The palace is excellent especially the old part of it which is my personal favourite. I have been using this hotel for over three years now and am extremely satisfied with the food and the service. The prices are slightly on the higher end but it worth it. The rooms are spacious and the beds are extremely comfortable. By far the best place if you wish to spend a comfortable night after a day long bird watching experience in the reserve nearby.

Looking at my photos now I'm home the Laxmi Villas Palace looks stunning and my friends have cooed over the lovely room and facade.
However, the place lacked a little atmosphere. There was a band on in the evening and fires to sit around but it somehow felt a little sterile.
Our room was big and the bed was comfy, and we slept really well on both nights of our stay.

It was in a good location for Keoladeo and the grounds were lovely.

The food created my main issue. It was a buffet for both breakfast and dinner (we had a packed lunch in the day) the food was nice, but average rather than outstanding and obviously because it's a buffet you serve yourself meaning they don't need as many staff as a waited restaurant.
We were charged INR1500 pp for dinner (about £20 each) we felt it was expensive (double the price of a comparable meal in the UK) but as it was our first stay in India we had nothing to draw comparisons with.
On our return home I queried it with our tour operator who contacted the hotel who claimed that the cost (triple the normal price) was due to the fact that it was christmas eve. There was no indication that it was christmas in the whole hotel, no decorations, no music, no one said 'Merry Christmas' etc but they felt it appropriate to overcharge for dinner. They also charged us INR750 pp for a packed lunch (approx £10 each) for what amounted to 2 paratha, a carton of juice, a banana and a vegetable pattie.

I have emailed the hotel to ask them to explain their 'celebration' of Christmas in terms of increased prices but in no other respect but they have not responded.

We travelled to Bharatpur in the first week of January (2012). Our trip as usual was a last minute plan and we were lucky to get this beautiful property at a reasonalble price.

Laxmi Vilas was a beautiful experience, the place is beautiful and really nice people running it.
We were amazed with the upkeep of a 100 year old palace and we soaked in the historical feel of the place.

The rooms and facilities are very well kept but people remember its a Heritage Hotel not your usual Hotel Chain so dont expect wall to wall carpeting and stuff.

There is no room service so if travelling with really young kids be prepared to get a workout :)

Staff could be trained better, some of them are very wary of the "Indian Tourist" and kept telling us that we will have to pay for every thing we ordered (its not part of the package! :))


Before you plan your trip here are a few pointers

- Bharatpur has nothing other than Ghana (Kaladeo Bird Sanctuary) and few historical sites like Deeg Fort etc. So if you are looking for an adventure filled, adrenalin high trip please avoid.

- Bharatpur as a city is filthy, the place looks like a Bombed out city of Afganistan to say the least. So be prepared to soak in Laxmi Vilas and get a short course in History of the place from the owners.

- Bird have just started returning to Bharatpur (which was left bone dry without any water for the last 4 years). Thanks to some local MP's things are returning to normalcy. But if you are an Avid birder then Bandh Baretha which is about 65 km from Bharatpur is a much better bet.


- Chose a good Guide it will make a world of difference to your experience.

- Agra is just 50 KM away so fit this place into your itenary cause the kids would come back rattling names of all the birds you can spot there.

Overall a great experience thanks to Deep Raj, his family and some lovely people at Laxmi Vilas,

Rgds

Siddhartha

Another hotel I stayed in (for just one night) as part of my 10 day India package. Like the title says, I'd like to have stayed for more than one night.

Presumably this was once a maharajah's palace. If not, it's a very good impersonation. The only facilities I managed to experience were the bars (one of them is al fresco) and the restaurant. Food choice was pretty good but it could have been kept warmer. The pool looked inviting but I just didn't have time to use it.

As for the rooms, large and luxurious with 4-poster beds. Modern appliances were lacking (TV, kettle etc) but the maharajahs probably wouldn't have had time for such things. And since when did maharajahs make tea or coffee themselves!!