NEEMRANA, GLIMPSE AT THE GLORIOUS PAST
Keeping in mind my affinity towards heritage, my husband I chose Neemrana fort and Palace in January this year for our 9th anniversary celebration. It is a Fort, Palace, Heritage hotel and a destination – all rolled into one. It is a nice weekend getaway for Jaipurites, around two and a half hour (147 km) from Jaipur by Delhi Jaipur highway [NH 8].The forts dates back to the 15 centaury and is crowned on the Aravalies and is built on 11 levels. It was built and refurbished from 15th to 19th century, which means the place has incorporation of architectural styles from the Rajputs to the Mughals.
With the help of GPS we reached the Fort ,the entrance itself gave me a royal feeling, the guards all dressed up in traditional dresses and fort ‘s view from the bottom gave me majestic shadow to start my journey up through cobbled path, right from the Reception. There are various categories of room ,each room in the fort and palace are unique – some are large and luxurious, others are tiny but airy, some expensive some just right for the budget international travelers. The rooms given named as “mahal’’ like Aman mahal,Gagan mahal, Hari mahal. Apparently, my husband and I choose Neelam mahal which was on the seventh floor .It was quaint room situated on the old part of the fort with thick walls and tiny windows that open to the mountain side ,showcasing the grand living experience. My room opened to royal courtyards garden and is ideally situated. Restaurants, cafes, both pools were steps away. If you need high tech stuff then, this is not hotel for you. Rooms do not have T.V., bathroom have 100 years ago look. The rooms are locked using paddle style, the furniture evokes old times and it works perfectly as a part of whole concept. Each and every room has its own beauty, theme, style and décor.
After relaxing in my room for a while, we went to explore the fort .I decided the fort palace was all I wanted to see that winter noon as I just had 24 hours to absorb the beauty of the majestic palace. The whole complex was full of flowers, bushes and trees. I loved the true maze of staircase, terraces, hidden courtyards, walk-able roofs, hanging gardens, and hallways. As I walked around I saw various part of the fort each more charming than other. I loved exploring and roaming around the fort for photography from different angles. I also discovered many nooks and crannies that transported me different time period and many secret tunnel type passages that lead to different part of the fort .I loved the passages that starts at Badal mahal and leads to Hawa mahal balcony. I was getting carried away by the nobility of the ancient times.
Around sunset they served snacks in one the courtyards near the canon, which reflected the glories of the past. I loved the pakoras, cakes, cookies, which was served with tea. The fort looked picturesque in the sunset. There were amenities like spa, gym, three restaurants, two swimming pools ,[one heated] and amphitheater. There was also a baoli [water reservoir] depicting the ancient past. After the sunset, they had live performances in the amphitheater for the guest’s entertainment. There are different artist performing every day ,luckily Katthak dancer Archana Singh performed that night and left the audience spell bound .At night the fort looked even more beautiful with all lamps lit adding grandeur to the ancient charm.
After the cultural program, for the gala dinner we had to walk on the rocky stairs uphill to reach the dinner area around hanging garden. The buffets had a spread of Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines .We ate to our hearts content and went down for a walk and captured some of the most beautiful memories under the moon light where the staff in one of the courtyards had planned for a complementary cake for our Anniversary to mark the occasion. Such a celebration of my anniversary left a glorious queenly feeling in my heart .
The royal stay at the fort palace would have been indeed incomplete without a drive in the vintage car, so decided to take a vintage car ride of around 2 km in the village of Alwar, which reminded me of the ancient medieval era. Another interesting adventure, was the Fire fox zipping provided by the fort palace, which is longest zipping in India .To enjoy 4oo m zip line over this beautiful fort around the Aravali hills, we had to trek about one km uphill .The view of the fort from the top was admirable opulent and worth capturing in your cameras.
One of the most interesting hidden facts I liked about this fort palace was that the new architecture was so amazingly designed that it blended with the Mughal era. It is a perfect place not only for celebrations or relaxation but also for Destination weddings too. My experience in one of the oldest traditional heritage resort was authentic and out of the world which is must visit.
However, there are certain things to remember while going to Neemrana fort are
Keeping in mind my affinity towards heritage, my husband I chose Neemrana fort and Palace in January this year for our 9th anniversary celebration. It is a Fort, Palace, Heritage hotel and a destination – all rolled into one. It is a nice weekend getaway for Jaipurites, around two and a half hour (147 km) from Jaipur by Delhi Jaipur highway [NH 8].The forts dates back to the 15 centaury and is crowned on the Aravalies and is built on 11 levels. It was built and refurbished from 15th to 19th century, which means the place has incorporation of architectural styles from the Rajputs to the Mughals.
