Description
Built by the East India Company to house officers stationed in the ancient city of Benares (now Varanasi), Nadesar Palace was bought by the Maharaja Prabhu Narayan Singh in the late 19th century to offer sumptuous accommodation to visiting dignitaries.
It has now been carefully restored by the Taj Group to offer 10 rooms and suites, with spacious living areas and large windows overlooking the gardens where mango orchards and jasmine fields grow. They are complemented by spacious white marbled bathrooms, with stand-alone bathtubs.
The real treat of Nadesar is its Jiva spa downstairs, offering three treatment rooms and a yoga room. They offer holistic treatments, custom-made healing baths, aroma therapies and Ayurvedic massages.
Nadesar Palace is all about relaxing and rejuvenating, allowing you to stay a little longer in this magical city. Now you don’t have to rush around its hallowed backalleys and mystical ghats before jumping on a plane and moving on - instead use this wonderful hotel to let you get the most out of one of India’s truly fascinating cities.
Accommodation
The Nadesar Palace offers 10 rooms; 4 Palace Rooms, 4 Historical Suites and 2 Royal Suites. Rooms feature spacious living areas and large windows overlooking the gardens where mango orchards and jasmine fields grow. They are complemented by spacious white marbled bathrooms, with stand-alone bathtubs.
Childcare
Children are welcome but there are no specific facilities.
Facilities
Facilities at the Nadesar Palace include a dining room, spa offering a signature treatments, Indian therapies, and yoga and meditation classes. There are also some stunning gardens.
Activities
The hotel can arrange a horse driven buggy to tour the city which was once used by the Maharaja of Varanasi himself, golf, guided nature walks around the Palace lawns and yoga classes in the spa. Excursions to the Chunar Fort, a Mughal stronghold located in the Vindhya range, 45 kms away from Varanasi. There are also boat rides along the Ganges, trips to the Benares Weaver Village or make your way to the ghats to witness the Ganga Aarti – the traditional ritual worship at the Ganges.
When to travel
The best season to visit Varanasi is between October and March when the temperatures are a in a comfortable range of 5-25 °C. This is a good time to be out sightseeing as the weather is pleasant and very cool. The winter months are also when festivals are celebrated with enthusiasm and fervour in Varanasi. Dussehra and Bharat Milap are celebrated in quick succession in September/October followed by the festival of lights - Diwali. The Ganga Festival also takes place in November and this is the time when people come from far and near to pay obeisance to the holy river - Ganges.
The summer lasts from April to September/October and it gets really hot at this time with the temperatures shooting up to 45°C at the height of the season in May and June. The rains come in July and August bringing the temperatures down marginally but the humidity levels rise.
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Location and directions
Varanasi, India
Located in the Nadesar Gardens close to the Gateway Hotel about a 20 minute drive from the Ganges. Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities of the world, on the banks of the river Ganges.
How to get there
8.5-hour international flight to Mumbai Chattrapathi Shivaji Airport, followed by a 1-hour domestic flight to Varanasi Airport. Nadesar Palace is a 40-minute drive away.
