The Dhola Maru Suite @ Chokhi Dhani Ethnic Resort, Jaipur
With an opportunity for a 1-night stay trip and rains all around, we decided to dash to a city we love, Jaipur! Exploring was not on the cards so we narrowed down on staying at Chokhi Dhani Ethnic Resort. I had been there ~9 years ago and have some good memories of the place.
Terracotta based deco
Beautiful door of one of the premium suite
Since I have been to the Chokhi Dhani Village Fair a couple of times before, it did not hold much attraction this time around. For those who are yet to visit this village fair, its open to the public from 5 pm – 11 pm. One can experience the Rajasthani culture, cuisine, performing arts and handicrafts in a village like set up and in the end enjoy a good traditional thali served with immense love.
Inside Chokhi Dhani Ethnic Resort in Jaipur
Our drive was strewn with drizzle and rain here and there. I was just keeping my fingers crossed that it was not so in Jaipur because I did not intend to stay in the room. Well, it was drizzling at our destination city 😦 My mind started working for an alternative plan if the Rain God continued his work.
Entrance of the resort
Kids’ Area (near the entrance)
Ganeshji’s temple near entrance
We reached the resort and after check-in were escorted to our cottage. Miraculously the rain stopped and sun peeped on and off thereafter…….. ❤
Reception, huge with lovely interior
Temple in the reception area
Various cottages, havelis, suites
The room was just as I had imagined and fit the bill of a relaxed stay. Super cute from outside and absolute cool inside. It had all the modern amenities and was its interior was definitely pleasing to the eye.
Our pretty cottage (outside view)
Our Cottage (inside view)
We ordered a plate of Nizami biryani (which cost a whopping 1100/-) for lunch and I busied myself in exploring the resort thereafter.
The designated staff were busy making the path within the resort dry and clean after every spell of rain. It was warm being greeted राम राम सा (Ram Ram Sa) by smiling helps and staff alike.
View from Chokhi Dhani Ethnic Resort
The resort is designed well with colorful, ethnic decor and look. There are dining options within the resort besides the ones in the village fair. I took a leisurely walk around, remembering my previous visit in between.
Decor – colorful and traditional
There are plenty of pretty sitting areas where one can spend time
The sunset and we slowly got ready for the village fair. We were not exactly keen about it since we have been there many a times. To top it the drizzle came as a spoiler for the entire time we were there.
Clock Tower
The ground was all muddy, slimy and dimly lit. It was an ordeal moving around. Now, as per the staff there is no concrete path or bright light to give it a village look. Though if you ask me a bit of development in the village will not hurt!
We had some pani puri , bajre ki roti aur lahsun ki chutney (pearl millet chapatti with garlic cold sauce), enjoyed some folk dance/music and headed to a new section called Kalagram. This section houses shops that sell handicrafts of Rajasthan and few other states of India. One can pick up souvenirs as well as shop for ethnic items here.
Kalagram section in the Village Fair
View from inside the resort
Swimming Pool
Since the rain continued, we decided have our dinner and get back to the comforts of our room. The resort guests’ have a separate dining area, Jeeman Khas, in the village fair. This is besides two other dining options open to everyone with one of them needing a reservation . One might need to wait for their turn but its definitely much lesser in comparison to the wait time in others.
Colorful and vibrant “Chandi Bar”
For us, the dining experience was a spoiler. While the food and dining room staff were fine, the infrastructural support, ambience and most importantly the communication needs attention. The last time we went, the dining was in an in-house restaurant Bindola with live ghazal. But this time around it simply let us down.
View from one of the resort restaurants
One of the restaurant of Chokhi Dhani Ethnic Resort
One of the eating areas inside the resort
Once through dinner, we went to meet the Manager-On-Duty and shared our feedback, hoping that some sense prevails and things improve. From our conversation we discovered that we could have opted for any of the restaurants (at the resort and fair) with pricing variation. This bit the sales team did not communicate, the check in team followed suit and so did the team who sanctioned the coupons. They could have saved this poor feedback and our experience would have been perfect like last time, had their communication been complete. If you want to keep your stay experience good through out please opt from restaurants within the resort or the Royal Fine Dining in the fair.
Aarogosa (outside view)
Breakfast buffet spread at Aarogosa
We had a sound sleep with pitter-patter music of the rain. I woke up early to catch the sunrise but it was still raining. For a change I slept beyond my usual time and woke up close to start of breakfast. The breakfast is a wonderful buffet spread at their ‘Aarogosa‘ restaurant. This time they did not fail to impress. I had a hearty breakfast and was all set for the return journey ……… this time we left Choki Dhani Resort with a mixed experience.
All fresh from a spell of drizzle
You may like to read bout my other Stay Experience
Neemrana’s Tijara Fort Palace, where art meets history!
24-Hours of Grandeur @ Neemrana Fort -Palace!
Tryst with Sunset & Sunrise @ Jhalawar
Stay @Bundi Haveli –Traditional yet contemporary
Alleppey Backwaters: The Kettuvallam Sojourn
At Home @ Hotel Jaswant Bhawan, Bikaner
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HAPPY TRAVELLING!
Monika Ohson / TravelerInMe