With the help of GPS we reached the Fort ,the entrance itself gave me a royal feeling, the guards all dressed up in traditional dresses and fort ‘s view from the bottom gave me majestic shadow to start my journey up through cobbled path, right from the Reception. There are various categories of room ,each room in the fort and palace are unique – some are large and luxurious, others are tiny but airy, some expensive some just right for the budget international travelers. The rooms given named as “mahal’’ like Aman mahal,Gagan mahal, Hari mahal. Apparently, my husband and I choose Neelam mahal which was on the seventh floor .It was quaint room situated on the old part of the fort with thick walls and tiny windows that open to the mountain side ,showcasing the grand living experience. My room opened to royal courtyards garden and is ideally situated. Restaurants, cafes, both pools were steps away. If you need high tech stuff then, this is not hotel for you. Rooms do not have T.V., bathroom have 100 years ago look. The rooms are locked using paddle style, the furniture evokes old times and it works perfectly as a part of whole concept. Each and every room has its own beauty, theme, style and décor.
After relaxing in my room for a while, we went to explore the fort .I decided the fort palace was all I wanted to see that winter noon as I just had 24 hours to absorb the beauty of the majestic palace. The whole complex was full of flowers, bushes and trees. I loved the true maze of staircase, terraces, hidden courtyards, walk-able roofs, hanging gardens, and hallways. As I walked around I saw various part of the fort each more charming than other. I loved exploring and roaming around the fort for photography from different angles. I also discovered many nooks and crannies that transported me different time period and many secret tunnel type passages that lead to different part of the fort .I loved the passages that starts at Badal mahal and leads to Hawa mahal balcony. I was getting carried away by the nobility of the ancient times.
Around sunset they served snacks in one the courtyards near the canon, which reflected the glories of the past. I loved the pakoras, cakes, cookies, which was served with tea. The fort looked picturesque in the sunset. There were amenities like spa, gym, three restaurants, two swimming pools ,[one heated] and amphitheater. There was also a baoli [water reservoir] depicting the ancient past. After the sunset, they had live performances in the amphitheater for the guest’s entertainment. There are different artist performing every day ,luckily Katthak dancer Archana Singh performed that night and left the audience spell bound .At night the fort looked even more beautiful with all lamps lit adding grandeur to the ancient charm.
After the cultural program, for the gala dinner we had to walk on the rocky stairs uphill to reach the dinner area around hanging garden. The buffets had a spread of Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines .We ate to our hearts content and went down for a walk and captured some of the most beautiful memories under the moon light where the staff in one of the courtyards had planned for a complementary cake for our Anniversary to mark the occasion. Such a celebration of my anniversary left a glorious queenly feeling in my heart .
The royal stay at the fort palace would have been indeed incomplete without a drive in the vintage car, so decided to take a vintage car ride of around 2 km in the village of Alwar, which reminded me of the ancient medieval era. Another interesting adventure, was the Fire fox zipping provided by the fort palace, which is longest zipping in India .To enjoy 4oo m zip line over this beautiful fort around the Aravali hills, we had to trek about one km uphill .The view of the fort from the top was admirable opulent and worth capturing in your cameras.
One of the most interesting hidden facts I liked about this fort palace was that the new architecture was so amazingly designed that it blended with the Mughal era. It is a perfect place not only for celebrations or relaxation but also for Destination weddings too. My experience in one of the oldest traditional heritage resort was authentic and out of the world which is must visit.
However, there are certain things to remember while going to Neemrana fort are
- You must carry your id proof with you.
- There are no medicine shops near Neemrana fort so if you are travelling with kids make sure you have some medicines with you.
- The place is not advisable for small children and people who have health problems as there are many staircases to climb throughout the fort.
- They have rooms in almost all range starting from Rs. 3000 and goes up to Rs. 25000 per day .Every room has its own beauty and differentiating factor so you got to research for kind of room you like.
- Rooms can be booked online only and try to book well in advance else you may not get your desired room.
- There is no intercom in the room so you will be kind of communication capped. So you may keep the STD landline number of the resort to communicate with them.
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