Singhvi’s Haveli

Hotel review

Buried in a maze of backstreets, this 560-year-old haveli gives you an authentic flavour of life in the Blue City. Just getting here is an adventure – prepare to be whisked down terrifyingly narrow streets in a rickshaw, dodging cows, motorbikes and people.

In 1778, the Maharaja of Jodhpur Shri Maan Singhji gave the house to his commander-in-chief, Shri Akheraj Sa Singhvi. Twelve years ago, Singhvi’s great-grandsons, Darpan and Arpan, transformed it into a guesthouse, retaining its original features. The 11 guest rooms differ dramatically in size and décor, ranging from small and minimalist (Standard) to palatial and ornate (Suite). Delicate latticework, old photographs and eclectic antiques (ancient chests, teapots and brass artefacts) add to the character.

Similarly, the sitting room feels unchanged, with its stone floors, coloured-glass lamps and an old-fashioned swing dangling from a beam. The quirky restaurant has floor seating around long tables, murals of royal battles and vibrant curtains fluttering in the wind. Breakfast is top-notch – the banana-and-honey pancake is sickly sweet but superb – and there’s a rooftop, where you can sip a glass of Sula as the sun sets over soaring Mehrangarh Fort and the Blue City.

Laura Griffith-Jones Review published: 31/10/2018