Kings Retreat Jodhpur

Great location, nice old building and owner very caring for customers. On the downside, a bit noisy during nights (not in excess) steep staircase and no fridge in the rooms.

Very convenient location and walking distance from the city centre, clean and spacious rooms with a rustic charm, a cozy rooftop restaurant with great food, giving the best view of the Mehrangarh Fort & a very friendly and warm staff, specially Mr. Ravinder and Mr. Raju who provided us with personalised services.

King's Retreat is a nice little small hotel in the heart of the old city. This is old city so be be forewarned that cabs don't go till the hotel, autos is the only way to get right upto the hotel. The room and bathroom were quite clean. There is no heater though. The breakfast (poha, aalu paratha) was simple yet warm and tasty. The fort entrance is a 10 to 15-minute walk from the hotel (although it's a steep incline so this route is not advisable for the unfit or the aged), so you won't need a vehicle to get to the fort from this hotel. The owner Daanish also conducts a guided heritage walk through the 'Blue City' which is also enjoyable.

We did early check in as we informed the hotel person a month in advance but when we arrived in early morning,the person was so lazy that he did not changed bed sheets , towels or cleaned up the room. After regular check in time, he shifted us to other room which was decent but tea kettle and electric points were not working. Also electricity was the problem. Food was also ok. The restaurant positive point is its location. You can see mehrangarh fort right from its terrace. But you can find many similar hotels nearby with even good food . Also this hotel has received many awards till 2018. Seems maintenance is big concern in recent years. The live music was also not being played which was it's USP. As the people here not favour for indians wrt even food service. You will also surely not get UBER CAB here as cars are not allowed inside. We have to take autos only to travel.

You never quite know what you may be getting when you stay at a small, locally owned hotel. Sure, you can read reviews and look at pictures, but you never *really* know until you get there. I’ll get into the hotel itself in a moment, but the main benefit this place has going for it are its owners. They are kind and chatty, and aren’t just concerned about you having a good stay at their hotel, but a good stay in their city. They’re more than happy to sit and talk about where you should go, and are very interested in helping you understand the culture of the place you’re in. One of the owners said he’d come and sit with me at the restaurant on the roof while I ate, and he did. He even offered to go walking around one of the neighborhoods with me. I cannot emphasize how important this is. When you’re in a place like India for the first time, it’s absolutely vital that you have helpful people to lean on a bit. I don’t mean that in an “India is dangerous” kind of way, but in an “India can be completely confusing and difficult to comprehend” way. I would regularly come back with questions about things I saw while wandering, and not only were the owners willing to answer them, but they seemed genuinely excited by the opportunity to help me understand the culture of their city and their country. As for the hotel itself, it’s clean and comfortable. One thing you have to understand is that this is an old building, in the old part of the city — and those are GOOD things. Yes, there are more “western” style hotels in newer buildings in Jodhpur. There’s even one that’s under the Marriott umbrella. But if you want to stay at a Marriott, you can do that at home. And more importantly, those hotels are not in the old city, and that’s where you’re going to be spending your time. The Kings Retreat is right in the midst of it, and it was helpful to just be able to spend 15 minutes walking back to the room to take a shower or rest for a bit. As I said, this is an old building. It’s what’s called a “haveli” — typically an old mansion with a central courtyard you’ll find in many cities in India. So yes, there are some quirks like old doors or having to turn on a water heater and wait a few minutes before you take a shower. To me, this is all part of the experience. And the owners have done a great job with modernizing the building. I’m sure there’s a lot of regulations when it comes to making changes to a historic property, and I was a bit concerned at first when I walked into the room and found it hot — but let me tell you, that air conditioner is ice cold and blows like a tornado if you want it to. Yes, you’ll probably have to switch into a tuk-tuk with your luggage when you get close to the building, as the streets are quite narrow. I promise you, this is totally fine and normal. And yes, there’s no elevator, since this is an old building. But I was upstairs and it made no difference. There’s a guy there who’s very used to carrying bags up the steps.

The Kings Retreat is your quintessential Jodphur old city hotel. We wanted a real experience within the old city and the Kings Retreat delivered. The owner and his staff are always keen to assist. The rooms are charming and clean. The restaurant has a wide range of food types. The view of the fort from the top floor is amazing.