Umaid Bhawan Palace

Our stay at Umaid Bhavan Palace was truly exceptional and an experience we will cherish. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel incredibly special. A heartfelt thank you to the team for the generous upgrade — it made our stay even more memorable. What stood out most was the superb hospitality and impeccable service. Every member of the staff was warm, gracious, attentive and genuinely eager to make our stay comfortable. The attention to detail throughout our visit was remarkable, and the service was delivered with such warmth that we felt genuinely cared for. The palace itself is breathtaking, with its magnificent architecture, history and old-world grandeur, but it is the people and their hospitality that truly make Umaid Bhavan so special. Special mention to Sikandar Singh for the insightful orientation tour. Housekeeping staff Achal for the upkeep of the room. Restaurant staff Narendra and Jabar from Risala and the chef Chander Singh who made sure to feed us with authentic Rajasthani cuisine. He really took care of all our meals. Thank you to the entire team for making our stay so wonderful. We left with beautiful memories and would love to return again. Truly a royal experience in every sense!

In 2004 when first time I had been to Jodhpur, a desire to stay at Umaid Bhawan Palace had taken birth while taking a tour of their museum. After 22 yrs, when my car arrived at porch a feeling of homecoming emerged. It was royal welcome with “nagada jayghosh”, artists playing live music & singing Rajasthani folk song “padharo mhare desh”, Tilak with Tulsi mala accompanied with traditional Aarti. Feeling of home coming which had emerged at the porch had blossomed into welled eyes & pearls rolling over cheeks by the time we settled in the lobby. I am writing this review after 3 weeks but still not able to figure out if that flow of emotions was reflection of gratitude or immense warmth which we experienced. Artists were kind enough to sing a Bhajan devoted to Lord Krishna. We got immersed into Lord Krishna’s presence when we noticed his idol sitting at the centre of lobby in front of our eyes. Before we could regain our senses , Sikanderji appeared before us. He deserves a full review. He is the best hotel staff member I have met in last 28 years of my travel journey across 4 continents. He reads our mind and hearts and quickly takes action before we realise it. He was walking us to our room when he realised that stairs may not suit us. In few seconds, he got our room changed while we were still walking towards the room Room was upgraded to suit with sit out, balcony facing garden. It was “dream come true” room. Sikanderji is with Palace since birth because he is the 4th generation which is serving King’s family. He breathes palace in and out. The passion with which he was explaining each article and corner of palace, left us spellbound. Before we realised, it was tea time at Risala where complimentary high tea along with delicacies was waiting for us. This was the day of surprises, I guess. While we were at Risala, my husband received a call from Swaroop Singhji. He requested us to wait at the study cum library. Soon he joined us and walked us to lobby where his team had planned formal proposal ceremony for us ( may be because we were celebrating 18 years of our proposal). Later on, I got to know that similar to Versailles of Paris, Umaid Bhawan is a popular proposal destination and may be because of this they have Proposal Ceremony offered as part of specialised services. It was beautiful proposal ceremony wherein Mr. Swaroop Singh tied Rajasthani Traditional Pagdi on my husband’s head, offered traditional tie & dye chunari to me, my husband went on knees and adorned my finger with a classy cocktail ring followed by march to our room from lobby wherein my husband was holding Sword like a King. When we re- entered our room, this time with Mr. Swaroop, his team had already laid out cake, chocolates and flowers in the room. My husband cut the cake with Sword and we relished it. Mr. Swaroop clicked perfect pics and left our room after advancing loads of good wishes. We were truly overwhelmed with this thoughtful gesture. Palace is more than 80 years old ( probably operational since 1943) and still an official residence of King. Taj has around 70-80 keys but the property is maintained as if they have 700 keys. All modern facilities have been incorporated while preserving every piece of history. Sikanderji leads heritage walk for the guests to give them glimpse of the property. He again surpassed my expectations by offering me personal tour rather than group tour. After taking lift, he walked me through Presidential Suite ( costs 10 lacs upwards for a night) showcasing every nook & corner of the room, detailing its paintings and artefacts. 100% credit to his 40 yrs of experience wherein he could bring me to terrace at 6.58 pm to witness mesmerising sunset which nature had scheduled at 7 pm Inspite of day full of activities since we had checked in, we opted for dinner at Risala because its royal yet cozy settings were inviting. Eye catching chandeliers, regal crockery were enough to justify in restaurant dining. Here we met Narenderji who took us through the details of menu and helped us in making selection. All the preparations were mouth watering from presentation to taste. We realised that through his mild requests ( popular tradition of manuhaar in Rajasthan ) Narenderji made us eat more than what we would have otherwise consumed and offered us regional sweets and signature ice cream as treat on the house. After restful sleep, we were greeted for breakfast laid out in the open space facing the manicured gardens with cool breeze blowing and an artist playing live flute. We almost felt like a king, though for a day. Karan played our host for perfect breakfast. He simply addressed us “Hukum” ( pls give me order) and got everything curated for us starting from fresh fruit juice to every dish whether Indian or continental. Manisha joined him and stayed beyond the breakfast by helping with beautiful pictures. While we were checking out, we met Ravi who stunned up with Panaromic pictures he clicked . He is part of house keeping team but better than professional photographers. He accompanied us till the final gate of the palace while clicking postcard perfect pics. 1st time in our life it so happened that we had tears in our eyes again at the time of checking out. Taj’s team offered us gifts ie ring for me and palace signature diary to my husband. We left the hotel but hotel didn’t leave us. We had another booking otherwise thrice we stopped the car to return to hotel. 24 hrs had flown by before we could soak in the property. We are already working on dates of our next stay. This Palace seemed to be home away from home which is not made up of bricks and cement but of elegance & warmth. I don’t know how have they been able to create an environment which genuinely feels “ padharo mhare desh”. No wonder this is one of the most admired and loved hotel of the world. Though it has become long review but it will be incomplete if I fail to mention about J wellness. Post foot message, pain of calf muscles simply evaporated. Palace has an emporium which is run by King’s family. I prefer shopping at such places because they generally have good collections ( though costly). However this one is unique because its products are like collector’s edition but priced at rates better than local market. We shopped bags and hearts full thanks to the team Team Umaid, we are returning soon to be amongst the BEST EVER team led by Sikanderji and aptly supported by Swaroop ji, Narenderji, Karan, Manisha and Ravi.

