Neemrana Fort Palace

Neemrana Fort is a splendid piece of architecture on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway, almost a 2hr 30 minute drive from Delhi. It was once a ruin and now restored into a beautiful heritage hotel for many to come, admire and enjoy. 

ABOUT NEEMRANA FORT

The magnificent fort, built over a hill over a period from 1986 to 2001, is a sprawling 25 acre property with various facilities like a swimming pool, hanging gardens, restaurants and an amphitheatre. The fort has been built into two parts-the old and the new. The old part is made out of stone and the new part is made out of ceramic. Many statues, ornaments, trees and plants have been put into place to enhance the beauty of the fort. 

Old Part of the Fort

Reception Area, Old part of the fort

STAYING AT NEEMRANA FORT

Poolside at Neemrana Fort

One night at Neemrana is more than enough but if you love nature and just want to relax, you can always stay on for an extra day or two. Some rooms are named after Mahals and have separate entrances which adds to the grandness of the fort. I stayed at Meru Mahal which overlooked the new part of the Fort. There were no elevators in sight, only stairs so senior citizens might have to take up a room on the lower level of the heritage hotel, although it is a bit of a climb to even that. The staff takes your luggage to and from your rooms. 

View from my room

During my stay, only two restaurants were operational due to the pandemic - one was for Indian fine dining  with a buffet called the Jalgiri Mahal and the other was for light snacks and beverages serving an ala carte menu called Hawa Mahal. There was also a bar attached to Hawa Mahal called RajMahal. The food was alright and met our expectations. The staff was polite and were taking measures to serve everyone safely during the time of the pandemic. Room service was available upon request. You could order any dish from the buffet that was being served on a particular day but on a chargeable basis. 

ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT

The fort can be covered in a day by foot with a guided walking tour everyday at 4:30pm organised by the hotel and free of cost to those staying on the property. The guided walking tour was not very informative for me but helpful in knowing the way around the fort as one can easily get lost due to the magnanimous nature of the fort. 

Night view of the Neemrana Fort

Good walking shoes with light and comfortable clothing as well as sunscreen is recommended especially during the summer months. I visited Neemrana in the month of July and the weather was humid with us needing caps and sunglasses to protect ourselves from the scorching heat. Of course, masks too which were mandatory to wear while we were on the property. I would recommend stepping out of your rooms in the evenings when the weather is a bit pleasant but if you are an adventure buff like me then you wouldn’t mind the scorching heat and would freely explore.

There was also a cultural show at 7pm with Rajasthani folk dance and acrobatics. The show lasts for about an hour. The scenic nature of the fort allows one to create everlasting memories while taking lots of photographs and doing photoshoots.

One can also do a vintage car tour or ride a camel. These two things can be arranged by the hotel on a chargeable basis.

Plus, if none of the things interest you that I mentioned above and you are looking for something more then there is an old baoli that you could visit. It is a stepwell that is used to store water for irrigation. The baoli in Neemrana is about 2 kms from the fort. I was not really impressed by it but if you are up for adventure then I would say go for it!

The Neemrana Baoli

Overall, my experience at Neemrana was fun and a much needed reprise from the hustle bustle of the city. To me, it is definitely worth a one time visit and stay! 

Hope this was helpful! Write to me what you thought of this review. Would love to hear from you. 

More travel reviews coming!