Dera Mandawa

The owner is super helpful. Pet friendly. Nice decorations. Clean rooms. Good location. Staff was super friendly. Food was good. Puppet show was also nice. Nice collection of activities even though we didn’t do much as we only stayed for 2 days. Super clean bathroom. Hot water. Feel like home and safe because of Bagheera.

Fantastic cooking experience with the wonderful Mr Durgha Singh! This beautiful Haveli in the heart of old Jaipur is the ancestral home of Mr Singh's family, many of whom have held high office in the days of the Maharajas, the British Raj and, more recently the government of Independent India. Durgha greeted us personally at the entrance and shared the history of his family and his delightful home with us whilst he explained the format of our culinary evening. The emphasis is upon the simple country dishes of India, prepared in the traditional way and cooked over a small campfire and simple outside hob. Our evening began with a chat over a cool gin and tonic during which Durgha gave an introduction to the simple country ways of the Rajistani people with an emphasis on minimising wastage, recycling and making use of simple materials. And so we ventured out with Mr Singh to the local fruit and vegetable market to buy some of the fresh ingredients for our meal. Durgha is a fantastic host, full of wisdom which he imparts with a mischievous smile and a wonderful sense of humour. He is clearly well known and respected by the market traders who greeted him warmly whilst we threaded our way through and around all manner of stalls, with Durha explaining the different herbs, fruits, vegetables and spices and telling us how each of the different street snacks were made as we watched. Scooters, rickshaws, goats, cows, handcarts, cars, buses and even an elephant milled around in the market street as we made our way back to the Haveli. Another cool gin and tonic awaited us in the courtyard which we sipped as Durgha showed us how to prepare bread, and chicken to be steamed inside coconuts for cooking in the fire. Whilst it baked slowly, we were treated to a traditional puppet show by local performers of amazing skill, and Durgha explained the historical events that the show depicted. After the show - the hard "work", learning how to prepare our aubergine and potato dishes under Durgha's expert tuition. And then to the main event - eating our home made first class cuisine under the stars in the palm fringed courtyard of the Haveli whilst Durgha entertained us with his warm engaging conversation. A wonderful evening. A completely immersive experience, revealing some of the real India and its extraordinary heritage. Not to be missed.

A wonderful place to stay in Jaipur! My husband, daughter and I had two rooms sharing a verandah and opening onto the central courtyard. Both rooms were very well-appointed, large and airy. I am a very light sleeper and had no noise disturbance at all (quite unusual for me, particularly in India). We were made to feel extremely welcome. I admired Mr Singh’s peacock cushions and he managed to source some for us so they will soon be back in London. The staff were all very attentive and the children of one staff member taught my daughter how to play some traditional Indian games. It got quite competitive - India won the best of three. It’s quite the experience to stay here - this is one of five hotels booked for our trip to India and our favourite so far. There can’t be many places one can discuss comparative religions over breakfast with the owner. A real pleasure to be here, we’d love to return.

I am lucky to of had some amazing adventures and stayed in some equally amazing places so I feel I can speak with some authority when I say Dera Mandawa is about as good as it gets. From the moment we were greeted we were made to feel special and when we saw our rooms it blew us away. Not ventured in to Jaipur yet but if it is half as good as this place it will be very special indeed

An amazing building in which we had an extraordinary room - huge, with stunning decoration, two floors and a huge comofortable bed. The courtyard is lovely and full of birds and the location, tucked away just outside the city gates, is excellent. The staff and owner are all great. My only reservation is that the menu is limited and the food not great, and considerably more expensive than in hotels of a similar quality and style.

We stayed 3 nights at the Dera Mandawa as part of our tour of India. The hosts were most welcoming and explained everything to us. We stayed in Room number 1, which is massive! The room was spacious and very clean. We ate in the hotel on two evenings and the food was fantastic. The staff at Dera Mandawa do all they can to make you feel welcome. There was a puppet show and because it was February a fire in the court yard at night. I would have no hesitation in recommending Dera Mandawa.

Charming and comfortable beyond all description. Worth the trip to India just for this. And no TV in the rooms, a rare blessing! I don't need to say any more but for some reason TripAdvisor insists on200 characters minimum so I'll just fill space unti

We stayed at a different hotel, but went to Dera Mandawa for the cooking class with the owners who were both lovely. Some of the guests at this class were staying there, but others were like us, having been driven there for the evening. It was great with about 5 other couples, each of us participating with Durga Singh and his wife being exceptional hosts. It was an informative, entertaining and delicious evening.

This place was a joy. From the greeting with a brief history of the building, to the location, bedrooms, meals and entertainment - we loved it. If you're looking for something a little different and a home from home fee, then Dera Mandawa is a great choice