After visiting Fatehpur Sikri: what a pearl! we hit the road to Neemrana village in Alwar district, in the northern part of Rajasthan. The road was in a bad condition and it took us six hours to reach our destination, which was only 200 km away.
However, our patience was rewarded upon arrival at Neemrana Fort-Palace. While entering this 15th century palace we could almost hear maharajas whispering namaste to us. This is how magic it looked and felt like.
After the check-in, we were taken into our room Parvati Mahal, which was very lovely and stylish. 
Excited, we rushed to the balcony and saw the pool area. Wow. In whichever direction we looked, there was an extraordinary wing or level, old and new, turning the hotel into a romantic and mysterious storybook. 
As the sun was still shining, we swam in the pool and admired magnificent architecture that surrounded us. I am pretty sure maharajas were somewhere watching us. Monkeys were.
At the sunset we headed to dinner, which was a tasty North Indian buffet served in a very pleasant terrace. There were lots of candles and more antique decoration elements everywhere. Indian red wine we ordered with the meal was just perfect, fruity and tangy.
Neemrana Fort-Palace was more elegant than we could have expected. During our three-day stay we visited many rooms (each one of them was different, but stylish and comfortable) and wandered around different parts of the fort-palace. Since it was built over different centuries, and recently restored, it felt like time-traveling in a labyrinth. We could not get enough of details and atmosphere, and were sad to leave when the day came. But I am confident that we will make a return one day!
Note: Since our visit to Neemrana Fort-Palace, we have stayed at several Neemrana properties in different parts of India. Today, the group owns 29 heritage buildings, “non-hotels”, and each one of them is a reflection of India’s rich history. The owners (an Indian gentleman and a Frenchman) pay attention to every detail, and rooms are decorated with beautiful antique objects, quality textiles and comfortable furniture. As the buildings where the Neemrana properties are located were not meant for hotel usage, every room is different (which explains rather large room price variations). So, if you are planning a trip to India, make sure you don’t leave India without a true Neemrana experience –highly recommended!! www.neemranahotels.com
***
This is the sixth post about our trip in Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan and Bombay in March-April 2008. Previous posts are:
Part 1. Arrival in Delhi: first impressions
Part 2. Eight cities of Delhi
Part 3. Road from Delhi to Agra
Part 4. Visiting Agra and Taj Mahal
Part 5. Fatehpur Sikri: what a pearl!
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WOW! This is breathtaking!!!
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Breathtaking is the right word 🙂
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Thank you for sharing this lovely blog about Neemrana Fort-Palace. We are truly grateful for your continued patronage ! 🙂
Warm Regards,
Team Neemrana
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Avec plaisir! Who doesn’t love it when history, style and art are combined 🙂 !!
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Thank you for sharing this information and Very good looking blog.
I am bookmark this blog need some more post.
Plots in Neemrana
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Thanks Kavita for visiting my blog!
Do you live in India? Whereabouts?
Take care 🙂
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Amazing! Love the swimming pool 😃 Definitely worth the 6hours drive..!
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Worth putting it in your list when you visit India 🙂
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What a stunning looking hotel! Thank you for recommending it!
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The owners (well, the French partner passed away this year) keep buying old heritage forts, castles, houses and buildings, restore them, give life to them while respecting the property’s “personality” and voila, each hotel is like a museum, art gallery and home at the same time.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in history, art and culture.
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Hey, just saw your lovely post and thanks for crediting pearlspotting.com. I will share your post right now on pearlspotting FB page. Please feel free to visit.
Greetings from Paris and take care.
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Well written. I just spent a weekend at Neemrana Fort Palace with my best buds & totally loved it.
Have tried to pen down my experience in my blog. Do visit & do read 🙂
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Hey, sorry for my belated response, but our 1 year old daughter is keeping me more than busy 😉 A nice post, well done! I am curious, where is that bath? I don’t recall seeing it. You have one photo of it. Take care and greetings from Paris.
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