Hotel Chanoud Garh

personally hosted by the thakur and thakurani

Set in the small historic town of Chanoud, around 100 km south of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Hotel Chanoud Garh is a wonderfully authentic and beautifully presented property.

Although this place definitely looks like a palace, by the standards of Rajasthan it is a relatively modest building and remains very much a family owned and run operation, personally hosted by the Thakur and Thakurani, with great warmth, intimacy and delicacy.

Set around a lovely inner courtyard, the elegant public areas are filled with antique furniture and family heirlooms.

The durbar (main hall) houses an extensive collection of old weapons, animal skins, ancient texts, paintings, snuff boxes, silver figurines and other fascinating antiques. It really does not get more authentic than this.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Hotel Chanoud Garh is in just 10 suites, all contained within the original buildings, all with lounge areas and air-conditioning.

Some of the rooms have a distinctly British feel, having been built during the 1900s for foreign visitors on tiger hunting trips to the region.

Activities

Hotel Chanoud Garh provides access to a range of historic and cultural activities in the local area …

• heritage walk
• village walk
• vehicle safari

We particularly like to coincide visits with the major religious festivals in this area, since the hosts really welcome guests into the whole experience, which can spread out over days and be wonderfully involving.

It is also possible to undertake day trips into Jodhpur, if you are not also deploying nights there.

The Rajasthan region is usually explored as a private-guided overland safari, starting and ending in Delhi.

We often start these trips by flying from Delhi to either Udaipur or Jodhpur in the south, which are more rural and relaxed, before weaving a route north by road back to Delhi

In this case, Chanoud usually features in between Udaipur and Jodhpur/Jaipur.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Jodhpur area is generally considered to be during Oct-May, although there are considerable seasonal variations within that period …

October is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the cool dry season. During the month daytime temperatures usually rise to around 35C/95F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up around 20C/68F. However the rainfall usually drops away completely. Sunshine is around 10 hours per day (around 90% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Nov-Feb is the main cool dry season. During this period the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 25C/77F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 11C/52F. There should be virtually no rainfall. Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 90% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Mar-May is the hot season, the often uncomfortable build-up to the main monsoon. During this period the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 37C/99F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures are up around an uncomfortable 23C/73F. Rainfall usually remains almost negligible. Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 85% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Jun-Sep is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During this period the daytime temperatures drop off slightly to around 35C/95F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 26C/79F (made all the more uncomfortable by the increased humidities). Rainfall only climbs to around 50mm (2”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 6 hours per day (around 50% of daylight hours), meaning that skies can remain overcast.

Getting there

The Chanoud area is usually reached by road, connecting into trips as follows …

• Jaipur : 300 km to the east
• Agra : 500 km to the northeast
• Ranthambore : 350 km to the east

arguably our favourite hotel in India