HotelsRAAS HotelsUdaipur, India
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A restored 18th-century fort in the Aravalli Hills, roughly 20km outside Udaipur, and the thing that separates it from the city’s palace hotels is exactly that distance: no lake traffic, no crowds, just a green-marble pool and a dining room lit up at night. Guests keep ordering the molten chocolate cake on repeat and booking private dinners at the Sheesh Mahal. The restoration work is the headline here — original stonework, a genuine sense of history rather than a palace-style build done with modern techniques.
The kitchen doesn’t always clear the bar its prices set. One family’s gatta sabzi and dal batti churma disappointed, and another guest flatly called the food under par for a five-star given what it costs, with waiters pushy enough about ordering to notice. There’s also a harder edge worth knowing about: a guest with a documented medical emergency was refused any refund on a cancelled stay, and at least one walk-in couple found the front desk rigid about property access and seating. Price in the cancellation policy before you book, because it isn’t flexible.
None of that undoes what the place does well. The rooms split clearly: garden suites with higher ceilings and a private gazebo suit families, palace suites suit couples who want the grander, more enclosed spaces. Staff like Samrudh and Jamil Khan get remembered by name for a reason, and the pet-friendly policy, rose-petal arrivals and morning yoga sessions add up to a stay people rebook years later. Book it for the fort and the quiet, plan your meals before you arrive, and read the cancellation terms twice.
Red flag
I went just for lunch and found an illegal service charge quietly added to the bill.
Parth Domadiya Aug 2026
It isn’t about the money, it’s the principle: Indian law doesn’t allow a mandatory service charge, and they’d added one anyway plus tax on top of it. For a hotel with this reputation, it felt like a dubious practice I wasn’t expecting.
Red flag
The rules here on quiet and movement around the property felt more like a library than a hotel.
H Haidary & CO Mar 2026
They assign you a designated seat and moving around from it felt strictly off-limits. Given how rigid the whole experience was, I’d say visit at your own risk and go in with expectations adjusted.
Red flag
We weren’t allowed a property tour and the staff were outright unfriendly to us as outside guests.
Tasneem Bandookwala Mar 2026
Nobody brought us water, and the whole encounter felt cold from start to finish. We left highly disappointed and wouldn’t recommend the place to anyone after this.
Strong endorsement
Three days here with our toddler turned out to be one of the best hotel stays we’ve ever had.
Sharwari Patil Jun 2026
The setting in the Aravalli Hills is genuinely peaceful, and the team went out of their way to prepare our 14-month-old’s meals exactly how we needed. The chef is outstanding, we ordered the molten chocolate cake every single night, and every meal felt memorable. The rooms, the service, the whole property earned five stars from us across the board.
Mixed read
We walked in as recommended by a friend and had a good but uneven experience with the food.
falguni ashit Jun 2026
The property itself is beautiful, calm and serene, and the staff were good to us even though we hadn’t booked. The pizza and dahi kebab were solid, but the gatta sabzi was a real letdown, and they couldn’t do dal batti churma without three hours’ notice. They did send out a complimentary rose ice cream, which was a nice touch, so overall it balanced out to about fifty-fifty on the food.
Strong endorsement
This is a slice of heaven in the Aravalli ranges, and one of the best stays I’ve had anywhere.
Nishita Kumar May 2026
There isn’t much to do around the property, which is exactly the point: you take your time and rejuvenate. Dinners ran around 10K rupees for two, and they were worth every bit of it. Chef Virendar, Ram Kishan and Mahipal made every dining experience special, with the thali and chocolate mousse the clear highlights.
Strong endorsement
Turning a 400-year-old fort into understated luxury is what stands out here, more than anything else.
N1009FEannm Apr 2026
Every corner of the property has its own character and sense of history, with the Aravalli Hills as a backdrop. The staff genuinely seemed happy to be working there, which came through in how lovely everyone was to us. We honestly didn’t want to leave.
Strong endorsement
My second stay, seven years after the first, and it was even better than I remembered it being.
bath25years Mar 2026
Our group of 11 stayed three nights and capped it off with a specially hosted five-course meal, which was wonderful. The location is unique, and we loved walking around Delwara village just below the property. Nothing was a problem the entire stay, and I’d call it a must-stop if you’re touring India for two weeks or more.
“nothing was a problem and I cannot recommend this hotel enough” in their words
Red flag
I informed them of a medical emergency with documentation and they still kept the entire payment.
nitin jindal Dec 2025
I had to cancel for genuine medical reasons and gave proper documentation, but they refused any refund regardless. It felt like policy over compassion, which was disappointing given the reputation. A comparable hotel I’d booked for the following day handled the same situation with a full refund, so I’d urge caution before booking here.
Strong endorsement
The swimming pool here, done in green marble, is the nicest I’ve seen anywhere I’ve stayed.
Mariona Massons Oct 2025
The whole palace is restored with real taste, and the suites were incredible. We did morning yoga with a very good instructor and had massages at the spa that made the stay unforgettable. The food was consistently tasty and the service attentive and friendly throughout.
