The haveli-style opulence will have you wondering, but the hospitality at Radisson Jodhpur in the Blue city will have you convinced that you are of blue blood.

Normally, I am a budget traveler. No fancy hotels for me. But this was December 2020, the post-Covid-19 era. Citing the extra hygiene considerations, my husband urged me to pick Radisson Jodhpur for my 2-day trip. And I was indeed quite grateful for his prompt.

Located less than 3 kilometres from the Jodhpur airport, it took just ten minutes to get to the hotel. I was still being impressed by the grandeur of the red sandstone façade of the hotel while the courteous staff handled my luggage and helped me check in. Once I filled out the Covid-safety declaration forms, they showed me to my room.

The room

I had booked a ‘Superior room’- a typical room for two with a soft king-sized bed, two plush chairs and a coffee table to sip your coffee at. I had no time for the TV as all I needed was the kettle with tea and coffee sachets.

It is a standard business hotel, so don’t expect bathtubs in the bathroom. A quick shower later, I settled down with some tea to prepare for my work the next day. Room service was available but when the tummy signaled, I chose to walk down to their restaurant, Ekatra.

The restaurant

Ekatra is the in-house vegetarian restaurant has a diverse menu, serving continental as well regional dishes. As I wanted to try the regional fare, Chandan, the staff serving me that evening, recommended ‘kaju ker daag’ with lachcha paratha. I reserved the next evening to try ‘dal baati churma’. Every meal was delicious and I still remember relishing the flaky, yet soft, parathas. I don’t know if it was because I thanked Chandan profusely for his recommendation but I was instantly rewarded with a beautiful and delectable rabri ghevar on the house. (For a more detailed description of all the mouth-watering food I had in Jodhpur, check out this post- Jodhpur’s Mirchi Badass and Sweet Kachoris)

The ambience

While waiting for the food, I noticed the swimming pool by my window. Of course, with Covid-19 around, it’s been reduced to a pretty sight as swimming isn’t allowed. But it prompted me to take a walk around the halls after dinner to soak in the beauty of the building.

This isn’t a heritage hotel but the architecture makes you feel like you’re in a real palace. With a good camera (or photographer friend), you should be able to get some really good clicks out here.

The chequered tiles, the central courtyard, and numerous jharokhas or overhanging balconies, all add to the haveli-style elegance of the common areas.

In the morning, I opened my curtains to find my royal grounds. This added a smile to my mornings but the real breathtaking view was elsewhere.

The Terrace View

On the evening before my departure, I learnt that Chandan from Ekatra was a native of Nainital. I told him about how I roamed Nainital on a similar trip (remember Girl at large in Kumaon?) and was asking him for recommendations for my future trip to Corbett. That is when he told me not to leave without checking out the terrace of Radisson Jodhpur.

Having a few moments to spare, he rode the elevator with me explaining about how the rooftop Sun City bar was not operational due to Covid-19 guidelines. We stepped out and into this grand view of the Mehrangarh fort, lit by a thousand lights, gleaming in the distance from across the city. The photograph does no justice to the view.

I went back up in the morning to take a look around again before actually heading over to the fort. That’s when I noticed this beautiful stage area where they would occasionally host classical music programmes for the guests. That’s also when I remembered the Amazon Prime series ‘Bandish Bandits’ was set in Jodhpur.

Anyway, I thanked Chandan again for the unforgettable view of the fort, and headed off to actually visit the fort. I returned three hours later just in time to check out and catch my flight back home.

Conclusion

It is not cheap, a night’s stay here costs around Rs. 8000/-. And I was lucky to get a discount of 50% at the time. But barring that, whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, I highly recommend the stay here.