Give yourself a splendid treat! Live like a king or a queen {quite literally} at the 300-year-old Jadhavgadh Hotel and Resort, Maharashtra’s only fort heritage hotel, just an hour's drive from Pune, via the Hadapsar-Saswad-Jejuri road.
With a picturesque backdrop of the Dive Ghat, amidst fig and custard apple farms, a weekend stay at Jadhavgadh Fort will leave you deluded about being royalty. Restored by Vithal Kamath in 2007, Jadhavgadh continues to maintain its original structure. It was built by Pilaji Jadhavrao, the Maratha General in Chhatrapati Shahuji’s army, back in the 18th century.
The experience at Jadhavgadh Fort is like travelling back in time. Each room is beautifully decorated with brass vessels, gold-plated vases, paintings and walls adorn monochrome and sepia photographs taken brass vessels, gold-plated vases and paintings added for that regal experience. And, like most modern-day hotels, the rooms, suites and tents are equipped with all modern amenities. You could also spend an afternoon at the spa or explore the in-house Aai museum dedicated to mothers, created by Dr. Vithal Venkatesh Kamat by reviving the fort’s horse and elephant stable houses. Explore underground tunnels and the dungeons, which are open to the public.
The hotel houses 58 rooms, consisting of three suites, 39 rooms, 12 royal tents and four neem cottages. The plush canvas tents are priced at INR 7,500 per night {tax exclusive}. The Hill-View Daalan rooms at the top-most level of the fort come at INR 10,000 per night {tax exclusive}. The Maharaja and Maharani suites give a whiff of that royal treatment and can be booked at INR 9,000 per night.
When you're hungry, overlooking the lush green farmlands, Chhajja, the in-house all-day dining restaurant is a must-visit. Don’t miss their Continental breakfast for INR 300. But if you'd rather dine like the Marathas, we recommend you order a plate of thalipeeth for INR 180, Jadhavgadh ke sholay, a vegetarian appetiser made of cottage cheese for INR 275 and the Malwani prawns curry cooked in Konkani masala for INR 375. You could also sip on fresh-fruit margaritas at the poolside bar, Kund, which has been built reviving the fort’s 300-year-old rainwater harvesting system. The restaurant and the bar are open to the public as well.