The Bagh Resort Bharatpur
The Bagh, Bharatpur
website: http://www.thebagh.com/
Luxury hotel in lush orchard grounds near Keoladeo Ghana National Park (bird sanctuary). It felt like an oasis after several hours on the road from Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. Most guests, I suspect, are birdwatchers, but the hotel was suggested to me by a travel agent as somewhere to stay after Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, and before Jaipur, in the absence of many comfortable mid-range hotels in Agra itself. Rooms are in separate little blocks, down pathways leading from a central hub. There were Taj Mahal style inlaid marble panels in the bedrooms, beautiful verandahs with comfortable sofas, although I did see a few mosquitos so was not inclined to sit out for long. Service in the restaurant at dinner and breakfast was attentive, but not intrusive, although getting hold of a cup of tea in the afternoon I arrived required a reminder. The restaurant menu had both Indian veg and non-veg, and non-Indian food: my Indian veg dinner was good, but not particularly cheap by Indian standards. There were veg dishes on the menu there that I hadn't seen elsewhere. Good breakfast porridge but the masala chai wasn't spicy enough for my tastes. Nice touches were a booklet of yoga exercises and a plan of the grounds showing what the different trees were in the information folder in the room, and a library of bird books at reception. You can buy a checklist of the birds to be found in the Park. En suite bathrooms with bath and shower.. . Bar, restaurant, coffee shop (though the latter was closed when I was there), swimming pool and spa. The Bagh Resort Bharatpur Rates and Room Information
Around 5500: Lonely Planet guidebook quotes price as around US$90 and US$110; Tripadvisor gives average price of $151 and Expedia for a 1 night stay on 7 March quoted £66.05 for a single room and £76.22 for a double or twin room.