It’s a heritage property which was used by Maharaja of Rewa as a hunting lodge. We reached Bandhavgarh late at night from Katni & this was the first hotel we checked out, after checking some more we decided to stay here. Reasons being first it was reasonably priced @ Rs. 1500 for an AC room (i.e. after a lot of bargaining since we were staying for four nights). T
he room was very large with King size Bed (We were three of us - me, wife & my 8 year old niece – It was very much comfortable for three of us), nice interiors & large bathroom. Also while showing the room the manager took us to the room Maharaja stays in whenever he comes to Bandhavgarh, may be that was the clinching point for selecting the place since we chose the same room to stay since it was also the best room in the property. Also the hotel is close to the entry gate. The property is big with lots of different trees & flowers being planted & Monkeys are commonly sighted in the premises.
Mornings & Evenings were spent in Jungles in search of Tigers & other wildlife. So mainly we used the room for sleeping purpose. Since we had to get up at around 5.00 AM in the morning for our safari, after returning we used to take breakfast & then have bath & go to sleep only to wake up in time to leave for evening safari. The room does not have T.V. which was in a way good as in any case we did not have time to see the same. We preferred to take our breakfast & dinner in our room since the restaurant did not have AC & in summers (we went in May) you cannot live without an AC in Bandhavgarh unless you are in the jungle checking out the wildlife. Since we are Jains menu for dinner was limited hence after 2 days we took our dinner at MP tourism’s White Tiger Forest Lodge. There were very few rooms occupied at the hotel for the duration we were there. It also offers Air cooled (small rooms) at a cheaper rate.
Jungle safaris are arranged by the hotel manager & you have to pay for the same at the time of your check out. Every time the driver was ready with his jeep before we came out of the room. The driver Babubhai was very knowledgeable & knew all in & outs of the park. We had some good tiger sightings & we saw different birds as well. There is a museum on royal hunting inside the premises of the hotel & you can ask the manager to open it whenever you wish to see it & no entry charge is taken from the guest staying at the hotel. There is a stuffed white tiger worth seeing in the museum. There are some slides & swings in the premises where children can play.
An excellent place to stay while in Bandhavgarh.
*Best Experience: **Room service was good & everyday on request they used to give us chilled water bottles to take on safaris, even at 5 ‘o clock in the morning. Staff was extremely friendly & the safari driver was extremely knowledgeable about wildlife in the park. Room was very large and gave you the feeling that you are staying like a Maharaja.
*Worst Experience:** Menu was limited & they need to improve on this. One day during breakfast they said that they do not have milk, which is not good, although after some time they arranged the same. There is power cut from 9.00 to 11.00 AM daily (this is the time we need an AC to run at full blast since you are returning from morning safari) & there is no backup generator. These needs to be taken care of.