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Accommodation

Bhanwar Vilas Palace

Karauli, India

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India

Accommodation

Bhanwar Vilas Palace

A glorious melange of Rajput architecture and Art Deco design, Bhanwar Vilas Palace was built in 1938 as the new palace for the Maharaja of Karauli, in place of the family’s medieval Karauli Fort.

The royal family, who claim direct lineage to the Hindu god Krishna, still lives on site; having sensitively and authentically modernised the palace to run as a hotel in the 1990’s. This is authentic Rajasthan, refreshingly off the beaten tourist track, and the palpable sense of heritage and tradition throughout the property makes a stay here an immersive cultural experience.

Sitting proudly in the centre of its serene 45-acre estate, the hotel has 13 rooms all overlooking either the courtyard or gardens. They are traditionally curated with lavish paintings gracing the walls and Art Deco furniture throughout. The palace kitchen serves outstanding traditional cuisine, perfected by generations of royal chefs, using fresh ingredients sourced from local organic farms, including the palace’s onsite dairy. Within the grounds the whimsical regal influences are all pervading, from the ornate swimming pool, surrounded by verdant gardens, to the stable of Marwari horses bred by the royal family and a vast collection of vintage cars, royal palanquins and elephant howdas.

What we love

Savour the region’s distinctive culinary culture with a hands-on cookery demonstration by the palace kitchen staff
Saddle up and tour the palace grounds on some of the royal family’s home-bred Marwari horses, an ancient breed native to this Marwar region of Rajasthan
Take the time to unwind and enjoy the serenity of this regal estate with a traditional massage treatment

Don’t be put off by the hotel’s museum-like public spaces, hung with hunting trophies from a bygone era. This is an authentic palace, offering privileged access to the state’s royalty, the cultural experience remains with you long after your stay

Children welcome with extra beds available. Family cricket matches organised by palace staff on request

The hotel runs its own organic dairy on site and manages the organic farming of its own estate and the surrounding farms. This approach actively promotes a farm-to-table culture that supports local business and reduces the carbon footprint of the food on offer. With a focus on the preservation of Rajasthan’s architectural and cultural heritage, the hotel puts educational tours at the forefront of its offering to visitors. Guests are offered personal tours of the royal palaces, and the hotel showcases traditional Rajasthani music, dance and artisanal crafts. The palace has been supporting local schools and educational programmes, helping children from Karauli get better access to learning opportunities

Set on the edge of the city of Karauli in south-eastern Rajasthan, the hotel is a great base for exploring the ancient treasures of the local area. From the impressive views at Ugdir Fort to the elaborate architecture of the 14th century Karuali Fort, prized for its intricate carvings and inner Madan Mohan Temple.

What our travellers say

If Red Dot ever ceased to exist and I wanted to return to Sri Lanka I would probably go somewhere else instead. They were, in every way shape and form, impeccable. From Samanthie who created the itinerary to Wicky who drove us here, there and everywhere I cannot imagine anybody doing it better. Impeccable. I need say no more except it doesn’t get any better.

Stuart (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

We chose this company as we wanted our money to benefit the people of Sri Lanka rather than international companies. Their work supports smaller businesses, projects and communities as well as the environment

Jessica E (August 2025) London, UK Read the whole review here Feefo

Our 11th visit to this magical Island with always something new to discover and see. This time we made it up north to Jaffna, via Mannar Island, after beginning in the tea country and acclimatising to the heat, after leaving a very cold UK in January. We had total confidence that RedDot would organise everything to perfection, having used them many times before

Roy L (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Feefo

We had a fantastic holiday. The itinerary and choice of hotels was spot on, and seamlessly organised.

Charlotte (August 2024) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

Exceptional tour of Sri Lanka with Dami. We cannot recommend Dami at Red dot tours highly enough. As our guide over 9 days he made sure that our trip to Sri Lanka was unforgettable- always going above & beyond to impart his knowledge, show us things off the beaten track, looking after us, getting us to try many local delicacies & making us laugh .. a LOT. Cannot imagine anyone doing a better job- if we could take him with us on every holiday we would!

Sarah (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Feefo

Dulmini did a great job listening to our wishes and arranged an itinerary that was very busy but met all our needs. Sisira, our guide, was outstanding, providing us with great local knowledge and suggesting other activities on our travels. He was a great driver on the busy Sri Lankan roads, was always punctual but above all added colour to the whole trip.

Malcolm (April 2024) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

I cannot recommend Red Dot Tours more highly. Thank you so much to Samanthie for her patience with me and all her hard work at putting together the perfect itinerary for my family. I had done a lot of research before I contacted Red Dot and Samanthie created a tour that fitted in all the activities we wanted to do and secured the hotels I told her we would like to stay in (not easy to do in high season).

Nina (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

Wow what can I say, from start to finish we have had a wonderful holiday with Red Dot Tours. Dulmini was so helpful in putting an itinerary together for us as a family of 6 and catering to all of our needs. We have ticked off so many of Sri Lanka’s beautiful sights during our trip. Dulmini and Dhanu were a great help to us while we were out on our travels too.

Anupa (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here TripAdvisor

We spent 13 days on a Bawa tour with wonderful driver and guide Manjula, including Kandalama Heritance, The Kandy House, The Last House, Jetwing Yala, Jetwing Lighthouse and Club Villa hotels. We are 3 friends, one of them in the wheelchair. Dulmini Ekanayake from Red Dot Tours was very helpful and very patient and found solutions to all our special demands.

Rene (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

The itinerary was absolutely perfect and the hotels wonderful, especially Thotalagala, The Warden’s House and 41 Lighthouse Street. Our driver, Indika, was a delight-charming, knowledgeable, considerate and always punctual; he showed us more of this amazing country than we could have hoped for!

Karen - United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

Wanted to take a moment to thank RedDot Tours, and specifically Jayandi for helping book a wonderful family vacation for my family and I. First time for my family and Jayandi took care of every detail, was so courteous and professional, and genuinely cared about our experience in SL. I would also like to mention Pradeep, our kind and understanding guide/chauffeur who took such good care of us while we were out and about. I cannot recommend RedDot enough!

Bob (November 2024) United States Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

We used Red Dot for the first time for our holiday in Sri Lanka. Dulmini put together such a wonderful experience for us, creating an itinerary she drew up after many discussions about what we like and also gave us suggestions for excursions and activities. It was totally bespoke and we were able to make changes throughout this process.

Gill (March 2025) Kent, United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

This is an excellent tour company. They planned our Sri Lankan holiday from start to finish. The trip was initially planned for 2022 but due to Covid and other issues we didn’t manage to undertake the trip until this year. Throughout all this time we had the same travel advisor Lahiru who responded quickly to my emails and rearranged and adjusted our holiday each year!

Anne (January 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

As a group of 8 we have had the most fabulous tour of Sri Lanka organised by Dulmini from RedDot who totally understood my brief of "some" culture, agriculture, nature, trekking and relaxation. The hotels chosen were a wonderful mixture of homestay, tented and pure luxury (Ceylon Tea Trails). The experiences to local villages, trekking the Pekoe Trail and climbing Pidurangala were memorable and our wonderful guide, Ananda, was so informative and knowledgeable and adapted to our needs admirable (not easy with a group of 8)

Anna (February 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor

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