Weekend Getaways From Delhi/NCR: A Weekend At The Neemrana Fort Palace

Neemrana Fort Palace, a popular weekend destination from Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), offers, as we discovered, much more than the quintessential ‘royal’ experience. Thinking to spend just the weekend, we booked ourselves for a night’s stay at the fort. And I carried a book with me, telling myself that, even as the husband and the daughter will beat the summer sun in the pool, I will sink into my book at the deck. Turned out, there was so much more to do that 24 hours fell short!

Exploring the sprawling Neemrana fort was, of course, first on the agenda. We did that in parts — couple of wings immediately after checking in, then a couple more before sunset, and finally, the remaining the next morning before checking out at noon. A 15^th-century fort from the Chauhan dynasty, Neemrana Fort Palace has its tales to tell. Through the years, through many invasions, and many changes in the throne, even as the palace gathered layers of history, it fell to disrepair and ruin. It was only in the late 1980s that it underwent massive restoration, and started functioning as a hotel. Over the years, they have added more wings and rooms to the property, keeping intact its original architecture. Which is why, it takes quite a few hours to explore its jharokhas, terraces, gardens, and an amphitheatre too. Then there is the beautiful pool too that looks out into the western horizon, making it a perfect place to see the sun go down for the day. We chose one of the jharokhas though in the far east wing of the fort palace.

A kilometre’s walk from the palace is the Neemrana Baoli (Stepwell). Winding through a dusty path, through the palace’s kitchen garden, hop into the village street and in another three-four hundred meters, the baoli is right there. We had trekked down immediately after waking up the next morning, before our bath. And good we did that. For, the baoli is in crying need for repair and maintenance. Quite huge and in many layers, it was truly disappointing to find it so dirty and badly kept. Strongly felt that the authorities of the Neemrana Fort should adopt it and give it a makeover to restore its former glory.

: Way to the Neemrana Baoli

: Way to the Neemrana Baoli

: Way to the Neemrana Baoli

: Neemrana Baoli

: Neemrana Baoli

: Neemrana Baoli

The other do-not-miss when at the Neemrana Fort Palace is their zip-line experience. A 45-min trek to the top of the hill takes you to the zip-line start point. It has five lines, with the last line getting you back to the Fort. They start at 9am in the morning….catch the group just after breakfast, and you will be back by 11am.

Info to better plan your trip to the Neemrana Fort Palace:

It takes about 2 hours to reach Neemrana from Gurgaon, two and a half from Delhi…that’s, if you stop over for breakfast.
We had started around 10am, just so that we could have lunch at Kuuraku, the Japanese restaurant, in the Japanese township in Neemrana. Stop there if you like Japanese rice bowls and ramen dishes. Don’t be disappointed by their small range of Sushi options.
The rooms are extremely well appointed with vintage furniture and vibrant Rajasthani upholstery. The thick stone walls, small windows giving a peek of the village plains, spiked doors give an awesome feel of adventure…you keep telling yourself that you are sleeping inside a 15th century fort! Our suite, Mata Mahal, is large with one double bed and two single beds, thus perfect for a family of four. I loved its terrace….unwind there with a book and a view of the village down there…

The evening’s cultural program is a must-watch. Held at the open amphitheatre, it is a beautiful experience under the star-lit sky. Imagine our happiness when we discovered it was a full moon night too!

They serve dinner at the big lawn overlooking the amphitheatre and pool, and the Neemrana village. You tend to have a slow dinner owing to the fantastic setting.