Raj Niwas Palace

The Raj Niwas Palace, Dholpur, is truly beautiful as a property. Dholpur is a very offbeat tourist destination but it is loaded with attractions, with my favourite being the National Chambal Sanctuary. We did love staying at the palace, which had a rich history and gorgeous architecture and gardens. The food was also great. However, we did have one unpleasant experience. We had booked both the private Chambal river safari by boat and the ravine safari by jeep for the two of us. The boat safari went extremely well, and we enjoyed watching the gharials, crocodiles, Indian skimmers, and other wildlife of the Chambal River. However, while planning the jeep safari, one of the hotel staff mentioned that we can start on it at 4:30 pm and end by 6:00 pm. I had, fortunately, gone through the website of the Raj Niwas Palace prior to booking and it was clearly mentioned there that the jeep safari was for five hours and also the sightseeing destinations during the safari were mentioned. They were also charging quite heftily for the same. So, after we spoke about what we saw on the website, they agreed and mentioned that we could do half the jeep safari in the evening and the remaining the next morning. Next day, while checking out, we were charged twice for the two jeep safaris on the bill. Again, I luckily noticed it, and told them to change it to one as our safaris were divided between morning and evening. So, please be very careful while going on these sightseeing tours at Raj Niwas Palace to ensure you get what you paid for.

Luxury accommodation with old world feel in garden setting. Tastefully decorated private courtyard suites with spacious bedroom, sitting room and marble bathroom tastefully appointed. Lovely dining area and roomy reception. Only downside is that wi-fi is only available at the reception area, but that could be considered a benefit to some! Peacocks, flowering trees, and swimming pool. A haven in busy Dholpur.

The Raj Niwas Palace is a calm and quiet place in the centre of the small town of Dhaulpur, Rajasthan. It is situated midway between Agra and Gwalior, at a comfortable 300km from Delhi. It is basically the erstwhile king's palace's compound, managed by their own staff. So dont expect all the luxuries and newness associated with resorts managed by professional hospitality chains. However it has its own quaint charm with a rustic feel. Our pool villa had its own pool (obviously) in the private courtyard. The size of the accomodation (room + courtyard + washroom) was really big. The room had a separate indoor sitting area too. Cleanliness was fine. The laws are pretty big for outdoor activities, with lots of trees and birds like peacocks. However, there arent many facilities here, they will provide you with basic sports equipment if you ask - cricket, football, baddy. The staff is excellent, tries to accomodate all your requests. The food was also very nice. Since there werent many guests at the resort, they asked us for the menu for each meal. They arrange a Chambal Ravine Jeep safari on additional payment basis, which was a lot of fun, especially if you are with family. Overall, it was a really decent and soothing experience.