This hotel is really well placed for the magnificent fort, but also for the exotic bazaars and havelis in the town outside the fort. The management is really efficient, but also very friendly and welcoming. Don't be put off by the area outside the hotel, which is a mess. It's quiet, and that's the main thing. The roof top terrace offers wonderful views of the fort, and the food there is excellent. A great place to relax and meet other travellers. There seemed to be someone cleaning the whole time we were there, so the hotel is immaculate. The rooms are very nicely decorated with Rajasthani textiles and the beds are really comfortable. A very good choice in Jaisalmer.

After having first checked out 3 other hotels in Jaisalmer which ranged from ghastly to disappointing, I was glad to have ended up at Shahi Palace which turned out to be the best of all my stays in India.

Housed in traditional yellow stone building, the rooms are spacious, clean and beautifully decorated with wall hangings and colourful bedspread. But the most amazing thing about this place is its roof top. By far the best out of all the places I've stayed, the roof top has a stunning fort view, and the management put in great effort to create a wonderufl ambience. The couch is so comfortable you could easily curl up with a book and sit there all afternoon. Albeit falling slightly on the pricey side, the food is also the best I've had at a hotel, personally I'd rather pay slightly more for a really good bite than midrange for a mediocre one (the chicken biryani & mutton curry are so yum!).

The management is also the most friendly I've met during my time. When seeing me sitting on the rooftop, they will come and have a chat and make sure I'm well looked after. They take a genuine interest in the guests, are always keen to have a chat, but never intrusive. I also find their advice on transport & local attractions to be fair & honest.

I stayed three nights at the hotel and also did the overnight camel safari with them. The camel-riding is quite easy & relaxed, not the sore-muscle feat as I've been warned. We were well-fed and well-looked after. The sunset on the sand dune was amazing.

The hotel is nice, they have a great terrace hotel. We stayed here on the 4th to the 6th 2012. Everything was fine until they suggested we catch our train to jaipur (which was to start from jaisalmer) from jodhpur as they had a vehicle going there to pick up a few of their other guests. They also said that they will take us to a hotel near jodhpur station for 300- 400 bucks for us to keep our luggage. We accepted their offer.

The next morning we took their car with a driver. Our driver was really rash and the car met with an accident when it crashed into a motorcycle injuring the guy driving the bike. It was scary as all the villagers surrounded the vehicle, we took the injured man to a hospital and after an hour and some negotiating which the driver did with the villagers we went ahead. Next, in jodhpur when we went to the hotel he had no idea we were coming and quoted us a room charge of 600 bucks. Which seemed a lot just to keep our luggage. The biggest shock came when we learned that our tickets would have been valid for 1 stop after jaisalmer and will be given to somebody else by the ticket checker. After many calls to shahi palace, who used his connection, kept out seats on the train intact.

Even though it all turned out fine in the end, no one would want to go through such an experience specially when celebrating their first anniversary.

What i liked: good clean rooms
Didnt like: providing incorrect options/advise

pretty ugly surroundings (garbage, car repair shops) but nice enough hotel. hot showers, very clean room, view of fort. didn't get a warm feeling from staff (it's not a homestay after all), but that's no big deal, we were just there for a night.
view from rooftop restaurant though was unbelievable--you're gazing at a sunset-lit fort--dramatic!
food was ok.
overall, it was a solid choice.