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Alila Fort Bishangarh review: a heritage fortress transformed into a luxury resort
Once abandoned and left to bats, snakes and monkeys, this former home of kings has been lovingly restored
They say you don’t decide to go to India, rather she calls you. And the completion of a 10-year ecological restoration project, which has seen a 230-year-old warrior fortress in Rajasthan transformed into a luxury hotel, should be all the allure anyone needs.
Rajasthan, in the Northwest of India, easily accessible from Delhi and Jaipur, is famed for its temples and palaces of Rajput Kings. The Alila Fort Bishangarh was once the residence and battle encampment of several kings, before being abandoned and left to bats, snakes and monkeys.
Rao Rajendra Singh, the current ruler of Shahpura, inherited the fort and placed it in the capable hand of a Jaipur based husband and wife team of architects. They kept the entirety of the original structure intact, penetrating two-metre thick ancient walls without floor pans and electricity; hiring a ‘Monkey Man,’ to scare away the pesky creatures, and transporting materials up the granite hillock with donkeys, despite the oppressive heat and humidity. The result is a miracle of passion, persistence and sheer splendour.
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Upon arrival guests are immediately transported out of the heat and into a shaded arrival courtyard which leads to a lavish pool terrace, complete with a juice bar, gym and a ‘Play Soldiers Club’ for children. The terrace overlooks an organic farm tended by locals, and luxurious banquet lawns, often primed for unforgettable weddings.
A zigzag driveway leads up to the fort in all its turreted glory. Getting lost in the cool, cavernous marble corridors, you may stumble upon a library that was once a battle strategy room, a banquet hall and a secret passage leading to a breakfast terrace that was once an escape route.
The Spa Alila Wellness Centre has been carved out of granite rocks in what used to be the Fort’s dungeon, and combines local and Western therapy techniques.
There are four restaurants to choose from including Amarsar, an all-day dining space that was once the sleeping quarters of kings, Nazaara, an outdoor dining terrace with sand-pit cooking, and the Madhuveni bar with it’s extensive wine cellar, leading to a secret cigar and cognac turret.
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The fort’s 59 luxurious suites each have a unique layout, some split-level, others with low ceilings. However all share a crisp white design, with plush day beds and bathtubs offering spectacular views over the Arvavali mountains.
They also provide a unique vantage into the mud huts of the Bishangarh Village far below, around the base of the fort. The Alila chain of resorts and boutique hotels is famed for its immersive local experiences, and a tour of the Bishangarh village, which can be booked through the leisure concierge at the Fort, provides a glimpse into Alila's passion for bettering local communities.
On the tour we took, The Week Portfolio found ourselves welcomed into the homes of different families, from jewellery makers and carpet weavers to potters and a priest at Krishna's temple. A local woman, whose husband was working at the fort, served us lunch after milking her goats and kneading dough to make millet bread and buttermilk soup.
As part of their sustainable tourism ethos, Alila Fort ran a ‘Gift to Share Program’ when it first opened, giving guests a complimentary night stay at the fort in return for a contribution towards the digital development of the local school. The leisure concierge can still organise for guests to teach a session at that village school. Not to mention day trips to the Amber Fort at Jaipur, hot air-ballooning, or camel riding at dusk.
Active guests can choose biking, horse riding, trekking, or sunrise yoga with a local instructor. Or for a more leisurely gastronomic adventure, visitors can indulge in the fort’s special food trails or a cooking course with a local celebrity chef, which can be booked for groups of up to 40 people, and includes nuggets of history about the Silk Route’s influence over Indian cuisine, and how poverty has created a culture of cooking with minimal waste.
If you have resisted India, imagining that you might need to dedicate months of adventure to a country so vast, rest assured at Alila Fort Bishangarh you can take a hearty gulp of her gastronomy, colour, and heritage in just under a week.
The Luxury Holiday Company (The Luxury Holiday Company, 0207 590 0674) offers a six-night Golden Triangle tour including return flights, private transfers, and four-nights at Alila Fort Bishangarh from £3,215 per person. Price based on travel in 2018
