Shiv Niwas Palace by HRH Group of Hotels

8.2

Excellent

170 Guest reviews

8.2

Excellent

170 Verified Reviews

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Cleanliness8.6/10

Service8.4/10

Comfort8.0/10

Condition7.8/10

location9.2/10

Neighborhood9.2/10

Amenities7.8/10

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay as usual having done a number of times

This hotel is the actual king’s palace. It is beautiful and well maintained. You do feel like royalty staying here. And it is the perfect location in city center, close to City Palace, shopping, and access to the lake. Would highly recommend!

dont stay at the palace rooms , they are average specially ones downstairs opp to the lobby.

Lovely hotel/wonderful staff/some refining needed

Lovely hotel and high-touch service. Very nice food and great outdoor dining spot. Spa treatment was very good but a crew was setting up for a wedding and the noise definitely interrupted the tranquility of the massage.

Beautiful property but doesn’t live up to its 5 star status. The staff are very nice but they lack attention to detail. I don’t think it’s value for money. The rooms are big but average, the bathrooms need updating. The views are spectacular though. One thing that I would suggest the hotel is not to ring the guests regarding if we want spa treatments or are we coming for breakfast. We feel very relaxed but would have preferred if we weren’t disturbed at all. The bar is beautiful though and I would highly recommend having a drink there. Food in the restaurant is very good as well.

Wonderful stay at Shiv Niwas Palace!

Had a wonderful stay at Shiv Niwas Palace. The views are incredible and the staff is very helpful and welcoming. Would definitely recommend staying at this historic hotel.

Had a wonderful stay at Shiv Niwas Palace. The views are incredible and the staff is very helpful and welcoming. Would definitely recommend staying at this historic hotel

Very nice place to stay :-)

This is not a 5 star hotel. One could say the architecture, location, and view are 5 stars, but I could not call the cleanliness, decor, upkeep, food or service 5 stars. Compared to other hotels of similar price point, Shiv Niwas was an overall disappointment. The facilities are dodgy - for example in the suite, the A/C was controlled by a dial on the nightstand. There was no temperature gauge - just a dial - and if you turned it up above the very lowest setting it sounded suddenly were on an airplane landing strip. The towels were thin and threadbare. A five star hotel should provide decent towels. The breakfast was nice but I had one very lousy dinner and another mediocre dinner (room service). I did not feel the service/hospitality were up to standard for India - it was inconsistent and felt somewhat ingenuine. The beds and pillows were comfortable. One of my nights I stayed in a Lake view terrace suite and the view out the sliding door would have been perfect if the hotel wouldn't have put a stupid sticker with a warning to keep the door shut right in the middle of your view. Because that sticker was on the door obstructing my view, I kept my door open, ignoring the sticker's request. If you don't want people leaving the door open, don't give them a reason to. I think there are much better properties in Udaipur at the same price point. You pay high dollar to stay on city palace grounds but you can get similar views without the hassle elsewhere.

Location is great as this hotel is a part of City Palace, rest nothing is great about the hotel

The location of the property is very good, accessible to palace, shopping etc. Staff is very warm and hospitable. However, the rooms need major uplift as compared to its competitors. Breakfast served is not very good, not sure if it is outsourced, it does not seem fresh.

It is part of the City Palace’s

Absolutely a 10

Room: clean and well serviced, check out the pool side suites for a larger room Housekeeping: timely and v good Food: excellent variety of choice for Indian pallette and staff goes way beyond their duty to be helpful Spa: average overall, did not use Front desk: v helpful Location: within the city palace with great access to local markets, room key allows you rights to be on premises at all times Overall: definitely a 10/10 and a great choice

As part of the Palace complex this is truly an exceptional hotel which would cost four or more times more in Europe.

Great historical property. Location can’t be beat and the staff was expeditions in every way. Will return for sure!

enjoyed stay

We wish to file a complaint & claim compensation for the stay. Please advise process. The property is not 4 star as stated. We had a room that had mold, and construction works being carried out. The shower and electric kettle were faulty. Despite complaining management refused to change our room. Don’t bother booking this hotel. The 5 star reviews are written by local people, We have travelled worldwide, this hotel is not even 3star. Don’t waste your money,

Super stay

We had a wonderful time in this beautiful palace. It was certainly a gorgeous oasis to recover a bit from a long jet lag. Restaurant : very good. Staff very helpful . A beautiful aspect of the lake

A great heritage hotel experience.

