Ghanrao Royal Castle is a centuries old family home of the Ghanerao ruling family partly converted into a heritage hotel. Family artifacts & pictures are placed all around and one needs to truly appreciate Tradition, Culture & History to enjoy this offbeat place. Sound of aarti in the temples inside, chirping of birds and the peaceful atmosphere is blissful and such a welcome relief from hustle & bustle of city life. The evening safari in an open jeep was an experience, we managed to spot quite a few birds not seen in the cities anymore. Loved the wall paintings, climbing narrow staircases, and simply walking round the place. If possible steal some time with the family to know about the history of the castle. This is not a regular run of the mill hotel so don't expect TV, standard rooms, exotic cuisine or lifts. As with any old building, the castle does need maintenance and the family is trying it's best to conserve this centuries old, huge building, can imagine how difficult and expensive it must be to preserve the place.…
I really do not understand all those positive reviews about Ghanerao Castle on Tripadvisor. To begin with , on arrival the manager was very unfriendly and unwelcoming (later someone told me he was the owner)! So far we had always encountered "Guest is God" attitudes during our travels in Rajasthan, but the attitude of this man showed a complete indifference and total lack of hospitality training. He bluntly told us the room we had booked was unavailable and that he had never received our booking for a heritage room. (Both untrue). We were shown a dingy, dark and uncleaned room which we refused, but the second room was o.k. A notice in our room promised wonderful organic food but the quality of the food in the restaurant was appalling. Other guests were complaining about the food quality as well. Breakfast next morning was another disaster, the coffee was both salty and bitter, in short: undrinkable. We were just wondering how could that be possible to produce such undrinkable coffee when we saw one of the staff poor all leftover cups from other tables back into the coffeepot. We asked for some curd (yoghurt) but it was lukewarm and had a very bad taste, like it had been out in the sun for days. Ofcourse we didn't eat it. The kitchen was the filthiest you could imagine, it had not been cleaned in ages. It was in fact a total health hazard. Our driver witnessed a couple of domestic guests refusing to pay for the room and the food. Our stay in Ghanerao Castle was a huge disappointment and it could have been so much better as the castle is quite interesting but it desperately needs better management and a lot of improvement.…
We stayed in this property for two days and I had a good experience. It was calm, peaceful and the hospitality was good too. The owners were friendly and they tried to deliver a great experience. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed by a couple of things. The pool was extremely dirty, it was all green, a lot of algae. There was no menu card to order food, they said they would cook anything we ask them to. This created confusion during bill payment. Our bathroom had problems, there was no geyser, and even after fixing twice, the flush did not work so we had to use buckets to clean the toilet. Although the staff was supportive, they took way too long to prepare our meals. We asked to have breakfast at 8 AM but it was prepared by 10 AM. To be honest, these things did not matter to me a lot cos I only wanted to enjoy exploring the castle but my friends were quite frustrated. I believe there is room for improvement. If these issues are fixed, I think this hotel can be one of the top hotels in Rajasthan.…
This is a ramshackle, crumbling, decrepit relic of a place, but brimful of character and charm that you’ll find difficult not to fall in love with. Long past their best, the buildings are a hotchpotch of different eras and states of disrepair, with staining, flaking ceilings and plasterwork and discolouration, dangerous to guests in some places and in need of serious renovation — but the monkeys happily prance around the walls and the peacocks and peahens strut their stuff on the rooftops. Set in the middle of a tiny but seemingly reasonably prosperous village, the Ghanerao Royal Castle is owned and still inhabited by local royals. You enter into a large earthen courtyard with a once-grand facade, then through into two smaller courtyards behind, off which are the various rooms and facilities. Each bedroom is different in shape, size, character, floor and outlook, up and down narrow, steep, winding stone staircases (you’re pretty much guaranteed to bump your head on a stone lintel at some point during your visit). The rooms are simply furnished but comfortable, the bathrooms equally so. The electrics are ancient and confusing but manage to support ceiling fans, aircon and hot water boilers for the showers. Depending on the room, you might find a chair and tables or a swinging chair or a sitting room outside it. Off the right hand courtyard and upstairs are a seating area, indoor sitting room, small swimming pool and large dining room, and two floors further up are rough-and-ready terraces with fabulous views of the countryside and hills all around, and where you can watch the sunset. Dinner was a set meal of three courses, with several dishes of vegetables, chicken, potatoes and bread, all absolutely delicious. Breakfast was a simple meal of eggs, toast and local flatbreads. The small staff looked after us very well, with smiles and good service at all times. Overall, it’s a wonder this place survives, both physically and commercially — it’s way off the beaten track (if you’re visiting the Ranakpur Temple, it’s about 20-30 minutes drive along very poorly maintained roads), needs millions spent on it to ensure it survives into the 22nd century — but it oozes charm and old-worldliness. At the same time, beware, one of our party got a serious electric shock from his shower electrics. This place is not without its dangers, including the electrics, steep, uneven stone stairs, low beams and slippery marble floors. It’s in no way suitable for anyone who is disabled nor less than fleet of foot. …
Let’s start by saying that this hotel was an “upgrade” in our India tour. Unfortunately it would qualify more as a total downgrade compared to the wonderful places we had stayed previously. The place looks like a total wreck the minute you enter the gate. The manager was unfriendly and rude when welcoming us. Our room was ok (actually the bed was the only good thing about this place!) but would need some serious cleaning and had no hot water despite turning on the water heater. The staff clothes and hands are dirty. The dishes is not clean. The dining room is dusty and dirty and we crossed our fingers we would be fine the day following our diner (which was included in our stay but charged for when checking out). Thank god it was only for one night. I’m sure it was quite nice some time ago but lack of maintenance and proper management now clearly shows. Avoid. …
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