Designed by passionate conservationists Anjali and Jaisal Singh – who are no slouches at creating luxury tented camps – The Serai is an ode to peace, open space and old-fashioned elegance. The 21 tented suites, set deep in the tranquil Thar desert but just an hour from Jaisalmer, are an impossibly romantic set-up, and perfect for honeymooners. Each white canvas tent is raised on honeyed sandstone, with a terrace lounge, sitting room with writing desk, air-con bedroom and a stylish, double-sink bathroom. Six have private candlelit plunge pools, and there's also a Royal Tented Suite with its own pool, spa, lounge and dining tents, set in an exclusive, walled-off compound.
Loving care has been taken over every detail, most harking back to the Victorian days of the Raj: beside your bed you'll find monogrammed notepaper and brass-plated service buttons ('Butler, 'Housekeeping' and 'Security'), alongside modern novels rebound in classic vellum and glass-stoppered bottles filled with KAMA toiletries. Raised above the tents and silver scrub is an infinity swimming pool, circled by pagoda-shaded loungers. Behind, a huge pavilion holds a leather-and-tartan lounge, breezy reception and tasteful dining room. To the left, within a walled garden, sits a 4-tent Sujan spa created by Raison d'Etre (whose products are blended from Indian plants and spices), and beyond, an organic garden for the herbs, salad and vegetables in the delicious cordon bleu menu. The only sounds are trickling water, calls of kookaburra and wild peacocks, and the whispering wind.
Highs
- Memorable excursions: camel safaris, guided tours of Jaisalmer Fort and soulful concerts by world-class local folk musicians
- One press of a brass-plated button and your butler is at your tent
- Sundowners in the desert dunes: languish in a leather chair and drink cocktails as the sky turns pink
- That seldom-achieved level of hospitality: privacy when you want it, service when you need it
- Flights to Jaisalmer Airport, just an hour’s drive away, have made the camp much more accessible
Lows
- Lizards, birds and insects can colonise your tent if you inadvertently leave your flaps open and lights on - though press a button and staff will 'return them to the wild'
- The tall, freestanding air con units in your tent bedroom must guzzle a ton of electricity
- If staying more than a few days, the limited menu could get a bit repetitive
- Very pricey, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
Best time to go
The Serai is only open between 1 September and 1st April, as summer in the Thar desert is just TOO hot. The general manager's recommendation is late November, before the crowds arrive and when the weather is starting to cool down, which makes it the perfect time to savour all the magic of Jaisalmer Fort at your leisure.
Our top tips
Make sure you book a few nights here, if not a week, as it's so blissfully serene and comfortable you won't want to leave. Sunset on the dunes is a quintessential Rajasthani experience. Also, don't miss the opportunity to hear the Manganiyar musicians play for you in their own village - they're literally world class and play with such passion that the experience is spellbinding.
- Luxury Tents
- 21 rooms
- Restaurant and bar (open daily)
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Outdoor Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Concierge Service
Rooms
The Serai has 14 Tented Suites, 6 Luxury Suites and 1 Royal Tented Suite - all are the same size. Each is pitched on a base of honey-coloured 'Jaisalmer' sandstone, with Victorian-safari-style furnishings worthy of a period film set. The tented and luxury suites run left and right, in two lines of 10, down to the walled-off Royal Suite at the bottom.
The cream canvas tents are filled with honeyed light and dressed with woven jute or tartan-weave mats, brass lanterns, leather bins, picnic hampers (stocked with cool drinks and water), decorative wooden bowls and little stone camels - all carefully selected and arranged by Anjali herself.
Super-kingsize beds sit on stone platforms, with deliciously soft linen, throws hand-woven in Jaisalmer, plump pillows and sand-coloured cushions. Effective air-con is provided by tall, freestanding units and a screened-off sitting and writing area at the front opens onto your bolstered and mattressed veranda. Shower bathrooms are earthy ochre-stone with fluffy white towels, natural toiletries in antique bottles and clay pots for laundry. If we were being picky, our waffle-weave dressing gowns were over-starched and thus a little scratchy.
The Luxury Suites, where we stayed, have a walled courtyard with a blue-tiled plunge pool (heated by request and candlelit at night), so if you're on your honeymoon or a special romantic break, we'd say it's well worth upgrading. The Royal Tented Suite has a small swimming pool, and private spa, dining and lounge tents, all enclosed in a sandy courtyard.
