Exhausted. That’s what we were, after the hectic, everyday routine of college and office. It was time for some socialisation and family bonding. Well there were no real holidays coming up and all we had was the weekend. So we teamed up with our friend’s family and started searching for destinations around Delhi that can be reached via road. We zeroed in on 14th Century Hill Fort Kesroli, Alwar. Owned by the Neemrana group of hotels, it’s a magnificent property to relax and rejuvenate Rajputana style!
Day 1:
We began our road journey from Ghaziabad (NCR region) at 11 am in the morning on 25th October, 2019.
Around 1:30 pm, we stopped at Old Rao Hotel, for lunch. The food was really tasty and absolutely value for money. It serves only vegetarian food, but you won't mind it at all, as it compensates with taste and variety.
We resumed our journey by 2:15 pm. Our destination was 2.5 hrs away and we made sure to reach before sundown. To reach the Hill Fort, you have to pass through ' Matsya Industrial Area' for the last 7 or 8 kilometres. This is where heavy traffic and single lane , poor condition roads are sure to slow you down. The last 2-3 km stretch to the property is in real poor condition and you have to drive real slow and negotiate the potholes.
When we parked our cars at the property it was 5 pm already. The sun was setting in behind the Aravalli range and it was a sight to behold.
We were booked in the Pratap Mahal, which lies two floors beneath the Terrace Swimming pool. It was a Dupleix room with a double bed on each floor. There is a provision to accommodate two single beds and are charged extra. There is no provision for televisions to maintain feel of being in a heritage property. The rooms though, are air conditioned and has 4 attached bathrooms.
High tea and breakfast is included in the room tariff. The high tea was sumptuous with several varieties of tea, coffee, pakodas and brownies. By the time we finished, it was almost dark, and we sat by the pool, which is really well decorated with lights placed in the trees.
The property actually gets booked heavily on Saturdays and Sundays. Since we reached on Friday evening, occupancy was less than 25% and it felt like we almost had the entire fort to ourselves. Post sundown one can engage in activities such as Snooker, Table Tennis or enjoy a relaxing spa ( not included in the package). Swimming pool can be accessed by 5-5:30 in the evening, post which using the pool isn't allowed.
Dinner and Lunch, isn't included in the package and one has to pay for it separately, and honestly speaking, the location of the property is such that there aren't nearby places to eat, unless you are ready to drive 10 kms to the Alwar market. Although that isn't advisable owning to the poor condition of the roads and close to nil street illumination. For Lunch though, one can eat out at the Alwar market while out for the local sight-seeing. If you wish to have any special dish or have preferences for food, you have to inform them well in advance.
DAY 2:
We woke up early the next morning, to go round the property soaking in the winter sun. One can rent cycles for free to go out into the village to checkout the rural side of India. Although, the number of cycles are really limited and try reaching out to the reception as early as you can to avail them.
The breakfast is catered as a buffet, and included in the package. There are close 35 items to choose from, with several types of cheese and fruit juices. You can choose to have the breakfast in the dining room or by the poolside, enjoying the view. (beware of monkeys though, when having food outside)
Post Breakfast we went out for the local sightseeing, to visit Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri and Bala Quila. Since on a leisure tour, all we wanted to do was rest and hence skipped the Siliserh Lake( if you have time its a must visit for the its boating and wildlife sighting).
Maharaja Vinay Singh of Alwar built a double-storeyed cenotaph in 1815 in memory of his father Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh. It is also known as Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri after the king’s mistress, who performed sati here when he died.
Unfortunately for us the Bala Quila was closed due to some reason.
We headed for Lunch soon after in the Alwar city itself. After some recommendations from the locals we headed to a certain 'Prem Pavitra Bhojanalay'. It was a pure veg restaurant, with varied cuisines such as South Indian, North Indian and Chinese. We ordered for Dosas, and Hakka Noodles and they were decent in terms of taste and quantity both. Not really an upmarket place, but in respect to other eateries in Alwar, the place was really clean and hygienic and had a decent crowd which suggested that the place was popular with the locals.
When we came back to the property, the sun already gone down and the diffused orange light painted the sky. By now, the hotel had almost 80% occupancy, owing to the weekend and therefore a Gala Dinner was announced. Later in the evening, a group of local Rajasthani folk singers, dancers and skilled acrobats entertained the guests at the hotel.
The dinner was a lavish buffet, with particularly delicious chicken drumsticks <3 ! The dinner had plenty of options for both Non vegetarian and Vegetarian guests and were really up to the mark. Right from soups to several varieties of desserts, the menu selection was on point. NO doubt whatsoever that the dish were prepared fresh from scratch. NOTE: Consumption of alcohol bought from outside is not permitted. You can avail their bar facilities instead. Also, non-resident guests are allowed to have lunch or dinner at the property but bar services aren't applicable to them.
Day 3:
The next morning, we woke up by 9am, and just an hour packing and organising everything, followed by which we provided for Breakfast. Breakfasts have slight variations everyday. I would suggest that if you're there on a weekend go in early to avoid the rush. This way, you can also avail the cycles sooner as its allotted on first-come first-serve basis.
We were done with our check-out formalities by 12:15 in the noon (check-out time is 12 noon) and we left for our journey back. On the way we again stopped Old Rao Hotel for lunch. It is the best on this route, with clean, hygienic toilets, ample parking spaces, shops for essentials and most importantly good food with fast service.
We reached home, by 6:30 pm due to traffic on the road, as it was Diwali on that day. It was short but relaxing trip, that provided us with a much needed break. With the destination so near to Delhi, and so easily accessible it makes for a great weekend trip!
Cost Break-up of the Tour:
Accommodation: For Pratap Mahal Dupleix it costed us INR 12,000 + taxes/ night. 20% extra was charged for extra occupant. The rates during season for the same room are higher. You can choose from their array of rooms, according to your budget. You can persuade them for concessional rates and they would certainly consider the best possible rates.
Transport: we used our own vehicles and it costed us about INR 2500 worth of fuel. It entirely depends on the type of vehicle and driving patterns.
Food: Breakfast and High tea was included in the room tariff. Dinner was INR 1000 + taxes/day. We didn't have lunch in the Resort. The in-house lunch is INR 1000+ taxes/day. On special occasions the prices of lunch and dinner may vary.
There was no entry-fee for Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri.
The total cost per person was, roughly INR 5,500.
Hope this, helps you plan your next trip here. For any queries, you can message me directly on tripoto or on my social media handles. Cheers.