Strong endorsement
From the first reservation call, the hospitality here set a tone that only kept getting better.
Harsh Sharma Sep 2025
We brought our pet bird along since the property is pet-friendly, and we were welcomed with rose petals at the palace steps. Samrudh gave us a wonderful palace tour and the welcome drinks let us order anything off the bar menu rather than a standard mocktail. Morning yoga with Adarsh was gentle and encouraging, and this being our second visit, we already know we’ll be back.
Strong endorsement
This is a fort with a heart, not just a place to stay but something that felt steeped in soul.
Jason Johnson Aug 2025
I was captivated from the moment I arrived by the restoration and the sense of quiet it holds. Samruddh at the front office was exceptional, and Jamil Khan, a 25-year veteran of the property, added a deeply personal touch to the visit. I’m already looking forward to going back.
“RAAS Devigarh is more than just a resort – it has a soul” in their words
Lifts the score
We stayed in a Garden Suite and the lit-up palace view in the evening was the best part.
Moumita Robinson Paul Jul 2025
The property has two wings, with the old Palace Wing holding the Palace, Aravali and Presidential suites plus private dining looking over the fort. Our Garden Suite had a proper coffee machine, a bathtub, and a private gazebo that made it feel special. The dining room, bar and pool with jacuzzi rounded things out, and the staff were hospitable throughout.
Mixed read
The food just doesn’t live up to the five-star price tag here, though the hospitality really does.
Michael Pinto Dec 2024
The location is beautiful and peaceful, and the hospitality top tier, but I flagged to the F&B manager that the food needs to step up a few notches for the price. The waiters were a bit pushy about what we should order, which wasn’t ideal. Still, the palace itself is fantastic and dreamy, and the service overall was very good despite that one issue.
RAAS Devigarh occupies a restored fort in the Aravalli Hills above Delwara village, roughly 20km from Udaipur city and a similar distance from Nathdwara. The property dates the structure to between 250 and 400 years old depending on the source, and the restoration preserves much of the original stonework and layout across two wings: the Palace Wing, with Palace Suites, Aravali Suites and Presidential Suites, and a separate wing containing Garden Suites with private gazebos.
On property there is a dining room, a bar (the Darbaar Bar), and a swimming pool finished in green marble with an adjoining jacuzzi. Private dining is available in the Sheesh Mahal. The hotel offers a spa, morning yoga sessions, a fitness center, and activity spaces including table tennis and board games. The location puts guests within driving distance of Udaipur’s Old City and the Nathdwara temple town, and the hotel organizes chauffeured excursions to both.
For the fort itself and the setting, yes: the restoration and the hilltop isolation are what guests consistently come back for. The food doesn’t always match the price point, so it’s worth going in with food expectations set by the hotel’s regional specialities rather than assuming a flawless five-star kitchen.
Guests describe the pool and gardens as particularly striking at twilight, and cooler months make the outdoor dining and yoga sessions more comfortable, as is typical for Udaipur.
It trades lake views and central access for quiet and scale: it sits 20km outside the city in the hills, so it suits travellers prioritizing peace over walkability to Udaipur’s sights.
Couples wanting a quieter, history-rich retreat and families who book the Garden Suites both report strong stays; those wanting to wander a city on foot each day may find the distance from Udaipur a drawback.
Yes. Guests report that some traditional dishes like dal batti churma require several hours’ notice, and the remote location means there’s no casual backup option nearby.
RAAS Devigarh holds One Michelin Key in the Michelin Guide’s 2026 hotel selection, announced in September 2026. One Key is the first of the guide’s three hotel distinctions, given for what it calls a very special stay. The Keys come from the guide’s own anonymous inspections and are separate from the Fat Score.
Two routes, and both end with the reservation sitting at the hotel in your name. Direct on the hotel’s own site is the fastest — the Reserve button on this page goes straight to it. The other is through a travel advisor with consortia access: you pay the same rate the hotel is charging publicly, the hotel pays the advisor’s commission instead of you, and an amenity package comes attached — breakfast for two, a credit to spend on property, and a room upgrade when one is free. We handle that side ourselves for readers who ask.
Through a travel advisor with consortia access, for almost everyone. You pay the hotel’s own public rate and an amenity package comes on top that direct booking doesn’t include — typically breakfast for two, a credit to spend on property, and a room upgrade when one is free. It costs nothing extra, because the hotel pays the commission rather than you. The one real exception is brand loyalty: advisor rates don’t always earn nights toward status, so if you’re chasing a tier or points, book direct. Short of that, there’s no version of booking direct that leaves you better off. We’re advisors ourselves, so you can just ask us.
Never guaranteed — it depends on what’s still unsold the day you arrive, and anyone promising one is guessing. Two things move the odds. The reliable one is booking through a consortia programme, where a room upgrade is written into the amenity package subject to availability; it costs nothing extra and it is the closest thing to a lever that exists. The other is telling the hotel in advance that you’re celebrating something, which works more often than people expect. The first part is already handled if you book it with us.
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When something worth knowing happens in fat travel — a verdict that shifted, an opening worth waiting for, a hotel that earned its place — we write.
