The honest review of Taj Aravali Resort & Spa, Udaipur

The buggy drivers were the ones who made getting around this huge property actually enjoyable.

The property is set in the hills and feels stunning and peaceful. What stood out most was how the buggy drivers handled getting us around, always prompt and polite with a warm smile. The hospitality across the whole stay felt genuinely top-notch.

Gayatri made our family stay feel genuinely looked after, right down to a room upgrade nobody had to ask twice for.

We came as a family and the property itself was peaceful and beautiful. Gayatri went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable, and the team arranged a room upgrade that made the whole trip better. It felt like a properly luxurious family stay.

The rooms and staff were wonderful, but the wedding event we attended had meal service running noticeably late.

The property was stunning and the rooms luxurious, with warm, professional staff throughout our stay. The only real issue was food timing during a wedding event we attended: the arrangements were good but the meal service started later than planned, which caused some inconvenience. Everything else was close to perfect.

The location and property were good, but the buffet food and the paid high tea didn't feel worth the money.

I stayed three nights and the location and grounds were genuinely good. The buffet quality and menu didn't feel competitive with other properties at this level, and I was surprised high tea wasn't included and had to be paid for separately. The staff and chefs were polite throughout, but overall I didn't think it was worth the money, mostly because of the food.

The food fell short at first, but Hanumant and Nilu upgraded our room and the whole kitchen team responded to feedback.

The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and I was genuinely excited to try Taj hospitality. My initial disappointment with the food was turned around once I spoke with the manager and chef, who made real efforts to improve things during the rest of the stay. Hanumant and Nilu also upgraded our room, which made a real difference.

I waited 20 minutes outside my room after telling staff my key wasn't working, and the heat pump was broken too.

The service fell well short of what I expected from the Taj name. My room's heat pump wasn't working and I waited two hours just for hot water. The one bright spot was Sunil, the restaurant manager at Tiri, who took feedback seriously and acted on it right away.

Our Luxury Pool Villa had its own private pool and it made the whole stay feel worth it on its own.

We stayed in the Luxury Pool Villa and it exceeded what we expected: spacious, well designed, completely private. As pet owners we were surprised by how genuinely welcomed our dog was, with thoughtful touches rather than just tolerance. The Rajasthani-inspired architecture and hill views made every corner of the property feel special.

We waited 45 minutes without so much as a glass of water while other guests nearby got welcome drinks.

Because we arrived without a prior booking, we sat waiting 30 to 45 minutes without being offered water, while guests being checked in nearby got welcome drinks. Once we'd confirmed our booking, the water finally arrived. At checkout, the room only had glass bottles, so when we asked for something portable for our trip, the staff had to go looking and it took a while.

Ritesh and Vardhan swapped us into a kid-friendly room without us needing to make a fuss.

We stayed three nights with our daughter and everything from the rooms to the food to the general feel exceeded what we expected. We'd originally booked a higher-category room, but once the team realized we were traveling with a young child, Ritesh and Vardhan arranged something more suitable without being asked twice. The food was excellent throughout and the staff stayed warm and attentive the whole trip.

I tried calling to ask about room availability and the representative kept pushing a pricier package instead of answering me.

When I explained I only wanted the room category I'd asked about, the call disconnected. I called back more than ten times and either got disconnected again or no answer at all once they recognized my voice. This happened before I'd even booked, which made me reconsider staying here at all.

We waited two and a half hours with our bags packed for a bellboy to show up at checkout.

Even simple things like refilling bowls and spoons at breakfast took 20 minutes or more. Our extra bed didn't show up until 12:30am despite asking hours earlier. On checkout day, with a wedding underway, we waited over two hours after packing, called ten to fifteen times, and eventually had to raise our voice at reception before anyone came for our luggage while our kids got hungry and cranky.

Every staff member we crossed paths with made us feel properly looked after, at any hour we asked.

From arrival, the hospitality felt outstanding and the team stayed ready to help around the clock. Our premium hilltop room came with a panoramic view of the Aravalli hills that made the stay memorable on its own. Food was excellent throughout, with a lot of variety.

Our first room had a broken fridge, peeling paint and a dirty kettle, but Hanumant personally fixed it.

Check-in wasn't a good start: the room had a loose shower fixture, an unclean kettle, a fridge that didn't work, peeling paint, and a dirty carpet. Once I raised it, Hanumant stepped in personally, arranged a room change, and made sure everything was handled properly this time. The replacement room was significantly better and it restored my confidence, though I still think the property needs tighter room inspections before check-in.

We asked in advance for an anniversary decoration and cake, and arrived to find neither had been prepared.

We picked this resort specifically to celebrate our anniversary and had emailed ahead about a room decoration and cake, which the hotel confirmed they'd do their best on. On arrival there was nothing ready, and even after we rearranged our evening plans to give staff time to set up, nothing materialized. Breakfast service was largely inattentive toward our child, aside from one staff member who helped during dinner, and the location felt quite far from central Udaipur.

We were surprised to find the pool and games were paid extras rather than included in the stay.

Given the Taj name, expectations were higher than what we got. Games like pool, PlayStation, and pool activities came with extra charges, which surprised us at a five-star property. The restaurant, Tiri, felt chaotic across breakfast, lunch and dinner with delayed orders and staff who weren't especially attentive. The room itself was spacious and comfortable, and the buggy service around the property worked well.