David's Trip to Rajasthan

Stretching from the snow-capped Himalayas to the sun-kissed seas of the Indian Ocean, India is a kaleidoscope of peoples and cultures, food, history, music and art. Explore desert fortresses and villages in Rajasthan and Gujarat, head to the tropical south with its palm-fringed beaches, colourful temples and ancient ruins or take a small luxury cruise on one of India’s mighty rivers. Search for tiger and other wildlife, there are many excellent national parks and protected areas throughout India, visit remote villages in the northeast or discover isolated tropical archipelagos.

David Pettitt, our Head of Product, has recently returned from India, travelling around Rajasthan with the Director of Pettitts Delhi, Sandeep Madhavan. Together they developed new ideas and routes, met hoteliers and suppliers and stayed in a number of wonderful properties. This blog highlights some of their favourite hotels from their latest trip.

If you are looking to plan a trip to India or Rajasthan view our suggested itinerary ideas for Rajasthan

With over 30,000 native trees planted on the property and a short distance from the national park entrance, Utsav Camp Sariska is all about wildlife. Sariska itself has a fraction of the visitors of Ranthambore National Park and is a beautiful reserve home to numerous bird species, tiger, leopard, nilgai, sambar, spotted deer, langur, mongoose, wild boar and hare.

Pettitts Travel was one of the first operators to find, and use, Junia Bagh many years ago, and this delightful property, with its warm and welcoming hosts, has retained all of its charm. Dine outside by the lake or in the well-tended gardens, take a stroll in the village meeting weavers, potters and tailors, relax with a good book or birdwatch from the lake-side platform.

With a fabulous lakeside setting, the eight large suites and separate private villa at Chunda Shikar Oudi sit in the heart of a wider 350-acre property. In essence a private nature reserve, here a major focus is on wildlife with early morning, afternoon, dusk or nighttime jeep safaris as well as walking and boat safaris all possible. There are regular sightings of the five resident leopards.

An enchanting and beautifully maintained historic property set in the heart of a delightful rural town, Chanoud Garh is a warren of royal apartments and frescoed rooms bedecked with artefacts and family photographs all waiting to be discovered. Join the family on an evening jeep drive with sundowners, explore the town or relax during the day beside the lovely pool.

With a remote location around three hours to the east of Jodhpur, the two original mud brick buildings at Brij Lakshman Sagar date to the 1850s and were built as a hunting lodge for the Raipur royal family. Set around a lake, there are 12 cottage rooms in total scattered throughout the 32-acre property. Be sure to take a dip in the stunning rock-cut swimming pool.

A totally unique property, Ranvas is set within the royal apartments of 400 year old Ahhichatragarh Fort in Nagaur. The royal apartments, originally for each of the Maharaja’s multiple wives, now serve as bedrooms. Sensitively and authentically restored, the work was recognised by UNESCO, guests have full access to explore the rest of adjoining Ahhichatragarh Fort.

A slice of old India for those not wishing to stay in the city of Bikaner, Gajner Palace is a grand lake-side property. Historic Suites have direct lake views and there is a 400-year-old temple in the hotel grounds. The highlight however is the lakeside setting – there is a plethora of birdlife and from the terrace nilgai, blackbuck and deer can be seen grazing on the far bank.

This new Taj property is located in the historic centre of Mandawa. Originally a private haveli residence spread over three courtyards, the building was started in 1830 and took 40 years to complete. Sympathetically and expertly renovated, there are 17 beautiful rooms featuring typical Mandawan frescos which can also be seen throughout the rest of the property.