Club Mahindra’s Fort Kumbhalgarh is a Royal Retreat set amidst rural and
rustic surroundings in the Mewar region of Rajasthan. Its architecture
and setting in the Aravalli hills gives you the feeling of living like
the warrior kings of the region lived decades ago. At the same time it
is not at all like the desert region that Rajasthan is famous for, and
there is a lot of greenery all around, and being at an elevation in the
hills the climate is quite pleasant, even in summer.
We arrived
at Falna by the Mysore-Ajmer Express and got a cab to Kumbhalgarh
easily. The driver gives you the option of visiting the famous Jain
temples at Ranakpur on the way. We arrived at our resort in a little
over 2 hours and immediately checked into our Studio Apartment. It was
very tastefully furnished and had a dry kitchenette with microwave,
toaster, fridge and kettle. There is a little sit out surrounded by a
hedge and beautiful flowering bushes all around, where you can sip your
morning and evening cup of tea.
There is a grocery store where
you get your basic requirements for breakfast like bread, butter,
cheese, milk and noodles. The restaurant serves excellent buffet as well
as a la carte and you have the option of dining at the restaurant or
out in the open-air Gazebo, which has a barbeque. Food is priced a bit
on the high side. There is a lone street-food stall located just outside
the gates, where you can order parathas, dal and subji, if you don’t
mind compromising on quality and hygiene.
There is a nice clean
swimming pool with aqua-zorbing facility. It gets quite crowded here in
the evenings since it’s not very big. There is also a spa and beauty
salon. There are activities for kids in the Fun Zone, and there’s also
an artisan available to teach you the basics of pottery. Cultural shows
are arranged in the evening where local artistes perform live.
The
main attraction in Kumbhalgarh is the Fort which is the second largest
after Chittaurgarh. It is famous for its long wall and its majesty,
towering above the plains of Mewar and Marwar. There is a sound and
light show conducted every evening, depicting its history and that of
its Maharajas. Other attractions include the Ranakpur Jain temples, an
hour’s drive away and the Parshuram Mahadeo cave temple, which can only
be approached by a 1.5 km trek through the woods. The Travel Desk at the
resort can make arrangements for these trips, as well as day trips to
Udaipur, Nathdwara and Kankroli.
After enjoying 2 days in our
Studio Apartment we shifted to a Tent (Hotel Unit) as we wanted to
savour this experience too. We were lucky to get one located right at
the edge of the property with a fabulous view of the hills all around.
The sit-out had a deck chair where we could relax and watch the world go
by. It was truly an out-of-this-world experience. Inside the tent was
well furnished and air-conditioned, and even had a rocking chair.
However being a Hotel Unit it did not have a kitchenette. We enjoyed the
food at the restaurant, and had their ‘Pizza Rusticana Gardenia’ at the
Gazebo.
We returned to Pune via Udaipur and Mumbai, after doing
some sight-seeing in Udaipur and catching the 9.30 pm Super-fast train
to Bandra Terminus from Udaipur.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
