Ravla Khempur

3rd stay in an establishment that is aging badly .Ravla Khempur is known as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the setting for the film Indian Palace. Too bad the producers left with the sets. What's left after the movie has a hard time surviving... decrepit paintings, damaged walls, poor maintenance. Being alone in this ghost hotel facing a fairly authoritarian and omnipresent owner amplifies the feeling of loneliness. You end up enjoying leaving... There remain the superb marwar horses, whose groomsmen seem sad to die. Only Mohan, lights up this little world with his smile, his good mood, his warmth, taking with him Humesh, a young recruit who seems to want to lighten the atmosphere. The rooms are small, poorly lit with outdated comfort. Everything is on the edge. The outdoor alcoves and small lounges with their antiques are the only ones to give an impression of comfort. The bathrooms are minimalist, just what it takes to make you want to wash. You must warn when you take a shower to open the floodgates and fill the tank with a little hot water. The vegetarian meals prepared by Manju are delicious but very expensive in comparison with other establishments of a superior standing. Breakfasts are good, no more. The village is dead, no use. Nothing happens there, there are no shops outside the snakes and candy shops, there is no market, no craftsmen outside the potter. People seem to be running away from communication. Khempur is no longer a dream stage. Third stay in a hotel that's aging badly. Ravla Khempur is known for having served as the setting for the film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" in the film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." It's a shame the producers took the sets with them. What remains after the film is struggling to survive... peeling paint, crumbling walls, and neglected upkeep. Being alone in this ghost hotel, facing a rather authoritarian and omnipresent owner, amplifies the feeling of loneliness. You end up glad to be leaving... All that remains are the magnificent Marwar horses, whose grooms seem utterly miserable. Only Mohan brightens this little world with his smile, his good humor, and his warmth, drawing Humesh, a young recruit who seems intent on lightening the mood. The rooms are small, poorly lit, and outdated. Everything is barely clean. The outdoor alcoves and small lounges with their antiques are the only things that give a sense of comfort. The bathrooms are minimalist, just enough to make you want to wash. You have to let someone know when you're going to shower so they can turn on the taps and fill the tub with a little hot water. The vegetarian meals prepared by Manju are delicious but very expensive compared to other, higher-end establishments. The breakfasts are good, nothing more. The village is dead, uninteresting. Nothing happens there; there are no shops apart from snack and candy vendors, no market, no artisans except for the potter. People seem to avoid communication. Khempur is no longer a place that inspires dreams.

The hotel was closed when we went by in April 2022. Beautiful place. The owner(son) was charming and polite to show us some of the rooms and give us a little info about the place. Would love to come back someday and experience the facilities and hospitality.

Another place we would not have known without Namaste Cars. Far from the bustle of Udaipur, yet close, a village and accommodation in a green countryside where life seems to have settled serenely. The road from Vallabhnagar to Khempur is dotted with small authentic villages with their traditional shops and crafts, markets, farmers surrounded, women in sari. If Ravla Khempur is today famous for being the setting for the 2011 film Indian Palace (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), and its sequel: Indian Palace: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in 2015, it seems difficult today to pinpoint exactly where the scenes of the films were shot. This does not detract from the charm of this accommodation. An old palace/haveli from the 17th century that lived and suffered. Very different from castles and other belligerent forts, it belonged to a nobleman, Khemraj Dadhivadia. Ravla designates the home of a village or region chief. After years of abandonment and many setbacks, the villagers asked one of the descendants, Hemant Singh Deval, to revive the palace and the village. Hemant took matters into his own hands. Turning this building full of stories into a guest house, where you feel better than at the hotel, because more authentic. Passionate about horses, famous rider, and his sons, he became a breeder and promoter of horses of the Marwari breed. These magnificent horses are distinguished by inwardly curved ears to the point of touching. You can admire them in the boxes scattered around the pool. Hemant has been the subject of numerous specialized publications, notably during his meeting with Francesca Kelly, a British passionate like him about marware horses. When eating in the dining room or watching television in the living room, a horse comes to the inside window, it is the fetish stallion Great Gambler. But what makes Ravla Khempur charming is its tranquility, its old but so romantic setting with its inner courtyards, alcoves, small lounges. The room is small, rather dim, the bathroom is functional, the linen is clean. The wifi works well. What a pleasure to take a cup of massala tchai on one of the terraces and let yourself be invaded by the tranquility of the place. Thank you to Mohan for his smile, his kindness, his delicate attention. A true guardian angel. Dinner is served in the form of a varied and hearty buffet. Hemant’s wife is in charge of the kitchen. We hope Hemant doesn’t hold us back for preferring vegetarian sandwiches. We like to have a light dinner whenever possible to make the night more digestible. What a pleasure to wake up in the morning with the mantras sung by the students of the yoga class. It adds to the magic of the palate. Yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic massages, discovering the surroundings in ox carts are some of the activities offered by Ravla Khempur. The village we visit on foot is small, two shops, no market, but a potter who works the old-fashioned way, (perhaps he could consider doing initiations into traditional Indian pottery), a midwife (midwife) in her 90s who gave birth almost the whole village, Dhaki Bai, still very alert and many locals delighted to meet us. I regret Hemant insisting that we visit the skate park. Like camel riding, buffalo carts, and other tourist entertainment it is quite far from what we are looking for. The ideal is to stay in Ravla Khempur for a few days to take the time to enjoy the emptiness when you spend your life running. If I stay in Khempur for several days, I would like to discover Mewar villages quietly like Delwara and its traditions. On the way the Shree Mata Vaishno Devi temple of Kotri Ka Dhana looks interesting. There is also Gangaur and its spring festival "Mewar Festival" where women are in the spotlight. I would like to learn the basics of cooking and Ayurvedic alloying. Rather than learning how to make sophisticated curries or thalis, I would like to learn how to make chapatis, koftas, paneer, ghee, chutney. I would like to meet some craftsmen. Deborah Moggach, British author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, who inspired the film says: "If you are looking for a wonderfully atmospheric, slightly dusty, singular and deliciously romantic retreat, then Ravla Khempur is for you." She's absolutely right. This place is worth the trip.