Brij Lakshman Sagar

Rooms

Your private cottage is made of mud and stone, with a wood-and-thatch roof. It is absurdly spacious: a high-ceilinged foyer; a large living room with cushioned sofa area, a bar (with fridge, tea- and coffee-making facilities, local syrups and snacks) and a built-in fireplace; a sprawling bedroom and a stone bathroom with a rain-shower area. We loved our bathroom sink: a stone spigot that emptied into a rough-cut stone basin, itself perched upon a tree trunk base. How’s that for luxury camping?

The interiors are cheerful and bright, with colours borrowed from the saris of local village women. In keeping with the eco ethos, everyday products from the villages are repurposed: bedside lamps are made from metal spice scoops, petrol funnels serve as vases for peacock feathers. Fun little trinkets - Rajasthani puppets, embroidered juttis (leather shoes) and bangles - fill painted niches along one living room wall. It’s a cluttered look, but a fun one. We especially loved a collection of brass bells, copper pots, wooden spoons and pestles that dangled by thick ropes from the ceiling in the entryway. It was like a floating kitchen drawer.

And if the interior’s feeling too busy, you can always step outside for some fresh, desert air and a dip in your private plunge pool.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Board games
• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• Safe box

Eating

The food at Lakshman Sagar was a delightful surprise. But you better like northern Indian cuisine because that’s what you’re going to get - and lots of it! Meals are set, although dietary requirements can be catered for by the attentive staff.

Lunch was a tasty veg thali (dhal and a selection of cauliflower, potato and veg curries) with a fresh crunchy side salad and poppadums with tangy chutneys - we loved the pungent garlic paste. Dinner was even better: crisp and light pakora with spicy grilled chicken and green veg soup, followed by a thali of outstandingly rich mutton curry. Plus as much wine as we could knock back. Brilliant.

Breakfast was simple, but perfect: potato-stuffed paratha (flat bread) with homemade yogurt and spicy pickles; eggs cooked to order; fruit salad and fresh-pressed sweet lime juice.

Meals are served on the open-air Mardana terrace overlooking the lake, in the pretty little Zanana dining rooms, or privately if you prefer. When we stayed, a trio of musicians serenaded us under the stars.

Features include:

• All meals included
• Coffee maker
• Organic produce
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Go on a sunrise walk through henna fields, then enjoy a hearty Rajasthani 'field breakfast' at a local farmer’s hut. You can help churn the butter and watch bread being made over an earthen oven as you drink hot masala chai
  
• Take a guided tour of the local villages, a horse-back trek to a nearby fort, or an afternoon wildlife safari to the Todgarh Sanctuary, home to leopards and sloth bears
  
• Prefer to stay put? Cooking, pottery and spice-mixing classes can be arranged, as well as vegetable picking in the surrounding fields (everything from dark green okra to rich purple brinjals and tangy green chillies). There's angling in the lake, too
  
• Have a massage or do a yoga and meditation class in the open-air 'machan'
  
• Lie out by your private plunge pool, the rock-carved main pool or the lake, where bird-watching is at its best - spot heron, myna, kingfishers and bee eaters
  
• Taste local liqueurs on the terrace at sunset
  
• At night, gaze up at the Milky Way - so rare a sight in India! - and watch shooting stars

  Activities on site or nearby include:

  • Birdwatching
  • Cooking classes
  • Fishing
  • Hiking
  • Historical sites
  • Horse riding
  • Plantlife / flora
  • Private guided tours
  • Safaris
  • Traditional cultures
  • Well being
  • Wildlife
  • Wine tasting
  • Yoga

Kids

Lakshman Sagar is a quiet, nature-lover's retreat with uneven, rocky terrain and a high dam wall that drops directly into the lake below. As such, it is not suited for children. There are no extra beds nor twin rooms.

Best for:

Teens (over 12)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Lakshman Sagar is 2.5 hours' drive from Jodhpur, near the village of Raipur in the district of Pali, Rajasthan. It's 2 hours from Ajmer.

By Air
Jodhpur (134km away) is the closest airport. It has regular domestic flights from Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Jaipur and Udaipur.

From the Airport
The drive from Jodhpur airport takes 2.5 hours - transfers can be arranged at an extra cost.

By Train:
Train services run to Jodhpur from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Agra, Ajmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer. From here you can transfer onto a local line; Haripur railway station is only 3km away from Lakshman, so you can take a tuk-tuk for the final leg.

By Road:
It's an easy drive from Jodhpur, Khimsar, Nagour, Manwar, Osian, Narlai, Ghanerao and Deogarh, and a longer drive from Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Pushkar, Roopangarh, Udaipur and Jaipur. If you want to arrange a car and driver for a wider tour of Rajasthan, enquire through our Tailormade Tour Operator.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.