Home Sweet Haveli

Krissy dancing with a young boy in traditional Rajasthani style.



Geo checking out of the haveli on a rainy morning!



Mahesh, our driver, fixing our bags on top of the van, in the busy street of the village we stayed in.



Looking in our room. It was large, but simple.



Our private patio, with stairs leading up to another private balcony that looked out over the village. Wow!



View from the top of the traditional mansion into the interior courtyard.


Haveli: Traditional mansion with interior courtyards. This is the definition from Lonely Planet. Our travel agent, based in Delhi, was able to recommend a number of lovely havelis for us to stay in each night. They operate as hotels, but they often have a limited number of rooms, maybe 10-20. Dinner is often available. Breakfast is always included. We spent an average of $50 US per night for the two of us (I think). Each one was lovely and individual. Fortunately for me, all of them were written up in Lonely Planet. (I know the "Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra" edition of LP as well as I know Rick Steve's "Best of Eastern Europe" now.)

My plan is to show you each haveli as I write up the area we stayed in, then you shouldn't get too overwhelmed with information at one time.

The first place we stayed was about 100 km away from Agra, in a place that we would have never found on our own. Honestly. Our driver Mahesh found it quite easily though. Good thing, as it was in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I'm pretty sure the locals in this village must be used to the tourist vehicles that drive down the dirt roads, but this was stretching my imagination. I wasn't sure where we were going, but it was like heaven when we got there. The place was quaint. Dinner was provided. Entertainment was provided. Everything you could want was provided. An overnight thunderstorm was provided, which meant we didn't get out for our early morning walk as we had planned. Oh well.

Enjoy a glimpse at a proper haveli, heaven in the middle of nowhere for the weary traveller.