Neemrana Fort Palace

...map and the guidebooks, the Neemrana looked just the place for it. Or perhaps I should say, just the palace for it. Of Rajasthan's many converted palace hotels, it is the one nearest to Delhi, so that it can be reached in just two and a half hours from the international Airport.

It is also one of the oldest, the original building dating from 1464, though since then it has been augmented, fortified, reduced and restored several times. ...
...industrial zone gave way to Neemrana village, and amid the bustle of the narrow streets we lost sight of our destination, until a couple of turns and a short, curving ascent brought us to its outer gates.

Here things began to look up, as did we, at the ramparts towering above us. The gates are massive, perhaps four metres high, studded and embedded from head-height upwards with outward-facing iron spikes to deter the use of elephants ... more

The plan was to ease our way into India. We had found on previous visits to farflung parts of the world that the last thing one wants to do on arrival is to plunge straight into the hubbub of a big city, or be faced with an exhausting programme of sight-seeing on the first day. An initial pause to relax, acclimatise and shake off the jetlag seemed a much better idea.

And, to judge from the map and the guidebooks, the Neemrana looked just the place for it. Or perhaps I should say, just the palace for it. Of Rajasthan's many converted palace hotels, it is the one nearest to Delhi, so that it can be reached in just two and a half hours from the international Airport.

It is also one of the oldest, the original building dating from 1464, though since then it has been augmented, fortified, reduced and restored several times. The most recent restoration has taken place since 1998 and would appear to have been necessary to bring the old place up to standard (see pics below). The latest additions seem to have been handled sympathetically, in keeping with the original, though it would have been hard not to be in keeping with at least some elements among such an eclectic mix of periods and styles.

* Arrival *

Our architectural appetites having been whetted by the photos we had seen of this extraordinary edifice athwart its hillside, I have to admit that they rather lost their edge as we actually approached.

Turning off the busy Delhi-Jaipur highway, we passed first through a drab industrial area - a rather modern looking industrial area by local standards, but that was not what we had come to India to see. Yes, the promised hill, complete with fort-palace, was visible ahead, but it looked puny, a mere bump up from the surrounding plain, with a few equally unimposing hills behind it. Soon, the industrial zone gave way to Neemrana village, and amid the bustle of the narrow streets we lost sight of our destination, until a couple of turns and a short, curving ascent brought us to its outer gates.

Here things began to look up, as did we, at the ramparts towering above us. The gates are massive, perhaps four metres high, studded and embedded from head-height upwards with outward-facing iron spikes to deter the use of elephants as battering rams. Once inside between the walls, the path rises and bends sharply, to prevent assailants gaining any momentum in their approach to a second set of gates, equally massive and bespiked.

Another short climb and we are comfortably seated in the office that serves as a reception area (no standing around at desks here), after which we are guided through a maze of courtyards to our room. Soon, we are ensconced on one of its balconies in warm sunlight, surveying the palace gardens beneath us, and the Indian landscape shimmering off into a distant haze. The clamour from the village beyond the walls reaches us as if from far away. A rose-ringed parakeet emerges from its nest in the wall nearby, and swoops past just a few feet from our balustrade.

It was peaceful. Things were going according to plan.

* Our room *

We had asked for a room with balcony and view, but ours was not one of the more expensive in the hotel. Among the forty available are lavish suites, with multiple bedrooms, dining-rooms, studies and so on.

Our room is relatively simple, but furnished in a pleasantly period style, with plenty of polished mahogany and brass. It is quite spacious, divided into a main sitting area about fifteen foot by ten, with a bedroom area measuring about ten by ten alcoved off at one end. At the other end is an ensuite shower room, again amply sized and with a marble-lined shower, but the plumbing is unsophisticated and we never manage to persuade the water to run fully hot.

The electric wiring is equally unsophisticated, and even looks dodgy in places, but everything works, including a fan heater. There is an air-conditioning unit that we don't switch on, but which would be essential in the summer. I look in vain for the hooks in the ceiling that would in former times have held a punkah - a sort of flapping fan operated from outside by a lackey tugging on rope. Not that I would want anybody to be subjected to such toil, but I am surprised that so few places have adapted them for mechanised use, since they are so symbolic of the Raj era.

The room is not exactly luxurious, but we like it. It has character and charm. Satisfied, we set out to explore the rest of the hotel.

* The grounds *

The Neemrana fort site covers twenty-five acres, of which just over three acres are within the walls. Inside, the buildings are arranged in four main wings and several minor ones, separated by courtyards and gardens, and on ten levels, connected by walkways and steps.

