The city of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan doesn’t need any introduction. It is famous for many things. And amongst these the top ranking are – the Thar Desert where one finds fine sand dunes just 50km from the main city and the Jaisalmer Fort. Also, the Jaisalmer Fort is one of the select few in India where still more than 4000 people live. And the best part is, guests can also stay right inside the fort. Since there are many homestays, guesthouses and hotels inside the fort campus. So, if you are looking for a royal experience in Rajasthan, we would highly recommend staying inside the Jaisalmer fort. We, on our trip to Jaisamer, Rajasthan in year end 2017 had a chance to enjoy the hospitality of Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer. As, it is located right inside the fort campus. Thanks to Ambuj Saxena of bnbnation for introducing us to the hotel, we had a very nice time here.
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Our past accommodation experience
Hotels like Hotel Raj Mandir assert our belief that top notch hospitality need not translate to luxury pricing and a lot of spending on the customer’s part. Also, we had similar great experience staying in low budget hotels and excellent homestays across the country. Some of these being Little Chilli Shimla, Hotel Snow Peak Retreat in Manali on our Shimla & Manali trip. Jaswant Niwas Homestay on this same trip wherein we stayed for 2 days in Jodhpur. Casa Coorg in Coorg, Peepal Tree Kabini, The Courtyard Homestay in Chikmagaluru, Norwood Greens & the Lodge at Wah in Palampur, Sagar Resort in Ooty, Gorukana in B R hills and Ram Pratap Palace Udaipur.
While we were invited to stay in some of these, we booked the others, mostly from platforms like booking.com & agoda.com.
Although we have been to several other forts and palaces in Rajasthan in the past including Amer Fort, Nahargarh Fort and Jaigarh Fort during our 3 days trip to Jaipur. Also the massive Chittorgarh fort and Kumbhalgarh Fort while spending 4 days in Udaipur. But, this was the first time we were getting a chance to stay right inside the premises of a fort, so, there was no doubt grabbing this chance.
About the Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer is located right inside the Jaisalmer fort. It is a budget hotel with a very nice hospitality. It can be booked through various platforms and hotel booking apps. here’s the one at agoda.com. Although you will find some narrow lanes inside the fort. And small houses, shops etc. all around. Yet, you get some clear advantages of staying right inside the fort. Let me count a few such advantages for you, which we got staying in hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer. Also, the hotel can be booked very easily either directly or through third party links and apps like cheap hotels app.
View of the city from Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
First of all, the hotel terrace provides as good a view of the city of Jaisalmer as one gets from the Jaisalmer fort. You can sit on the terrace and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and have an uninterrupted view of the city of Jaisalmer. Minus all the crowd that you will find inside the Jaisalmer fort itself. We spend morning and evening on this terrace, capturing beautiful sunrise and sunset. And the views of the Golden City Jaisalmer from the terrace are definitely something to boast about. Since, you get an uninterrupted view not just of the city, but beyond.
Numerous Eateries around the Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer is surrounded by numerous eateries, including both cafes and restaurants. Again, many of them have rooftop sitting with beautiful views around. And the views magnify further at night as the beautiful glass blubs in different shapes, sizes and colors start twinkling at night. The food options are also unlimited including Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Italian and other cuisines from around the world to suite everyone’s need. We ate twice at hotel Surya just besides Hotel Raj Mandir. And also twice at Jaisal Italy, a multicuisine restaurant with beautiful rooftop sitting, right inside the gates of the Jaisalmer fort.
Besides there are numerous other hotels and restaurants to try out. When you visit these restaurants, expect homely food in a beautiful ambiance. Nothing is cooked beforehand at these restaurants. So, when you order, the food will be freshly prepared and served right away for you.
Great accessibility of the fort from Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
Although, it need not be mentioned separately, the accessibility of the fort areas is much better given the location of Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer. One also gets the advantage of “unofficial” magic hours to visit the fort just like Disneyland Paris Resort guests. What I mean is that, the fort opens at 8:00am and guests start pouring in by 10:00am. And it gets super crowded thereafter. But since we were staying in Hotel Raj Mandir, we could venture out as early as 7:45am and explore some areas of the fort while there was hardly any crowd there. Thus, enriching our overall experience, even when we were visiting in the peak tourist season.
Rooms at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
There are five rooms at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer. The rooms at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer are basic. They are not very large. But they are neat and clean. If the windows are opened, they get really airy. Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer have double rooms as well as one family suite which comprises of two rooms and a small corridor between the two. Both rooms have attached bathrooms. We stayed in the family suite since we were traveling with our family this time. The rooms are small, but will be really cozy for a family of four. The bathroom is also neat and clean but could do better with little ventilation. They have continuous supply of hot and cold water running all the time, which, I would call a luxury in the city of Jaisalmer. Since, it is located on a desert base.