Our stay at Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur, was one of our family’s most memorable travel experiences. ❤️ From the moment we arrived, the palace’s timeless grandeur and genuine warmth were unmistakable. Travelling with our toddler, we were especially grateful for the thoughtful care and effortless attention shown throughout our stay. Would like to mention Deependra who made the experience so special for our toddler especially! Every detail was handled with grace, making us feel truly welcome and looked after. Also Swaroopji, Rawalji, Jabarji, Saddiqueji, Manisha, Gordhanji, Chandanji, Karan have made the his experience so valuable and memorable. It was as if it was their purpose to make us feel as special as was possible. Having experienced exceptional properties in India and around the world, we can sincerely say that Umaid Bhawan Palace stands among the very best. Its magnificent setting, impeccable service and rich sense of history are remarkable, while the warmth of its people makes the experience truly special. The dining was equally outstanding. Chef Chander Singh Rathore’s passion, creativity and attention to detail were evident in every dish, and we also sincerely appreciate Chef Gourav for contributing to such memorable meals. Each dining experience was beautifully prepared and served with genuine care. The entire team embraced us as a family travelling with a young child, making our holiday relaxed, personal and unforgettable. Umaid Bhawan Palace is far more than a magnificent heritage property—it is an experience that stays with you. Our heartfelt thanks to the team for memories we will cherish for years to come. We look forward to returning. ❤️

Excellent property, beautifully maintained Outstanding hospitality by the staff Great food An awesome memory

This is an iconic heritage palace property. Grand, beautiful and overwhelming. The service was amazing too. The staff went over and above to make us comfortable. We celebrated birthday here and their birthday ritual was quite unique. A special mention of Sikandar Singh ji who gave us the palace tour and Siddique ji from pillars restaurant who made us feel very comfortable.