri Forest Reserve, Charbuja Temple and Amaj Mata Waterfall. These all can be done in day trips and safely return back to the fort/hotel before nightfall if you plan to chill out at this hotel for a few days. If you are traveling south in the direction to Udaipur, you can leave after breakfast and reach the Ranakpur temples just before the opening time of 11:00 AM

I would highly recommend this hotel for the modern conveniences yet medieval ambience of the bygone era, great service, and good food which by the way is very reasonably priced compared to other heritage hotels. Once the word gets out, it will be difficult to get reservation at this place so plan well in advance. Our second night was the Diwali night (November 9 2007) at this hotel and it will always stay in our very fond memories as the whole castle was lighted by the candles and the staff put on a great fireworks display while we ate dinner under a star filled beautiful night. After all, Diwali is the Festival of Light.

Edmonton, Canada
 

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1st Floor, Kamal Complex, Opp. Gulab Bagh, Udaipur, (Rajasthan), India