Location : 88 Devendra Garh,
Near Rajiv Gandhi Park, Rani Road Udaipur 313001
I was looking for accommodation options for
Udaipur before we started on our road trip recently. Selection criteria was
simple (okay not that simple): parking facility (in house and not the
government parking which most of the properties near Lake Pichola offer), in
our budget, location wise not too far from city centre and all points of
attraction, provision for extra bed for my son (not just bedding –a mattress, a
sheet, a pillow and a blanket etc. which is put on the floor). Did a lot of
research or let’s say searching on various sites based on actual reviews and
compared pricing etc. Sadly if all other things matched, the parking became a
problem in many properties, some had real horrible reviews. Read reviews of
Devendra Garh and also visited their website. Liked the photographs of the property and also
the excellent reviews.
Unfortunately
none of the travel sites had rooms available for this property for the dates we
wanted. Was disheartened, decided to give one last try and contacted the
property directly on mail. They reverted immediately and informed that all they
could offer us was a Brown room (they have named all the rooms on the colour
theme of the room – blue, green, white and so on), with pictures of the room
and the rate on CP (Continental Plan i.e. with breakfast). The room looked good
and we accepted the offer. Post that Ms. Ruchika Hiran helped us with the
payment and booking process.
Finding
Devendra Garh is not difficult especially if you are coming from Jaipur via
NH58. You don’t need to enter the crowded old city area, we didn’t have to
search for the location. We were wowed by the beauty of the place (Rani Road –
which is a road which encompasses the beautiful and calm Fateh Sagar Lake).
Devendra Garh is very close to the Rajiv Gandhi Park. It was around 3.00 clock
in the afternoon when we reached here. From the main gate we climbed up to the
main living area/living quarters – giving us a feel of those homes on the hills
we had been used to in our childhood.
The
property was exactly the same as was shown in the photographs. The team helped
us park the car (they have ample space for that) and Ms. Ruchika (by now we had
realised that she was the owner) helped with the check in formalities. We were
given the Brown room. The room itself was beautiful – big in size, a king size
bed, a single seater sofa cum bed, study table, mini bar/refrigerator, LCD
Television, a centre table, a small storage cabinet (no difference in terms of
the picture sent to us and what we found). The bathroom was large with a
storage cabinet cum dressing area. The décor was tastefully done. The room was
facing the lake, the road and the green areas of Devendra Garh.
 |
| The Brown Room |
The
property itself is tastefully done with the owner’s family staying in the
premises itself (in a separate block). Ms. Ruchika and her husband met us in
the evening and checked out if we needed anything. They have a beautifully
maintained garden area where one can sit out in evening and night. They serve
meals (snacks & dinner) in this area on request. There is a decent size
Dining hall where one can have meals. Buffet Breakfast is served in Dining Hall
in the morning. Next to the dining hall is a small play area with excellent
facilities for table tennis. The garden area has some exciting features which
definitely will be loved by kids – a trampoline, a tree house with a slide, a
hammock, swings and a tyre maze.
They
have a small swimming pool too.
We
had our dinner in the garden area and honestly didn’t have dinner anywhere else
during our stay in Udaipur. The food is not only good in terms of quantity but
also quantity too. The team ensures that the food is according to your taste
and requirements. The buffet breakfast has varieties in terms of Indian and
continental dishes. Things to be noted:
Non vegetarian food is not served here, though eggs are an exception.
They have an extensive ala carte menu for meals.
The
Hiran’s have a good collection of vintage cars including an especially
customised one which was earlier owned by Maharaja Bhupal or Bhopal Singh (the ruler
of the princely state of Udaipur (or Mewar) from 1930 and also Rajpramukh of Rajasthan from 1948 until his death on 4 July 1955).
Most
of the tourist / must see destinations of Udaipur are close by. The team at
Devendra Garh can help out in planning the itinerary. There are many eating out options also close
by.
Staying
at Devendra Garh was like staying with friends or extended family. The Hiran’s
were friendly and ensured the comforts of their guests (mostly families).
Devendra
Garh on the website mentions itself as a paying guest house – it is much more
than that. I have seen many homestay options and also many bed and breakfast
options – Devendra Garh is much more than that. It is like a small boutique
accommodation option which is well managed. We had a delightful experience at
Devendra Garh. We are sure that this would be our first choice for
accommodation in all our visits to Udaipur.
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