Every year for our daughter celebration, we were mostly travelling, creating memories and giving her experiences to cherish for life long. We wanted to continue with the same tradition this year too. But considering COVID pandemic and social distancing it seemed to be impossible. But we gave a second thought and wanted to make her birthday more special this time as the little one was mostly staying indoors for approx. last six months and she was so much excited for her big day. Truly speaking, I also wanted to break my day to day routine and do not want to celebrate her big day by holding a virtual celebration or over Zoom calls.
Searching for best Staycation for holding a celebration
I started looking for various birthday celebration and checked with few friends and family members, one of my travel Blogger friend suggested to take small staycation near Delhi/NCR and asked me to check Neemrana properties. History of the Neemrana group is very fascinating, they have built hotels by restoring historical properties which held stories about the glorious past of India. They have Heritage hotels in various states in India.
I Started browsing on same and one of property which stole attention was Neemrana’s Hill Fort Kesorli. This Hill fort seems to have the best accommodation options for a refreshing retreat near Delhi/NCR that one can enjoy with loved ones. Also wanted to make her birthday memorable one and this place seems to be best for holding a small private celebration. This property promised to keep all hygiene and sanitization checks in place and was not crowded and seem a perfect fit for the celebration of the special day.
Spoke to hotel reception multiple times before making a reservation. They patiently explained to me everything very elaborately and assured that all safety and hygiene regulation are followed and they are strictly following social distancing. They also provided us with a virtual tour of property and little girl got super excited by the appearance of the property which looked like a castle and being a diehard fan of "Frozen" this was nothing less than from Disney movie location.
Reaching Neemrana’s Hill Fort Kesorli by car
Neemrana’s Hill Fort Kesorli is one of the oldest and best Alwar resorts. It is a historic 700-year-old property located on the outskirts of Alwar district in Rajasthan and is approx. 150 km away from Delhi/NCR. As it would be around 2-3 hours long drive from NCR, one can reach there driving non-stop. We finally made a reservation of our staycation with them for 2 nights and decided to celebrate the birthday of our princess in Neemrana’s Hill Fort Kesorli. We were super excited for our perfect indulgent holiday, to celebrate her birthday and to enjoy some essential and recreational services with family.
The journey started from home in Gurgaon and driving on the highway was amazing feeling itself. Roads are well connected, no stoppage in between and no checkpoints in-between interstate travel as well. No COVID certificate is required and no midway stop is there for temperature/health checkups.
Post-COVID safety and hygiene practices
On Arrival, complete sanitization and temperature checks are done at the entrance point. Rooms are sanitized in advance and they do have a facility of digital self-check-ins. They are Maintaining a high level of safety and hygiene standards. Deep cleaning and sensitization of rooms are done twice every day. Automated Sanitizers are installed at walk-in paths or frequently visited areas. High traffic areas are regularly sanitized with disinfectants. Staff are required to wash hands regularly. Regular health and temperature check-up of staffs are also done to ensure safety.
Rich Heritage of Neemrana’s Hill Fort Kesorli
Neemrana The Hill Fort, Kesroli mesmerizes with its architecture in the first look. It is a 14-century fort, beautifully restored and converted to Heritage Hotel with soul intact. All efforts have been made to maintain the old charm of Hill Fort-Kesroli while ensuring the basic comforts of a 21st-century lifestyle. The nice, tidy and cosy green property offers a splendid 360-degree view of the hills and field. It offers Terrace Pool with sundeck and a spa. It offers both local and international delicacies to relish. It is surrounded by lush green gardens and offers Historic rooms with a graceful décor.
Different category of Heritage room with Period décor and antique furnishing are the highlight of this place. The stunning decor will surely take back to 14th century Era. This place allows relaxing in nature, amid bird voice, lush green gardens and take away from the hustle-bustle of city life.
Different Categories of Rooms
They have rooms located on two levels – Ground-level and first-floor level. They have kept the name of rooms vary significantly and same characterize with features of the room. These rooms exude a rustic feel with their traditional Rajasthani decor.
We stayed in Naruka Burj, which is decorated with exquisite good taste. The majestic turret room of Kesroli hotel is named after a prominent Rajput branch, known for its chivalry in the Alwar region. The rulers of Alwar were also Naruka Kachchhawahas. The room steps out into an enchanted rooftop private garden, overlooking the pool, the mustard fields and Aravalli hills in the distance. View from terrace is enchanting and both sunrise and sunset can be enjoyed from the terrace.
Each room has distinct décor, interiors, views etc – such as vibrant décor, red and black interior, peacock theme, geometrical flooring, bathroom with a view, pool facing. Make sure you say your preference explicitly at the time of booking as there is a wide option to choose from. Common hospitality practices like televisions in rooms and room service are avoided. This is part of the heritage USP. There is no minimum stay requirement, property can be booked even for a day.
In-room Amenities and other Facilities
In-room amenities include individually controlled air conditioning and writing desk. The private bathroom is provided hot/cold running water and premium toiletries. They have 24 hours operational front desk, a lush green garden to walk around and barbeque facilities. They have rejuvenation spa, swimming pool, game room, pool, badminton and cycling. So many picturesque spots are spread throughout property overlooking serene farmland and distant hills.
Special arrangement by the hotel for our Staycation
To make our stay more pleasant, in Evening they arranged in house entertainment dance, it was a perfect showcase of Rajasthani culture. For dinner table they offered pool set up and kept dim lightening, it was keeping perfect vibes to our evening. In food option, one can relish authentic Rajasthani food at the in-house restaurant, where meals are served in a traditional style. Can also enjoy a spread of South Indian, Chinese, French, Italian and Thai dishes in a serene and relaxing ambience. The food offering was À la carte and considering safety feature, a buffet is not offered for time being. It was a stupendous fantabulous evening.
Next Morning – It was Miss K birthday and a very special personalized note came in the room wishing Miss K happy birthday. She was on cloud nine on seeing note and wishes for her. She was enjoying and loving princess feels which this place was offering. Breakfast spread was done considering all safety precautions in check.
In the afternoon they arranged Indoor games at Darbar mahal. We played Carom as it was good bonding for us. They also have Billiards, badminton, cycling and other fun activities for kids
In evening Special Sunset Set up was arranged for the Birthday celebration. Entire Decoration, the Birthday cake was done by the hotel. They also provided us with a helper to take care of us throughout the evening.