Manvar was a once in a a lifetime experience for us. After experiencing all kinds of hotels in all kinds of cities, Manvar offered something which we hadn't seen before, nor are likely to experience again. The location, service and the overall ambience of the place is unparalleled.

You check-in at the Manvar resort which is situated right on the Jodhpur-Jaisalmer highway. In all likelihood, you shall reach the resort in the afternoon and a lunch at the resort is something we can highly recommend. It was one the better meals we had in Rajasthan. Transported to the resort in an open 4X4, the short 7-8 kms trip gives you a taste of things to come as greenery slowly gives way to sand dunes.

The swiss tents we checked into were surprisingly roomy and warm. The attached bathrooms could have been from any upmarket chain hotel, except for the curtain for a wooden door. Every room had a electric heater and they provided hot water bottles under the blankets, both coming in handy in the cold January night.

We had two meals at the camp, dinner the same night and breakfast the next morning. Both were top-notch even with limited kitchen facilities at the camp. Evening entertainment included traditinal Rajasthani folk singing and dancing and at one point a lot of guests joined in to make the atmosphere really festive and joyous. Next day, we lingered on the dunes for a while and exceeded the check-out time but still were never hurried by the staff.

Overall, Manvar was summed up by my 4 year old son. When told we are leaving, his sweet request was to stay one more day so that he can roll in the sands, something he didn't say even at the Dubai Atlantis or the Hua Hin Hyatt.

If you want to see a part of India that's not your usual grinding mill of weary tourists, frightening and rapacious tour guides and the ineveitable collection of cheap china-made memorabilia, then Manvar is the place to go.

It's situated on the main thoroughfare between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, and sometimes you can hear traffic, but not in any annoying frequency. The main Hotel is built in the Tuscan style and there's a wonderful sense of space in all the suites. The catering facilities are clean and the food excellent. There's a great deal of local fauna - look out for the intriguing fruit bats that live in the trees growing in the central reception area. The original flora is interspersed with plantations of various kinds.

The most interesting part of the trip was the entertainments available at Manvar, most of whom are local people. I particularly liked the old man who played for the breakfast session at the desert camp. It's a time I can never forget.

Stayed at the main resort and not the desert camp which is very well maintained. The place offers an authentic rajasthani experience and the service was extremely good. Being the only one staying at the resort during the "off season" we were treated to a personal manganiyar folk music session during the course of the evening. Would definitely return.

We had a stop over at Manvar camp during our tour of Rajasthan. What a fun place. We were looked after from the moment we arrived until the moment we left. We had a tasty lunch in the courtyard, a swim in the clean pool and then set off on our desert safari whilst our backs were taken out to the camp. Good honest fun, not too pretentious, the chance to run through the dunes, and see wthe widlife up close. Got some good pictures too.

We stayed overnight in the camp, the tents were surpisingly spacious and it was a relief to discover the proper shower, basin and toilet! After settling in, we were treated to a camel ride into the desert to see the sun set on the horizon. The ride was longer than we expected, but delightful nonetheless. Canapes round the camp fire followed whilst the local traditional music and dancing was performed for us. And then dinner served in the main tent on the camp. Again, nicely cooked, served well - just enough attention without being over-bearing. It was all very intimate, as my daughter and I, plus another couple were the only people staying in the camp.

Wonderfully quiet. And no light polution preventing us admire the clear night skies.

What could they do better? Our departure was scheduled for 6.00am. This meant we had to take the 7km trip back to main reception in the back of the safari jeep in pitch black. And it was cold. A blanket was provided, but it really didn't have much effect. For such occasions, they ought to invest in a enclosed 4x4 vehicle, not the open safari jeep. On the other hand, they did provide us with a hot take-away breakfast for us to eat as we continued our journey through India.

All in all, a delightful idea, executed well. Probably better when there are more people there, and I wouldn't want to be in the tent when it got cold. Definitely worth a visit.