Umaid Bhawan Palace

We experienced the finest and warmest of Indian hospitality at the Umaid Bhavan palace. We were there in January 2025 and while the venue, resort and facilities are top notch, what makes this place special is the staff and management that made every minute of our stay special. From the tiniest thoughtful details to making tour arrangements or special dinners- Umaid bhavan is GEM in the Taj portfolio. We’d like to give special props and acknowledgement to the following team members: Surendra, Rajveer, Swaroop, Jakhang- guest services, Chef Shobhit, Karan, Narendra Singh, Aman-at the Pillars restaurant, Aryan at the Trophy bar, Sikandar Singh, shatabdi at the Zodiac spa and Takht Singh- Chauffer, and the entire front desk staff!! We can’t wait to return for yet another magical experience.

The year-end vacation at the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace is officially my life’s greatest vacation. I proposed to my girlfriend at the Baradari and we are now engaged to each other. This vacation had been planned for over a year, but a few weeks before the actual vacation I started planning the proposal for my fiancée. What other place than the most beautiful palace on earth during the most wonderful time of the year. Swaroop Singh ji was my friend and ally in the whole plan. From the very start he was prompt and extremely professional. I planned elaborately with his team and he finally executed my vision beyond excellence - beyond anything my fiancée or I could have ever dreamed of. My fiancées parents were also travelling with us for the vacation and he made sure that they had a very special time too - he arranged special dinners and events for them in their room as my fiancées mother was sick and unable to explore the palace. Our bond became so close and special, I can say that Swaroop ji and his team felt like our family. We felt very safe and comforted at the palace. Special shout out to Manisha who always treated us with a smile at Pillars for breakfast and otherwise. Aryan at Trophy Bar was more than a mixologist - he became a very close friend. Twisha also treated us with utmost care and respect. Karan ji, Saddique ji, Sikander, Aryan, Malvika, Aman, Dipika and Berishal were all so loving and caring. Hukam ji made it a point to set up the best baths for us in our room, and thoughtfully did the housekeeping for us every day. Laxman ji by the pool was kind and helpful in caring for our needs. Chef Shobhit and Chef Kush took note of our dietary preferences and cooked up a storm for us every day. I will never forget the magical moments we’ve spent at Umaid Bhawan. I will specify the names of all the other staff and team who have made this experience so heartwarming for us: Rajveer Surendra Mohan Bhupendra Tribhuwan Dushyant Rawal Deepanshi Nishu Rajndhani Needless to say, we will be back soon as we feel like we really belong in the palace, and absolutely feel like royalty when we’re there.

I don’t even know where to begin to write this review. As the title says, the past week my family and I spent at Umaid Bhawan has quite literally been nothing short of life changing. We had initially booked this trip end of 2022 to travel to the palace on December 2023, however due to a family emergency we had couldn’t travel at that point. Since then, the service, hospitality and care has been out of this world. The team helped us move our booking by a year, and finally we were at the property on December 2024. It goes without saying that things such as the welcoming ceremony, checking in, checking out, all were as beautiful expected. The property was beautiful as expected (I mean- it’s a palace so obviously!), the food was incredible, the rooms were decadent (we felt like royalty), and the peacocks roaming the grounds were a magical touch- but what truly set Umaid Bhawan from everywhere else we have stayed in the world is the OUT OF THIS WORLD hospitality by the entire team taking care of us. From Malvika and Alka during check in, to Saddaqui ji (who is an absolute Umaid Bhavan veteran who’s been there since the start) , Manisha, Karan ji, and more during breakfast with the happiest smiles on their faces, to Aryan at the Trophy Bar, to Hokum ji’s warm personality and smile every day before making our room and the special baths he set up, and of course, our most special Swaroop Ji, we truly became one whole family. One of the main things I’d look forward to at breakfast every morning at Pillars was my morning hugs to Manisha- who was always just the most absolute joy. While I know high level hospitality is expected at a grand property such as Umaid Bhawan Palace, what I didn’t expect was to get so attached and be treated with so much love and kindness by everyone. Karan ji, Manisha, Sikander ji, Aman, always made sure every experience was special. Chef Shobhit and Chef Kush constantly checked in on us and making sure our stomachs were as happy and full as our hearts. Despite my mother still being extremely unwell during the trip and my father and her pretty much being in their room for majority of the trip- I think they had the most wonderful and fun time, thanks to Swaroop ji, Hukam ji, Berishal ji-they went above and beyond. From making special custom food every single meal for my parents to ensure they felt the utmost comfort, they even made sure for special occasions such as new years eve since they couldn’t travel to the special dinner that their room was BEAUTIFULLY decorated with rangoli, roses and diyas. It was so touching. Moving onto the Trophy Bar, Aryaan became so near and dear to our hearts since the first night. The unique blend of utmost professionalism mixed with the most loving and caring personality and attention to detail was impeccable. Even at Mehrangarh fort for the NYE dinner, it felt as though Aryan was only exclusively looking after us, we never had to ask for ANYTHING. He always went out of his way to make sure we got what we needed and wanted, most of the times without even asking (also- the specially made mulled wines just for us were perfect!) Every single person we came into contact with touched my heart, such as Dipika from the Palace Store who made sure I looked like an absolute princess on a very special night, to Twisha whom I consider a soul sister now due to her impeccable attitude, kindness and workmanship. And now lastly, to Swaroop ji and the team- where do I even begin with this?! I’m sure my fiancé Arpit will have so much more to say about this as he was in contact with them far before I was even aware- but thanks to them- I ended up having the PROPOSAL OF MY DREAMS. The entire evening felt like a fairytale. From the exquisite decorations, the privacy that was afforded to us, the PERSONALLY specially curated menus multiple times (from the proposal and the chef studio dinners), the live music performances, the drinks, the photographs that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, and more, I still have to pinch myself. Thanks to all of you, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, truly. I’m even getting emotional as I type this because I am so blown away. Swaroop ji also went above and beyond to ensure that no matter what special moments my fiancé and I were going through, my parents were also made special and included no matter what. And the care, respect, and concern that he showed towards my mother while she was truly ill is something I will appreciate and treasure forever. These kind of things aren’t taught, but something you are born with, and he truly is an absolutely exquisite soul. Once again, I want to shoutout all these people below- and I’m truly truly sorry in case I have missed anyones name by accident at all- PLEASE know how much you all mean to us!! We cannot wait to be back. Thank you seems so small to say, but I hope you can feel the happiness we felt whilst there. You’re all SUPERSTARS. Wish you all the best in your careers and can’t wait to be back at the palaces soon! Aur haan, shaadi mein zaroor aana!

We were staying for our anniversary, and the entire team has made us feel very welcome and special, especially Kanchund, having prepared unique decorations for us. Check in and checkout were the most seamless we’ve ever experienced. Special thanks to Kadaiy and Gordhan, who took care of us during dinner and breakfast at the Pillars.

From the royal greeting, to the incredibly beautiful palace, attentive staff and comfortable and spacious rooms, our stay was magical. Malvika at reception was always available to help us navigate our stay with helpful suggestions and organizing some special activities like watching a polo match, seeing the palace museum ,private palace tour and a private family blessing . Amar, Saddique and Karan greeted us with a smile and made our meals memorable. A wonderful 3 day adventure.