Our stay in this hotel wasn’t planned. It just happened because we decided to fly down instead of driving down from mumbai and had an extra day. Since we like ITC heritage brand booked to stay here for a night.
The route is very dusty and thru the mining areas. But once we reached we got a Royal taste of the kingdom of Sandur. For those planning to visit the Hampi temples from here it is an hours drive away and can be tiring. But for resting after the Hampi temples it is the best. The airport of Jindal is close by around 20 minutes I was told but the flights come in here from Bengaluru. The check in was efficient and they took us on a tour of the property. The place is extremely well maintained with highly polished floors, paintings and trophies intact. There is a functional temple which is opened for prayers daily by a priest. The breakfast was decent. There was a buffet dinner by the poolside the night we stayed as there was a function of Sandur residential school and a buffet party was organised for them. The rooms were extremely spacious and so was the bathroom. The wifi was patchy and even our local network didn’t work well.
It is a great place to spend with friends as there is a lot of lounging areas.

We were made to feel very special in this former royal residence. The hotel is full of mementoes from the past- a library of old books, cabinets full of ornaments, a billiard room full of stuffed trophies. The food was excellent and served either in the restaurant, the beautiful inner courtyard or outside. We were lucky enough to eat in the gardens by the stunning pool, the meal accompanied by traditional music. The trip to Hampi took 40 mins each way but the quality of the hotel more than justified the daily trips in. After the bustle and dust of the ancient city, returning to the peace and quiet of Shivavilas Palace - and especially the big bathroom- was a joy. Hampi is magical, do make sure you do the walk along the river and also visit the Hanuman Temple slightly outside Hampi. The climb of 570 steps is worth it to see the amazing 360 view of paddy fields and boulders. Breath taking in so many ways ! Top marks for this hotel and all its wonderful staff. Do not miss the opportunity of staying here.