If this sounds like something of a labyrinth, I've conveyed the right idea. It's easy, and rather fun, to get lost by following one's whim up staircases and down passages, emerging onto ramparts, or turrets surmounted by cupolas, or secluded courtyards squeezed between the walls. There is a swimming pool, on a terrace commanding a panoramic view towards the sunset, and even an amphitheatre, like a miniature Mynack, with a stage fit for minstrels or poets to perform, or more probably and prosaically, for outdoor business conferences.

All kinds of materials are in evidence - sandstone and slate, and brickwork often covered with a yellow-washed rendering, stained with dark grey lichen from the damp of the monsoon. Marble, inevitably, this being Rajasthan, often deftly chiselled, with latticework as fine as filigree. The decoration everywhere is, inevitably, this being India, ostentatious and ornate.

Amid all this numerous gardens are to be found. Some are deep and green, others ablaze with orange and magenta bougainvillea. My wife, who has a talent for identifying open-air "dry martini spots" ideal for an evening drink, came up with a short-list of dozens in no time at all.

* Food, drink and entertainment *

In the event, though, we drank at the bar, which is not so much a bar as a courtyard in which drinks are served, with some tables out in the open and others half-indoors. It was atmospherically lit, as is the entire fort at night, and a pleasant place in which to work up an appetite for dinner.

The experience was made more interesting by a song-and-dance routine from a couple in traditional costume, the man playing a stringed instrument with a stubby bow. I have mixed feelings about this kind of thing, and often would prefer to do without it, but they were accomplished performers, full of energy and brio, and the music seemed authentically unusual to my ill-attuned ears.

There is more than one restaurant for dinner, and more than one cuisine on offer. We chose the Indian, with a buffet selection of curries, supporting dishes and condiments, over the European. Thai dishes are also available. Breakfast, similarly buffet in the same restaurant, included western options like bacon and eggs, the latter cooked to individual order. Lunch we took at a café in a different courtyard, under shady trees beside a fountain and with a view out across the countryside.

We found the food good rather than exceptional, but well worth the price at 500 rupees for dinner, 400 for lunch (£6.50 and £5.30 respectively). Bar prices are reasonable; 150 rupees (£2) for a large (65 cl) Kingfisher beer is modest by high-class hotel standards. Breakfast is included in the room tariff, as is afternoon tea with cake, and "bed tea" brought to your room to help you wake up in the morning, an excellent idea.

* Local sight-seeing *

The Neemrana area, it has to be said, is not a big centre for visitor attractions. There are just two that justify an outing, but both are within walking distance of the hotel.

The first is a hill-fort, said to about an hour away, and we ask at reception if they can give us directions to it, or a map.

"Don't go; too dangerous," they advise. Startled, we begin to wonder if these seemingly placid hills could possibly still harbour brigands and dacoits. But the threat turns out not to be human at all. Apparently swarms of bees have attacked walkers in the hills, and the effect of multiple stings can be severe. We have, in fact, seen quite a few bees buzzing around the hotel, although thankfully no mosquitoes.

So we turn our attention to the 18th century step well, to be found on the other side of the village, and set out on foot.

As soon as we are out of the gates, we are greeted as if we were old friends by the owners of the two handicrafts shops nearby. When we have declined to inspect their wares, they offer to escort us to the well instead, but we decline this offer too.

Next, as we pick our way through the mud and detritus, and dodge the donkeys and pigs, we acquire an alternative escort of school children. "Hello," they shout in chorus, and we return an echoing "Hello". "Hello and pen?" enquire the more forward, referring to the common tourist practice of dispensing ball-point pens as gifts, but we have none to give them. Undaunted they try again: "Hello ten rupees?"

Eventually, we lose them at the edge of the village. Most of the other people we meet are friendly enough, some smiling and exchanging greetings, but a trio of surly-looking youths seem to be following us, making us feel a touch uncomfortable.

Arriving at the step well, we are just pondering whether it is wise to go down it with the youths still in attendance, when a motorbike draws up, carrying the two handicraft shop owners. They have, they say, come to see that we are all right, since they don't want us to have a "bad experience". We decide it is easier to let them be our guides.

The step well is fascinating; dare I say well worth the visit? At least ten metres wide, the main stairway descends through eight levels, all lined with elaborate stonework, held together by a series of supporting arches, to enable people to reach the lowest water level. At the far end, a deep shaft would allow more water to be drawn by teams of oxen for irrigation. The imagination reels at the collective effort needed for its construction, given the tools available at the time.