Food at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
The hotel has a small kitchen at the terrace. In the morning, the kitchen opens at 7:00am. Thereafter they start preparation for breakfast. But it is not the usual buffet breakfast that you will encounter at most of the other hotels. Rather, they have a small menu, but guests can make the selection of the items and tell the quantity they want. Thereafter, the cooks prepare the breakfast right away and serve freshly made hot food. Apart from that, tea, coffee and other such things can be ordered all through the day either in the room or one can go and have at the terrace itself. As mentioned, the views from the terrace are amazing. Particularly in the morning and later in the evening when cold weather sets in.
Hospitality at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
We found the cook and the staff really homely. They interact with you like family and take care of your small needs. We felt it at several occasions. Right from the time we set foot in Jaisalmer and gave them a call to find out their exact location. Since, we had reached at a time when autos or any other four-wheeler were not allowed inside the fort area, we had to walk from the main gate of the fort till the hotel. Sureshji, the host was generous enough to come and receive us at the fort entrance and gave a helping hand with our luggage as well.
So, basically, they give a helping hand to the guests and leave no stone unturned to make sure they reach the hotel without any hassle. Next, if you have a kid like ours, then you will get hot milk from the kitchen for them. Or, you feel like preparing your own oats, they will give you a utensil and hot water. If you don’t prefer having sugar in your tea or you want to add it separately, they will give you sugar separately. The staff will meet and greet you with such jolly spirits that they are bound to uplift yours as well.
Other facilities at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer
The hotel itself doesn’t have a dedicated travel agent. But it being in the center of the Jaisalmer fort, there are numerous other businesses around which arrange for all kind of travel and tour operations like desert safari, desert camp bookings, providing taxis for sightseeing etc. The host is generous enough to help you get a deal for anything you need. Besides, general stores, medicine shops, packaged drinking water shops and everything else is at a stone’s throw away. So, you will not feel like there is anything missing. The adjacent buildings also have hotels and guesthouses running and some families which run the business as well reside right there. So, the area is quite lively till late at night and has a very homely feel to it.
In Conclusion
Overall, we had a very nice time at Hotel Raj Mandir Jaisalmer. It is a very good budget option to book in Jaisalmer. If we look at the location of the hotel, it’s hospitality, the homely atmosphere and the surrounding facilities, overall, it makes for a great package at the price it offers for the rooms. Jaisalmer gets super crowded in the touristy months of November to February. So, if you plan to book this hotel, we will advise you to book in advance. While we were there towards the end of December, all the rooms were fully booked.
PS: Though we were invited by Hotel Raj Mandir to stay over with them at Jaisalmer, the views and opinions expressed here are solely our own and completely based out of our own experience during our stay here.
PS: Some of our links are affiliated, this means we will earn a commission when you buy a service or product by clicking those links. However, this will have no extra cost for you.
Such authentic Rajasthani vibes here! Love the way the doors are done up and the ambience looks so inviting! 🙂 I love Rajasthan and of course Jaiselmer the Golden city! 🙂 Such bursts of colours are a treat to the eyes. Reminded me of my time there. The patwo ki Haveli and Gadisar lake were my favourites <3
So rightly put Divyakshi. Even I am totally blown by the splash of colors that I see all over Rajasthan. Gadisar Lake was particularly beautiful during the evening.
Hotel Raj Mandir really offers premier location, superb service and clean rooms. Great accommodation when visiting Jaisalmer! 🙂
Indeed!
I have always been a fan of your blog before I travelled to India last year and now I feel a real sense of connection with it. We visited Rajasthan and Amer Fort in August. Looks like a great hotel to stay to explore all of the sites of Rajasthan! I am intrigued that there are still over 4000 people that live at the Jaisalmer Fort! Wow.
I am so happy to learn that. How was your trip? Rajasthan is a big state. I would love to know which parts of Rajasthan you got to cover during your trip to India. And yes 4000 people within a fort does sound like a number, but the fort is so huge that you won’t really feel any crowd around 😀
Hotel Raj Mandir is a perfect royal staying option. I loved the open-air roof top eateries. Under the sun or stars, food must be so delicious and authentic at these places. I loved the colors of curtains, so bright and a colorful contrast to sand colored walls. Lovely place.
Thanks Yukti. Jaisalmer is a lovely destination and so are it’s people and thus the hotels and restaurants. Absolutely warm and welcoming.
I had almost planned a visit to Jaiselmer for the desert festival but had to cancel due to lack of time. This property looks amazing. I like the views from the hotel. I like to explore places in night. Happy to hear that it is located in a lively place.
If you like to venture out at night, the Jaisalmer fort will not disappoint you at all. The streets get lonely but most of the restaurants are operational till late at night. And you can get the views of the city for hours sitting by the window “jharokha” or terrace
Staying inside the fort – That sounds so awesome! We once had a chance to stay inside a fort hotel in Medak, Telangana. But that wasn’t as grand as this. The view from Raj Mandir is beautiful. I would love to have a meal seating on the cushions with the low level table. Thanks for such an honest review. I would love to stay with Raj Mandir while on visit to Jaisalmer.
