Review of Lemon Tree Alwar

Lemon Tree Review

It was in a pre Diwali bash over cards, we friends decided to celebrate Diwali somewhere away from Delhi. Already for anyone living in city for long, smog after the festival is the biggest motivation to escape the gas chamber. With the media highlighting the deteriorating quality of air, airing out the repercussions of the smog, one would easily give anything to step away from the mess.

After much research and deliberation, we zeroed down upon Alwar for our staycation. Its proximity to Delhi and the rich history that the city has, made it a number one choice for us. For all the history buffs, Alwar was ruled by the Kachwaha dynasty. They hold special significance in Indian history due to their alliance with the Mughals at some point in time. In order to know more about the culture and explore the historical gems of the city, I headed towards Alwar.

The drive from Delhi to Alwar is four hours through NH-8. Though there are a number of trains running from Delhi to Alwar, and the train ride is for approximately 2hours 50 minutes. Train ride is way better and tickets are easily available. If you are going by road, I would recommend starting early, as the highway connects industrial belts, it is often crowded during the day. If you start later than nine in the morning, be assured the same journey will stretch another one to two hours.

The city provides many reasonable staying options, though I opted for Lemon Tree Alwar. The property is located in a premium area, with open fields on the right hand side and an unhindered view of Aravallis on the front. The place is well kept and is apt for both business and leisure travelers.

 By the time I reached the hotel, it was late evening and a nice chill was settling in the weather. The staff promptly did the formalities and took me to my room. The moment I stepped inside my suite, half of my exhaustion vanished. The suite was spacious and with an attached toilet, and furnished with all the amenities like tv, small freeze, electric kettle, etc. It was sufficient for a two person stay, if there are more guests they readily provide the additional bed. The suite is definitely recommended for people seeking privacy.

The property has 40 rooms, with a lounge, restaurant, and a banquet hall, suited for small functions and conferences. They also have a mini gym on the property, this helps the traveler to stay in shape. One thing to die for is their food. Lemon Tree Alwar has amazing chefs who are trained in preparing all kinds of dishes. But Lal Maas is their specialty, I also liked the aloo chat prepared by them for the vegetarians. It contains the right amount of sweetness and tanginess.

The staff is welcoming, attentive and takes care of all your needs with a smile. Not only this they are very knowledgeable too. In order to give a boost to the local economy, most of the hiring is done locally. And like true Rajasthani, they take pride in their culture and history. Thus the staff become my primary source of information in knowing more about the city.

Seeing my interest in history, Mr.Kalra, Group GM of Lemon Tree Alwar, arranged for a taxi along with a local guide, to show the city. This gesture touched my heart and saved me a lot of time. The guide instinctively understood what I was looking for and he chalked out an itinerary accordingly. He took me to the Alwar palace, which hosts the government offices along with the famous Alwar museum.

After my historical excursion, I visited the local market and had the famous milk cake which originated from Alwar. When you always shop around in malls, then visiting local markets is great fun. There were so many items out on display right from clothes, to bags, to household items to many more. I further checked out bangles made from glass and lac. Being a festival day it was crowded but still there was no jostling, pushing, it was full of life and gave an accurate peep into the daily life of the natives. I would rank the local market as the best feature of Alwar. It gives the feel of Jaipur market without that humdrum and the exorbitant prices.

On coming back the Lemon Tree Alwar staff surprised me by arranging a private dinner at the terrace. The terrace had a beautiful view of Aravallis and the city. They had extensively used fairy lights to lend a dreamy look to the whole ambiance. They already checked my food preference and the dinner was prepared accordingly. If you are staying on the property in the winter then a sun-kissed lunch would be a good option.

The next morning after watching a beautiful sunrise from Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri, we decided to head back. The trip was memorable and refreshing. If you are visiting Alwar then Lemon Tree is a good option for staying.