So capacious is it, we were assured by our impromptu guides, that a large detachment of the rajah's army was able to hide there before emerging to play a decisive part in the Battle of Neemrana. "Who fought in the battle?" we enquire, since we have not heard of it. "Oh, it was with the British," we are told. The offer is made to show us round the battlefield on the scrubby hillside behind, but it looks no more inspiring than the rest of the scrubby hillside, and once more we decline.

We do, however, buy a few trinkets in their shops before returning to the hotel. On the whole they were pleasant, helpful and interesting. We did not have a "bad experience".

Since then, though, I have scoured the internet and my Indian history books for references to the Battle of Neemrana, and have found none.

If you didn't want to risk venturing out to be shown battlefields of questionable authenticity, there is a shop inside the hotel, selling some tasteful souvenirs and other artefacts, albeit at much higher prices.

* Ownership, management and Service *

The Neemrana Fort Palace is now the leading hotel in a group of eleven "heritage hotels" throughout India. A flavour of the brand image for which they strive can be gained from their website (www.neemranahotels.com): "Where valour, romance, feasting and celebrations have had a history of their own. Our eleven Neemrana 'non-hotels' - from the 14th of the 21st centuries - offer a panorama of 700 years! In setting which many a king and queen have called their home…. Travel, give value to the time you are spending on planet Earth."

Well, I'm all for the notion that travel gives value to the time one spends on Earth. As for the rest, even discounting the hyperbole, yes, the historic atmosphere is well-conveyed. Hard to go wrong with such a site, one might think, but all too many hotels seem to find it all too easy to go wrong. This hotel does not, and seems very well managed.

The Manager, an engaging Frenchman, is everywhere, chatting to guests, supervising staff and ensuring everything goes smoothly. The service is generally excellent, attentive and efficient but without too much fuss or formality. Now all he needs to do is have some of the more alarming wiring boxed in, and find a way of ensuring that the hot water runs reliably.

On his recommendation, we also dropped in at the group's Hill Fort Hotel at Kesroli near Alwar, which looked equally quaint and charming, albeit on a less grand scale. When we mentioned we had come from the Neemrana, they did not charge us for the tea we drank there. A nice gesture, I thought.

* Cost *

High season rack rate for our room, I see from the website, is 6000 rupees (£80) a night, including bed, breakfast, teas, etc. for two. Since we booked it as part of a complete tour, I do not know whether our agents paid this, but I would suspect not, given the overall price of the holiday. Certainly, hotel rates are generally negotiable, and deep discounts are available during the hot summer months or the monsoon. High season tariffs range all the way down from 15000 rupees (£200) for the swankiest suite down to exactly a tenth of that for the simplest single.

Obviously, there are much cheaper places to stay in India, though there are also more expensive. However, given how easy it is in Britain to pay £80 or more to stay in a character-free cubicle in an ugly concrete block, we thought the Neemrana was great value as an experience.

If you didn't want to stay, but just stop off for a look around or to have lunch on your way to Jaipur, non-residents are charged 200 rupees (£2.60) to enter, and slightly above the resident rates for meals.

* Recommendation *

I would unhesitantly recommend a stop at the Neemrana to anyone setting out from Delhi to visit Rajasthan. It served admirably the role for which we had selected it - to ease our way comfortably into India.

We liked it best of the three palace hotels in which we stayed in Rajasthan: more than the sumptuous, efficient, but somewhat impersonal Samode, more than the quaint and quirky, but inefficient Deogarh. The Neemrana has style, intrinsic interest, and generally works well. Against these advantages, the odd dodginess in the facilities is no more than a minor irritant.

The other, slightly less minor, irritant we encountered was no fault of the hotel's, though it was that of its location. We had been warned that there might be noise from the main highway just two kilometres away. In the event that did not disturb us; perhaps we were lucky with the direction of the wind, but other noises did.

Being close to the village was in many ways an advantage. It was fascinating to look down from our balcony and watch local life in action: the men chopping wood or loading up camel-carts, the women working on the washing at a rooftop laundry. We spent hours watching, but we also spent one of nights we were there kept awake by celebratory music wafting up the hill. Enquiring the next morning, we were told that probably there was a wedding, or that a boy child had been born to a village family.

It might be a good idea to consult the local registry office - if such a thing exists - about forthcoming happy events before confirming your booking. And hope that the villagers are blessed with girls, of course.

© torr 2006
 

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