A Day At Fort JadhavGadh, Pune – Review



I recently visited Fort JadhavGadh in Pune for a quick stay. The place is known because it is an actual fort which is turned into a hotel now, more on that and the actual stay is coming up later in the blog. 

How To Reach Fort JadhavGadh, Pune

So, the place is around a good 3 to 4 hours away from Mumbai, including a quick pit stop. Up until you get off the Mumbai-Pune expressway, it is quite normal but after that your travel time depends on the Pune traffic. Also, the last stretch of the drive is through the interior village roads, so that slows you down a bit because you can’t speed there much. 

For context, we left from Mumbai at around 11.30 am and reached by 3.15 pm, with a 10 minute pit stop.




Once we reached, the exterior of the place takes you back a century and you might as well be a princess returning to your fort. They have done a good job maintaining the facade and the place. 

However, do keep in mind that you would need to climb several staircases to get around the place. The entry itself requires you to climb a flight of stairs. Also, the stairs are still old school, stone ones so if you are visiting with parents or elders, check if they would be able to climb.



Rooms

We booked a Chavni (tent), and it cost us approx. Rs 10,000/- for one night including Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast. The place also has several other rooms but they didn’t appeal to me much. And here’s why, while the exterior and the entire vibe of the place is purely fort-like, the rooms lack the same vibe. With modern facilities and the way the rooms are built, it almost seems like token fort-ish. Almost like you are staying in a normal hotel with fort-like interior decor. Beats the purpose, no? 

Coming to Chavni, the interior is like a tent but it is actually very nicely built and secure. It also has attached bathroom and toilet, so basically all the convenience of an actual room but with a tent like aesthetic. 

The Chavni is also a little away from the actual fort and is at the side of the lawn, so practically surrounded by trees and birds. 


After we checked in, we quickly had our lunch (lunch buffet is available till 3.30 pm), and chilled in the room for a bit. And then, headed to the Swimming Pool.

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool is very aesthetically pleasing and very pretty for pictures. They also have good seating space around the pool in case you just want to chill for a while after the swim. The Champa (Firangipaani) tree next to the pool gives a very royal feel. The flowers from the tree fall around the pool giving a sweet scent to the place.  

We chilled by the pool for around two hours and then headed back to the room. I had some work to finish, so got on to my laptop for an hour and then headed for dinner.



Dinner

The food here (all meals) is a neat combination of North Indian, Chinese and Maharashtrian Cuisine. We ordered two cocktails and while one was good the other one was okay, so I guess it’s a hit and miss there.

Post dinner, we took a walk around the place. They have a huge lawn and several benches where you can chill under the starry night. 

In the morning, post our breakfast, it was our time to check-out. And while we requested for a late check-out, they didn’t allow it. I am quite disappointed with that because we went on a weekday and the place was practically empty. I think a bit of hospitality adds to the total value of the place.

Other Parts Of The Place

After we checked out, we kept our bags in the car and decided to head to their other restaurant – Chajja. Since I still had some work to finish, we decided to work from there. Four fresh lime sodas kept us company as I worked for two hours. 



Then we decided to take the 1 hour audio tour of the fort, the coupon for this they gave us at the time of the check-in. The tour is quite good, as it takes you to all parts of the fort. Ideally, you should take this when you check-in so you are acquainted to all parts of the fort. There is a trekking track also, if you are interested, you can opt for it. 

The tour also takes you to the Aai museum, which has several artefacts and household items that were used back in the day. Photography is prohibited in the museum.

Once the tour was done, we decided to play some badminton. Badminton racket, football, cricket bat and ball etc is kept in the lawn so you could just pick one up and start playing. They also have swings suspended from a tree, so that also can keep you entertained for a while.

After all of this, it was around 5.30 pm and we decided to head back to Mumbai.







Comments

  1. Pictures shows how good the fort is! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. The place is wonderful. And you make great choices and manage time well.
    It is great fun to venture into such outings once in a while.

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    Replies
    1. Honestly, these refresh you for the weeks to come

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  3. What a beautiful fort! Sounds like you had a great stay.

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  4. oh wow, looks like a lovely place to go on a quick getaway!

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  5. Though the ambiance seems good its time they shed off their Puneri attitude and be customer friendly.

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    1. I did not think from the Puneri angle. You are so right in your observation!

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  6. I've seen much of India, but I've not yet visited Pune. You've just pushed it up my 'go-to' list! I really like the idea staying in a chavni.

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    1. Oh Pune is a must visit! There are several other nice places in the city

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  7. That looks nice cool getaway. Chavni is nice concept!

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  8. What a lovely place! The pool looks so inviting. Thank you for sharing your experience and beautiful photos!

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    1. The pool was a welcome joy due to the hot hot day

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  9. Looks like a nice place. Can we visit the fort without staying in their hotel?

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  10. There's something romantic about staying in a historical place. This place appeals to me.

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  11. This place looks beautiful. All the photos are beautiful as well.

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