Features include:
- Bathrobes
- Hairdryer
- Minibar
- WiFi
Eating
The indoor dining room shares the main pavilion tent with the entrance/reception, sitting room and bar. Light and roomy, its has chunky, honey-stone walls with inset candle alcoves for romantic lighting. Little teak tables sport graceful white crockery and tablecloths beside wicker-work chairs.
Food is beautifully presented and simply delicious. Breakfast can be a fresh healthy continental, full English fry-up or traditional Indian offering that changes daily - I had the Masala omelette, an 'Indian omelette with tomato, chili, onion and coriander', which was lovely. Healthy fresh-pressed juices and aloe vera shooters make you feel only slightly less guilty about the overindulgence.
Lunch is either traditional vegetarian thali or a light European selection of cold soups, salads, pizzas and pastas. The dinner menu is not extensive but perfectly delightful: we dined on mango gazpacho, roast chicken with beetroot puree, then rum and raisin ice cream, and loved every mouthful. A comprehensive drinks menu offers all the cocktails, mixers and liqueurs, wines and champagne, and there are even custom blended tea and post-prandial Cuban cigars!
Alfresco dining is also available, on your own veranda or anywhere else on the estate, just ask. The main pavilion's open-air stone terrace is a big dinner favourite as you're bathed in lamplight under the stars and entertained nightly by the soulful playing of (world-renowned) local musicians. A campfire is lit nightly during the winter season, and a bar can be set up under the stars.
Features include:
- Bar
- Breakfast
- Dinner by arrangement
- Kids' meals
- Lunch by arrangement
- Room service
- Vegetarian options
Activities
- Take a camel safari, and spot deer, gazelle and birds, such as the rare Indian bustard
- The Sundowner on the Dunes expedition is highly recommended: a jeep then camel ride right into the desert, where cocktails and tiffin await you. Sit on a leather safari chair, and watch the dunes change colour as the sun goes down
- Take a guided tour of magical Jaisalmer Fort, often called the 'Golden City' due to the gilding of the sandcastle-like fort and havelis by the setting sun. We love the elaborately carved Jain temples, with their Dilwara style paintings, and the 7-storey City Palace is super impressive. Barter for textiles, jewellery and Rajasthani mirrored wall-hangings in the market
- Have a spa treatment or several to 'align your body clock with the mystical rhythms of Rajasthan'. Products used are chemical free, and blended from Indian herbs and spices
- Laze and read on a pagoda-shaded lounger, and swim in the stunning infinity pool
- Chill out, play chess or read in a leather club chair and smoke a Cuban cigar
- Or practice yoga at the pool, on the deck, or beside the water channel, which runs between the main tent and main pool
- Avid birdwatchers can wake up with the dawn chorus and head out with SUJAN's excellent guides
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Birdwatching
- Historical sites
- Museums / galleries
- Private guided tours
- Shopping / markets
- Swimming
- Traditional cultures
- Wildlife
- Yoga
Kids
Children are welcome, but they must be well-behaved/not too noisy so as not to disturb the sacred peace of other guests. Extra beds for those between 8 and 12, and baby cots for infants and toddlers (other kids are expected to share their parents' bed or sleep in a separate tent) can be arranged. However, there are no facilities or activities that specifically cater to small people, though they're likely to enjoy the pool, wide open space and plentiful opportunities to watch desert wildlife. Children up to the age of 7 are free if sharing their parents' bed.
Best for:
Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)
Family friendly accommodation:
Families may prefer to opt for a Luxury Tented Suite as this category has a private walled courtyard plus plunge pool.
Cots Available, Extra Beds Available
Children's meals:
Particular choices of dishes (if not found on the a la carte menu) and mealtimes can be catered for with advance notice.
Kids Activities on site:
Families Should Know:
As The Serai is in a wilderness area, parents are advised to be aware of the surroundings and to keep an eye on their children who should not wander around at dusk.
Distances:
- Airport: 54km/60 minutes
- Shops: 40km/30 minutes
- Doctor/Hospital: 40km/30 minutes
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
The Serai is about an hour (45km) outside Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, in the Great Thar Desert.
By Air
The nearest airport is Jaisalmer (60km), just over an hour's drive from The Serai. You can also fly to Jodhpur (270km), which is served by internal flights from most Indian airports including Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur.
By Rail
Chandan is the nearest railway station (4km away), but the closest major hub is Jaisalmer (52km away). There are several trains daily from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Jodhpur and other cities and The Serai can provide transfers from the station.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.
More on getting to Rajasthan and getting around
Airports:
- Jaisalmer 54.0 km JSA
- Jodhpur 270.0 km JDH
Other:
- Beach 600.0 km
- Shops 40.0 km
- Restaurant 40.0 km