When my son’s school calendar comes, at the start of the academic year, the first thing I do is check the holiday list…and then plan my breaks hehe ;). His mid-term break started let Friday, so off we went for a little holiday. It was a lovely family holiday coz my parents-in-law came along too as did out family friends from Ahmedabad. In fact, our family friends recommended the lovely, secluded Jaisamand Island Resort.
The hotel and its approach jetty.
The resort is situated on a 40acre island in the midst of the largest man-made lake in Asia, the Jaisamand Lake. It is also one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world. The only way to reach the resort is by a 4.5km boat ride from the Jaisamand Dam whose centuries old marble steps (the dam was inaugurated in 1691) are quite steep and can be treacherous in the monsoons, especially for the elderly. I wish they would add a rampart or something for wheelchairs and prams. The jetty at the hotl end too, had quite steep steps and no hand rails making it difficult for my in-laws to climb.
Here are some pictures….
Other lush, verdant islands in the lake.
View of the hotel from the pool
Another picture of the hotel and the beautiful gardens.
A view of the pool from our room balcony. Don’t miss the
migratory birds on the tree…they had their nests there.
Stone table and chairs….so quaint.
A beautiful gazebo, perfect for evening coffee while admiring the view.
Peaceful and so very beautiful!
Elder son on the carved wooden jhoola outside the restaurant
The spacious rooms.
My kids were happy to just jump into the pool morning and evenings so they didn’t need any other activities. They did enjoy the camel rides though but refused to go for boat rides around the lake. The resort also has a games room. The resort would do well if they would organise boat rides to one of the several virgin islands on the lake and arrange a romantic, private dinner for two. A suggestion worth taking note, don’t you think? When we inquired about the wildlife game sanctuary drive, we were told that there were hardly any animals left on the island 🙁
Food is where the resort management needs improvement. While the Indian food tastes quite nice (though wish they also served thin fulka rotis and parathas along with the tandoori rotis and naans) the so-called “Western” and “Chinese” food left a lot to be desired. For dinner one night, we had “Spaghetti in Marinara sauce”. Now, marinara is a tomato based sauce but what was served was spaghetti in white sauce. Another day, we had Hot and Sour soup which tasted as though barrels of vinegar had been dumped into it.
Besides these minor quibbles, we had a great time at the resort. Udaipur is about 50km from here but we all felt a little too relaxed (and hence lazy) to take a boat ride across the dam and then drive to Udaipur or Nathdwara (85ms). We just enjoyed the peace at the resort, gazing out onto the lake and splashing in the pool………
PS – I’ll start verifying all the giveaway entries from Monday coz we’re celebrating Raksha Bandhan tomorrow. The winner will be announced by the end of next week. Thanks for your response and support 🙂
It was truly lovely..we had a great time 🙂
Looks beautiful ! Looks like your family enjoyed a lot !!
🙂
The views from everywhere were fab 🙂
wow!! Loved the photos especially the one from the balcony view!!
🙂
Beautiful Photos 🙂
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Thanks 🙂
pictures look great 🙂