hi guys,


couldn’t find a place to plonk this review, so here it is...


this ones on a chain of hotels that likes to call itself “non hotels”.

go figure.

the first time i came across the name neemrana – i kinda did the obvious thing and poked fun at the name, “king of bitter leaves.”

“not smart but i was much younger!!!”

this small chain of hotels is run by two gentlemen out of delhi. ones a frenchman named francis and his indian partner, aman nath.

they started out with restoring an old dilapidated fort in the village neemrana (duh?!?) about 120 kms from delhi. it is now their flagship property and the old wing is simply stunning. at last count, they now have 11 properties dotted around the country… they range from forts to mansions to cottages and small country homes.

between my wife and myself – we have already ‘done’ 3 properties and are hoping to steadily work our way through the rest of the list…

in fact we are just returned, refreshed, rejuvenated , bushy tailed and perky eyed from a place called ‘the hill fort kesroli’ – 3 hours from delhi and 10 kms from alwar.

right – the properties and why you need to give them a look..

i as with most of us (barring the saints, ascetics and the completely loony!!) like my material comforts on holiday. i enjoy a nice plush room, courteous service and fantastic views; but – and here comes the crux – i hate to pay the exorbitant prices that such properties demand… and at the end of the day, even after paying these mad prices, each room ends up looking almost identical – barring the shape of a sofa or the colour of the granite in the loo!

this is where neemrana is different. they restore ‘old’ properties to almost incredible estimations of what they must have been like. they allow the properties to retain their characters and the incredible atmosphere in each place tells it’s own stories…

the oldest property they have is in kesroli – it’s a fort that’s 700 years old. it’s quaint, it’s small, it’s in the middle of nowhere and it’s a place you need to go to just forget about time. for two days, we did just that – we left our watches by the bedside and relied on the bearers asking us when we wanted to eat to tell us what the time of day was !! the only sounds are of parrots fighting, squirrels chattering, pigeons making their silly noises and the incredible sound that peace and tranquility manages to make.

as you approach the property, it looks like any other decrepit asi protected (or not) monument, but as you walk through the doors, you are whisked off to a different time and place.

i sometimes wondered – if those 700 year old walls could just talk…

only some of the rooms are air conditioned (not because they ran out of money; since winter is ‘in’ season, a/c’s in -3 celsius can be a bit of overkill!!!)

there are a million and one nooks and crannies you can disappear into with a book or a coffee
(for those of you about to get cute with me – yes, you can take both…the book AND the coffee!)

all the ramparts in this fort have chairs and tables laid out all the time. countless staircases lead onto many little terraces, the trees are dotted with nests and there is no room service. you eat communally in a long mud lined, pedestral fan cooled room, with frescoes on the walls or out on the small neatly kept lawns of the property.

they have suites which are labyrinths… you climb, you descend and you hike your way through corridors and alcoves as you make your way to your bathroom or to the other beds… then they also have single rooms that i like to call the less privileged quarters (!) they are much easier on the legs and the heart…

(legs ‘coz you don’t walk so much; heart ‘coz there are less spaces to spook you out at 2 in the morning!!!)

the food – “ummm!!” delicious but heavy and because you do nothing the whole day – it sits even heavier. though for certified foodies like myself, there is fantastic indian fare, brilliant continental stuff and the most scrumptious desserts… and before you ask – no, the continental does not taste indian!!

everything is made fresh and in house everyday by the cooks and bakers – so the quality of the grub truly stands out…

we were in pondicherry in april and stayed at the ‘de l’orient’ - also a neemrana property. this is another restored work of art. it’s done in the fashion of an 18th century french home. it’s a small property but with truck loads of character. the rooms are all air conditioned with huge old four poster beds, old cupboards, large windows and cute balconies. the furniture is all period stuff – some authentic some not… the overall effect though is minimalist and stunning. also on the walls next to the concierge desk are before and after pictures of the property. the transformation leaves you spell bound.

it was the first time i missed a place after coming away from it – and I’m sure the hotel was a mitigating factor in the same.

also a quirk with all neemrana properties is that all the rooms have names rather than numbers - so at kesroli, we had “tota mahal” and at de l’orient we had “yanaon”. neemrana, i forget…

the service at all the properties we’ve been to is discreet, polite to the point of being servile and uncannily intuitive… it’s almost as if the bearers and staff are reading your mail !!! they also know when to sublimely disappear into the woodwork and leave you with your thoughts or your better (worse?) halves… and THEIR thoughts !!!

finally, the actual clincher are the prices that these properties are sold at… suites at most of the properties barring the really exquisite stuff at ’’neemrana fort palace’’, cost between 3,500 and 5,000 on an average. meals cost roughly 800 rupees per person per day and the rest of their amenities and services are also very reasonably priced…

at the risk of sounding elitist (i’m not really…) in a way, i’m glad that these properties are not widely advertised, because then these prices would attract all sorts of people and not necessarily those who would appreciate the passion, time and care taken into making these hotels, “non hotels”.

given the fact that i have not been paid or promised any sort of renumeration in kind or otherwise for plugging these properties, i am now seriously considering e mailing mr. aman nath this review, in the hope that i get invited to savour the rest of his enticing retreats!

mr. nath – i would like invites to...

“the verandah in the forest” – matheran
“wallwood green” – coonoor
“the ramgarh bungalows” – kumaon hills
“villa pottipati” – bangalore


i wait with bated breath…


write in if you feel the need.

ak.