Kumbhalgarh Fort is a must-visit attraction if you're visiting Udaipur, and you've got to stay for the lights-up at night. The only way to do this is to spend the night at a hotel nearby, and there are just a few options for that. At the top end is the royal family's Aodhi and the corporate Club Mahindra, followed by the mid-range Kumbhal Castle, and finally, two low-end but perfectly adequate regular hotels at Kelwara village, 6km from the fort. These two hotels, Karni Palace and New Ratan Deep (note change in name), face each other across the only street in Kelwara. We stayed in New Ratan Deep because they replied to our e-mail sooner. But on the face of it, there's nothing to choose between them. Well, New Ratan Deep's slightly cheaper...

The room we got was big and airy. Bathroom was great, with new, brand-name fixtures that worked perfectly. Water heater inside the bathroom works when there's electricity, which was actually quite often, considering this is India. They... More