Sawai Madhopur Lodge - Ihcl SeleQtions

Second time staying at this Taj Group hotel and looking forward to next visit. The hotel is only 2 miles from the entrance to Ranthambore National Park with its tigers. The hotel.... It is an old Maharajah hunting lodge from the 1930's that has been converted to a hotel. The building is lovely and the staff are fantastic. Main building has dining room (both indoor and outdoor area), bar area, terrace area and a pool table in a bar with old hunting trophies The bedrooms are in the grounds that extend over 14 acres. There is a mass of bird and bat life in the grounds, plus a swimming pool, and cycles if you do not want to walk back to your room! Food was great on both visits with the best being the breads straight out of the tandoor (help make you own if you want to join in...) The Tigers... We used Distant Frontiers in Delhi where Eapen Bene sorted everything (fourth time we have used them for India ground arrangements). Second time they have sorted jeep safaris and again we booked Subash Gautham as our guide - because he is BRILLIANT. Last time in 2018 we took 5 safaris drives (each lasts 3 hours) and we saw 7 tigers. This time in 2024 we booked 6 safaris and he found us 10 tigers a lovely hotel with a "safai" feel

Team Sawai Madhopur Lodge ………. My heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding hospitality experienced during my stay by Front Desk , Housekeeping & F&B staff ……. Your dedication to ensuring guests feel comfortable and valued did not go unnoticed.

Where do I begin. Well, before it even began ofcourse. My experience with Sawai Madhopur Lodge started a couple days before the check in, when Ashish called to check on the status of my reservation, and very patiently and knowledgeably clarified all my doubts about the stay, safari, etc, and offered a special arrangement since I had planned the trip to celebrate my wife's birthday. And then we reached the Lodge. The check in experience was breezy. The waiting lounge was supremely classy, with taxidermy strewn here and there, giving feels of a hunting lodge. Despite being the middle of the off season, the vast lawns and lush greenery were so impeccably and meticulously maintained, it was beautiful. Then the room. I'd like to call it understated elegance. It's a very unassuming place. It had the heritage feels. Nothing looked overtly fancy, but everything oozed quality. Not a single squeak in any of the wooden doors, not even in the metallic latches. Coming to the best part and probably the most important asset of the hotel - it's people. In our two day stay, we interacted with atleast 10-15 of the staff members, and the genuine deep warmth and care, that each and every person showered on us, was brilliant. Can't remember all the names, but Ashish, Ajay, Manmeet, Ramprasad, the guards, the dining room staff, the housekeeping staff, the buggy drivers, and many others, you're all gems. The little things they do, just win you over. For example, when we were leaving for our safari and the canter was about to leave, a staff member ran over and handed us water bottles to take with us, like we were little kids heading to school. When we returned back, it started raining 5 minutes before we reached, and we obviously got drenched in the open vehicle. Open umbrellas were waiting for us before the vehicle door opened. Since we were wet, we decided to just walk down to our room, enjoying the rainfall. As we reached, two staff members were already waiting for us with our room open and with towels in their hands. You can't put a value to that feeling. Coming finally to, Chef Kanwaljeet Singh. Not sure what adjectives are left for me to use here. Had the honor of interacting with him a few times, and he was such a genuinely sweet and humble person. And what an amazing operation he had running in his kitchen. We had breakfast there 2 days, and one lunch and a very special dinner. Breakfast - having been to multiple luxury hotels with wide lavish spreads, I firmly believe you might get a few great dishes, with most others ranging between good to average. Not here. We ate like buffoons, the food was so good. Probably the best breakfast croissants and pancakes I've had at any hotel. Plus awesome parathas, scrambled eggs, dosas, and local delicacies such as kadhi kachodi. Lip smacking brilliance. And then there was the special dinner they arranged for us. Wow. The beautiful setup, and once again, the food. The baos deserve a place on the menu, and the garlic