The Shiv Nivas palace hotel is the offical hotel of the King of Udaipur. From our experience, it is criminally underrated. Not only were the staff incredibly friendly and accomodating, but the hotel’s ambiance was fantastic. Few points to note: the hotel was used in filming James Bond’s Octapussy. Unlike the Taj Lake Palace, which frequently advertises this fact and charges 3x the nightly rate, Shiv Nivas mentioned it to us only once. We booked the mountain view room, which still afforded us a view of the lake from one side of our spacious courtyard area. We also had dinner at the palace on one of our nights and the food was authentic and exceptional and relatively more affordable when compared to the comparable 5 star hotels such as the Leela and Taj. The hotel offers panoramic views of Lake Pitchola and complementary buggies through the palace complex to get out and about with easy access to the main market, city palace museum and Jagdish temple.

Best location in Udaipur overlooking Lake Pichola and next to the City Palace and museum, gorgeous indoor and outdoor public areas and gardens, grand vintage architecture, private pass allowing off-hours access to the city palace grounds, grand swimming pool, hidden-away bar overlooking the lake, charming and cozy dining room for all meals, delicious gourmet food beautifully prepared and served, very professional staff at the bar and restaurant, and at the front desk who took care of me whenever I needed something out of the ordinary, like protecting my valuables after I forgot to empty my safe when I checked out.

My room only opened onto a tiny enclosed patio with no other windows. The room felt monastic with few of the vintage touches I was expecting when compared to other heritage hotels I’ve stayed at in Rajasthan….perhaps other rooms are better. Strange electric outlet setup that made charging iPhone/iPad impossible when I turned out the room lights, even after I fiddled with all of the various on/off outlet switches that are common in India.

The Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel provided us with a tranquil and peaceful experience. Every staff member we encountered demonstrated professionalism, friendliness, and helpfulness, going above and beyond. Situated within the palace, the hotel boasts an ideal location. The reception area, restaurant, bar, pool area, and grounds are impeccably presented and maintained. We were fortunate to stay in a terraced suite with a picturesque view of Lake Pichola. While the suite itself was spacious and once grand, it requires renovation, particularly the bathroom, falling short of a 5-star standard. Despite this, the housekeeping staff ensured its cleanliness.

It's regrettable that the room hasn't kept pace with the rest of the hotel's excellence. We hope they address room upgrades soon to align with the overall quality and the price paid. Nevertheless, this wouldn't deter us from staying again.

The hotel is very impressive, lovely facilities for example the dining room, pool area and being able to walk through the City Palace at night returning to the hotel is amazing. The Jagmandir Island restaurant on Pichola Lake (part of the hotel) is well worth a trip to.

The basic rooms are rather disappointing and somewhat remote from the main facilities although are spacious. I think a suite would be much better.

All very good: the room, though it seemed a little small, the location, the courteous staff, the breakfast and the ambience. I particularly liked the location because of its rich history. I appreciated their respecting my request for a disabled friendly bathroom and a wheelchair for my wife. Assistance was always available for the wheelchair. On the whole it was a very good and enjoyable experience

The bed was a bit small for a couple, especially an elderly one like us. It could be because of the room being a bit small. But that can't be helped because it is an old heritage building. Still the width of the bed can perhaps be increased by 6 inches. The drainage in the bathroom (#23) was faulty, which needs immediate attention. I told the staff, who did the room, about it. The part of the city next to the Palace is very congested and choked with vehicles. It will be nice if it can be conveyed to the district administration that restrictions on entry of vehicles should be imposed on this older part of the city. This will make the movement of tourists safe and comfortable and will also help in keeping the area clean.

Set in palace like building with beautiful courtyards and pool area Some rooms with great view of lake Restaurant with varied menu and lovely setting Peaceful refuge from city in great location adjacent to palace

Rooms a bit tired with bathrooms very dated Felt constantly pressured to give gratuities Steps very steep in many places so would be a problem for guests with mobility issues

The overall experience was truly remarkable, although I had certain expectations considering the property's affiliation with the City Palace. I had hoped that the rooms and other amenities would match the grandeur of the palace, but it turned out that the prices were on the higher side in comparison to what was offered. The rooms themselves were quite basic, and it's essential to have realistic expectations about the premises. However, there were some exceptional aspects that deserve appreciation. The Snooker room, for instance, captured our attention with its well-preserved historical charm, seemingly untouched for decades, possibly dating back to the British era. The marble swimming pool was a true delight, with its crystal-clear waters adding to its allure. The Bar room was a must-visit destination for our family, providing a wonderful setting for quality family time. The interior design was simply exquisite. Additionally, the Dining room was exceptional, offering a delightful culinary experience. One of the highlights of our stay was the staff. They went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and truly treated us like family. Their warm and welcoming hospitality added immensely to our overall enjoyment. Although the food selection was somewhat limited, the quality was excellent, and it was more than sufficient to satisfy our tastes. Despite the room's simplicity and the higher cost, I would highly recommend visiting this place for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

All mentioned above.

The location and the rooms were very good. The staff at the hotel premises were very good and helpful.

The information and rules can be better explained. The staff at the main city palace gate could be more courteous and better spoken when asking for identity or passes for entry. There should also be a fitness club which surprisingly wasn’t there.

Divali made our stay extra magic because of all the festivities, flowers and lights. We stayed in room 4 which is one of the most magic suites of the hotel. It was a bit of an investment but definitely worth it. We felt like royals

Beautiful place, we saw some regular rooms which looked a bit outdated but the suites are magic

This was a pricey suite which I booked but for that we expected an exceptional stay and were not disappointed. Friendly, clean, scenic inside and out. The hotel is literally a wing of the historic city palace dating from the british times. Stylishly set around a small pool for morning swim and high above the bustle of the street. There’s excellent safe food from the restaurant range of international and Indian. Of the Indian highly recommend the Murgh malai tikka which was not at all spicy and quite exceptional.

Booking.com description of the room was misleading but hotel was able to rectify to be close ish to what I’d paid for so no harm done on this occasion.