Sep 26, 2005 11:13 PM
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(Updated Sep 26, 2005 11:19 PM)
If you are looking for a place for the festival and travelling through Rajasthan you must spend a few days at this beautiful resort .
Peace and Nirvana
Lakened Resort in the middle of Jaisamand Lake is one of the most beautiful lake resort that I have been to. Its about 40 odd kms form the national highway and the weekend there was one of the better ones that I had this year and my other travels this year included a trip to Goa, Mauritius and Singapore.
The Drive
The vacation started with the drive from Ahmedabad and the newly laid out NH 8 which connects the city of AHmedabad to Udaipur. The highway is one of the best in India and is comparable to the Jaipur Delhi Highway or Ahmedabad Palanpur stretch and surprisingly the roadsin Rajasthan are better than those in Gujarat with some patches near Prantij being pretty bad. A lot of travellers from Ahmedabad might wish to just drive down to enjoy the road.
The Place
The resort is in the middle of Jaisamand lake and is in the proverbial middle of nowhere. There is no mobile connectivity and this a big relief. If you desperately need to make a call take the lift to the top floor and you get connectivity in one corner of terrace. The connectivity of all major service providers disappears the moment you enter Rajasthan from Gujarat. The people at the resort are one of the most well behaved and take good care of the guests. There is a small bird colony nearby and a boat ride to the colony was the high point of the trip. The food is good keeping in mind that the only place to reach supplies and cook is via a 10mins drive over water.
The F& B department can do with some more emphasis being given to it. The food does lack variety and is not the high point of the resort. On the other hand the beautiful location and surroundings are definitely the best selling points of the resort and anyone with deep pockets can afford to spends two to three days in the peace of the resort. As there is no connectivity with the outside world one needs to spend time with the companion and explore the surroundings and facilities inside the resort. The resort has a functional gymnasium, sauna, Jacuzzi and a very good swimming pool. It sits very next to the lake and the gardens next to the pool and otherwise are well maintained.
If you wish to entertain your kids there are camel rides true to the desert state. The place is unusually green especial after the rainy season and thorough he winters. I cannot imagine going there in summers as the hills surroundings would definitely wear a deserted looks as far as greenery is concerned. Incidentally the Jaisamand lake is totally man made and its construction went on from 1719 to 1731 and looking at the sheer size of the lake and the time period when it was built one can imagine the foresight the rulers had at that time for rain water harvesting or famine planning. Our leaders of the day can take a leaf or two about planning for the masses from this.
OOPS
The place had its down sides as well as the billiards table had the carpet which was torn off from many places and even the sticks were damaged. The carom was not too great either and so was the TT table. All of them were not usable, thankfully the gymnasium was in working condition.
But Ultimately its the ultimate place bhidu...
A good activity to undertake there is to swim and explore the jungle nearby on foot. Watching the sun set amongst the hills weather from the room balcony or from the lakeside with a few drinks is an unforgettable experience. The resort is about 15 years old and still is pretty well maintained in terms of manicured lawns and exteriors. The rooms are well furnished and clean though the curtains and upholstery can do with some more vacuum cleaning to remove the stale smell in the rooms.
The bathrooms are huge with bathtubs and the suits are really luxurious. All and all a great place to spend a few days and is worth the time and money spent there. If you are traveling in Rajasthan and do not like crowded placed and wish to spend a quite vacation go there during rains and before Diwali vacation.
Read the reviews by two other gentleman and the guy named Bhandari who has written a very positive review incidentally shares his surname wit the owner so a brief spat between the other two reviewers is worth a read as both have kept their reviews short.
The Usuals
The place is about 240 Kms from Ahmedabad and 50Kms from Udaipur. Except for the 40kms approach road the roads are very good and in fact its a four lane highway most of the way from Ahmedabad. Its advisable to go with prior booking and negotiate a good deal and ask for upgrades to suits.