Sure. This is also an economy hotel. But the atmosphere around, the access to the fort, the views around and the hospitality, everything put together makes it a great place to stay.
the seating at that eatery, roof top? It looks amazing I would love to have some chill time there 🙂
Yes. Most of the restaurants here have roof top arrangements. And one must not miss having some dinners sitting on one of the floor cushions with the low height tables and beautiful lighting and views around
Great that I came across this post. The hotel raj Mandir looks perfect for my type. Your review will be useful while planning for Jaisalmer.
Thanks Varsha
I can see why this is a royal experience because I fell in love with this place at first sight. The views are absolutely stunning and you can sit on a beautiful roof with seats, and look at incredible architecture. Not only that you can hang around the sand dunes just 50 km away? It looks like amazing vacation retreat!
It is that amazing vacation retreat Gina. And to everything that you said, add the warmth and hospitality of the people here.
For me, I actually needed the introduction to Jaisalmer, which shows me once again that I need to go to India urgently… (off topic: I have four days off over Chinese New Year – what world you recommend for a first-time visitor to do in four days in India?)
Jaisalmer Fort looks massive – it must have been an extraordinary experience to stay in that place! I like unusual types of accommodation – in Canada we once stayed in a former jail. Nice benefit that you get ahead of the crowds, but I was wondering how much one night is at the fort hotel?
The hotel is really economical Dennis So no worries there. It comes to somewhere around INR 2000-3000 per night. And 4 days are very short to visit India. There is so much to explore. But if you could tell me what time of the year you plan to visit so I can tell you about an appropriate destination accordingly
I also look forward to your posts, something new, interesting and informative. I also like that you make traveling look easy by offering cheap yet wonderful accommodation inspirations. Hotel Raj Mandir looks like a place I’ll like to stay and immerse in the wonderful views of Jaislamer. You also got me at that part when you mentioned the hotel is close to many eateries. I mean, who would want to miss the opportunity to try many Indian dishes? Not me obviously.
Thanks Lydia. I guess most of the travelers are like us. On a budget and making the most of it. So, we try to bring out the best possible options for them 🙂 Really glad to know you liked it so much
There are accommodations inside this fort? Wow that’s interesting. I think it makes the experience of visiting all the more interesting. Just by reading your post, I’m convinced to go there, it’s kinda like a small city. It’s good to know that the staff is accommodating. It’s one of the things I remember the most whenever I stay somewhere. I love it when the staff are warm and go above and beyond.
Totally agree with you that when the staff are warm and welcoming it takes the stay experience to a next level. And yes, you can very much stay inside the fort that also on a very reasonable rate. So, it’s something one must experience
Wow. Such a stunning and beautiful place to visit. I loved the view and the fort campus. Such a great place to chill with friends!
Thanks
Beautiful! I liked the hotel’s outdoor roof top sitting. In winter to stay there when the sun warms you, and you are drinking tea, it would feel so nice. I did not know that Jaisalmer is called Golden city. There is some sense of unity in having most houses look the same on the outside. Not sure what Asian Paints and berger paints think of this city in a market.
ha ha.. they will have different colors on the inside for sure. Actually, we visited some homely restaurants where each room was painted in a different color. So the businesses like Asian Paints don’t really need to worry. And yes, sitting in the sun, particularly towards the morning and sipping our tea was really an amazing experience
This is gorgeous! I can’t imagine getting to stay in a fort. Such a bucket list item. The view over the city is so gorgeous. Sounds like a great find, thanks for the review 🙂
Thanks Grace. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime.
What a great stay you had in Hotel Raj Mandir! The views on the rooftop were magnificent.
Seems everything is great in this hotel…staff, hospitality, location and even the architecture.
totally Louiela!
Staying inside the forts huh? That’s a wonderful suggestion!
Jaisalmer is a place we absolutely love. In fact we think that Jaisalmer is even more charming than Jaipur or Jodhpur. The Jaisalmer fort of course is the crowning glory of the place. Staying in the fort itself must have been a unique experience. The hotel would have enabled you to stroll easily inside the fort and have an immersive experience of the place.
Definitely Sandy N Vyjay. even we liked the laid back lifestyle and the small city a lot. And although the fort timings are strict due to staying inside, we get the chance of getting inside the fort as soon as the doors open
I go two times a year with groups to Jaisalmer and we always stay inside the fort, we never sleep in Rajmandir hotel but usually we go there to have a meal or a tea, I really love this place and city 🙂
Wow..great to know that!
I love the mud bricks and the contrast against the colorful patterns of textile of this. I have never been to India, but I’ve always been fascinated by their old culture. I’d love to have a day to just stroll and immerse myself in these views.
Definitely Sam. The people here are so warm, you will definitely have a lovely time.