We arrived at Chokhi Dhani on a sunny afternoon in early April. Why April?, you would ask. Well that's when hotel room tariffs are resonable and affordable(Apr-Sep). But its very hot during that time in Jaipur. I winters the tariffs go up by good 50 %. There were mostly Indians this time around, we hardly saw any foreigner in resort or village fair.
There will be 2 parts in this review. Chokhi Dhani Resort and Chokhi Dhani village fest.
CHOKHI DHANI RESORT.
There were porters appointed in the parking area of the hotel to carry our luggage. So we didnt have to worry about it and walked staright towards the entrance. On the small entrance was a village lady in rajasthani red saree and a traditional plate with tika and flower petals. She showers petals on you and puts tika on your forehead. At the same time a man would start playing a musical instrument and a child would dance to his tunes. They would all greet you in chorus, "RAM RAM SAA". They are a family I guess.
What's RAM RAM SAA? That's the way to greet and ask clients for some tip/change currency. This practice is rampant in Chokhi Dhani and there is no stopping them. That's the worst point of resort.
We reached the reception where we were welcomed with chilled buttermilk(chachh). It was awesome! The reception and lounge area is done up in typical Rajasthani style and is good. Check in was pretty smooth and we reached our room.
The Room - The room and room linen was clean. The rooms size was good. It had all basic amenities which are expected. A double bed, small sofa with table, an AC, LCD TV with big screen, a writing table with chair, an almira, dressing table, tea coffe maker, small fridge with water bottles(packaged), hot/cold water etc etc. Most of the interiors are done with typical rajasthani flavour complete with handicrafts and rajasthani wall paintings. Every room in Chokhi Dhani has a private sit up area with rajasthani style chairs. Its good to spend some time in leisure there. The attached bathroom was clean with all toileteries like shampoo, toothpaste, shaving kit etc. The bahroom was huge, but the bathing area was damp and too small.
The room service - The room service is ok. Its good and prompt. We asked for room service 2-3 times during our stay, and every time we were satisfied.
The resort - The resort is beautiful and clean. There are all facilities which one could expect in a 4-5 star hotel like swimming pool, bussiness centre, souveneir shops, gym etc. The whole resort is done up in Rajasthani architecture and style. The rooms are in form of huts which give the resort the feel of a village. However, the huts have all modern facilities which I described above. There are well maintained walk ways lined with beautiful flora. Along the walkways one could spot a cart, a lamp post, lantern, swings or other village articles to give it a village feel.
The food - We ordered lunch from the restaurant. It was bit expensive, but tasty.
The buffet breakfast was good. There were two sections, continental and Indian. Continental section had eggs, toasts, sandwiches, cornflakes(3 types like Kellogs chocos, honeyloops etc), fruits, juices, milk etc. Indian section had poori, aloo mattar, upma, idli, sambhar, pickles and preserves etc. It was very tasty. You can have have a good variety here.
The location - That pinches! This resort is on the ouskirts of Jaipur in Sanganer town. It takes around good half an hour-45 minutes to reach here from main Jaipur. You can't plan any sightseeings from here to Jaipur. If you stay here, then see only Chokhi Dhani, nothing else.
Outside Hotel - Outside resort is the highway. You can have tea from some stalls here, but there are no meal options.
Our check out from the hotel was hassle free.
My recommendation - It is a good resort, but for one night stay only. Dont go for their 2 night package as you would not find anything to do. I went in summers when the tariffs are lower, but that's your call. If you want to do sightseeing in Jaipur, then it is not recommended for you. You can go there with family or as office group.
Value for money???umm..kind of. Its a good experience though.
CHOKHI DHANI VILLAGE FEST.
Every evening from 6 - 11 PM a village fest is organised in the resort. Entry is free if you are staying in the resort. For dinner one has to pay Rs 350. One can go to fest from outside also. The ticket is Rs 350 and it includes dinner. I have heard from poeple that they increase the charges during weekends and xmas/new year, but I am not sure about it.
I would give village fest 4 stars.
Village fest attractions - Elephant ride, Camel ride, bullock cart and horse cart ride, boating, maze, archery, shooting, puppet show, magician, museum, snake charmer, rajasthani dance, music, dummy zoo, horror caves, tribal dance, all states handicraft bazaar(like andhra/ kashmir etc), massage(head), temples, hookah etc. There are shops which sell snacks and local rajasthani handicrafts. Almost everything inside is PAID. You have to pay rs 10-30 for most of the services like rides. Dance shows are free, but the dancers ask for a lot of tips. You too can dance with their group, but of course tip them.
One can easily spend around 3 hours inside including dinner. Most of the poeple are local Jaipur residents who come to spend some time here. Its a good one time watch place. I would have gone with 3 stars, but given 4 stars because of the dinner served in the fest.
Dinner - The best part of the fest is dinner served. One has to sit cross legged on floor and its served in
pattal, dona and kullarh. It a king size meal, where they serve you buttermilk, white butter, churma, dal, kair sangri, pickles, garlic chutney(best, too good), 3 types of roti(wheat, besan, multi grain), kadhi, gatta, 2 vegetable dish, bajra khichdi with loads of ghee on top, papad, jalebi. You can ask for as much as you wish to eat. With not so much habit of consuming ghee and butter and overeating too, one feels a little discomfort later. But food is worth Rs 350 paid. The service boys are good, but they will expect tips from you. I did tip them this time.
The fest is good for children as they would have lot of activities and rides to enjoy.
My recommendation - Its a one time watch. You can go there several times for food.
Each and every person(except educated staff of hotel) seems to be asking for tip at this resort and fest.
So this was my experience at the resort and village fest. Hope you enjoyed reading. Please rate and comment.
RAM RAM SAA!