The location of the hotel is its best part! Walking in the bylanes, shopping, exploring the cafes or the city palace tour, nothing can be better than this hotel and Taj Fateh Prakash. Bothe are very strategically located. Food and service both were superb. The desk was very courteous and prompt. However the rooms look old and they lacked good design and heritage vibe. Similarly the bathrooms are old and lack the charm of a well designed place. In facilities, there was no gym and salon. The pool was under construction too. We went with a lot of expectations as it belongs to the HRH group.

Amazing property in every way. We did a spa day and it was okay. The rooms are absolutely beautiful. The setting is unrivaled. The food was good. The staff is overwhelmingly friendly and amazing.

Not as good as I thought

Limited Food Choices, Great View but sitting was not comfortable. Service was good but not friendly.

The most amazing thing was the room which had a balcony attached to it as well as a private area

Nice place

Manjeev Malhotra

The room given was miserable But we complained our room was upgraded which was a decent room

Beautiful grounds, elegant decor and perfect location. Bathrooms little on a tired side. Customer service below expectations - staff’s slow response rate (waited 45 min to get iron) combined with confusion and miscommunication lead to bit of frustration and unexpected charges. Breakfast buffet and Pool bar though adequate completely overpriced. (500 IR coffee..eek!)

A perfect royal experience

Our family thoroughly enjoyed the stay at Shiv Niwas palace. The overall ambience and view is one to be experienced. We were treated royally all throughout our stay with prompt and cordial service. The breakfast catered to all tastes and was delectable. The hotel itself is located in the middle of the city palace, which is a pro if you have to shop, take a sunset tour or tour around the city palace. They will also arrange for pickup and drop off at these spots. However, if you plan to visit old city, it can be a little hard to arrange transport.

A hotel within a palace. I didn’t think the property was well maintained. For the price it was not worth much

What a wonderful place! You are staying is a an actively functioning palace. The food is good and the strong is lovely. Splurge on a great room if you can.

Beautiful rooms and views. I really enjoyed my stay

Things which did not function well at all during our brief stay: - Quality of Guest Room. It was a Suite that we had booked at a pretty hefty price ( Air Conditioning was not effective at all given the room size). It was a torrid time as we hardly slept most part of the night. Pretty bad design of AC Ducts with air flow only in one single channel focused at just one small part of the room - Restaurants ( Friendliness of staff,Promptness) : seems they had a lot of staff, but hardly anyone paying due attention to all guests. They never shared the options available at BF and neither were they following the virtues of True Indian Hospitality (Serving with Care, Warmth and Affection) - Room Service (Food Quality, Quality of Service, Promptness, Clearance done on Time) : till the time we checked out, the dishes we had asked to be cleared remained. The Night lamp which required replacement was never done until having reminded twice.

Beautiful and authentic Rajasthani hotel! It was a pleasure to stay here. Lots of perks: rajasthani feel, quiet, next to City Palace, great service + gold cart driving help from one place to another, BEAUTIFUL VIEWS from the rooftop, central location. It was a little on the expensive side, not sure if it was because of the location/season/or what. But I definitely 100% recommend this hotel to others.

Beautiful and authentic Rajasthani hotel! It was a pleasure to stay here. Lots of perks: rajasthani feel, quiet, next to City Palace, great service + gold cart driving help from one place to another, BEAUTIFUL VIEWS from the rooftop, central location. It was a little on the expensive side, not sure if it was because of the location/season/or what. But I definitely 100% recommend this hotel to others.

Great location in the city palace complex

Great location within the city palace complex. The room could do with a few paintings to add some character. The bathroom is outdated but is still functional. Great that housekeeping provided cookies and chocolates every day. Food at the restaurant was great! Service was fine.

The hotel is very tired, jaded & in need of a complete repair The tiles in the bathroom were coming off & thrysoil pope to the toilet was disgusting The worst thing was that the staff didn’t care It was awful The swimming pool is really ornamental & could not be used in peace as there were workmen around always Do not recommend this hotel as it stands- it is only a 2 Star at best

The Hotel is in an incredible location, right next to the palace. The staff are very pleasant and helpful but the hotel generally could do with a major refurbishment. Although the room was obviously kept very clean there was paint peeled off the walls in most of the room so it sadly gave the impression that the hotel was not well kept.

Historic hotel excellent service

Friendly staff gave us better than expected room. Had lake views. Food and restaurants were good

nice swimming pool

A very special hotel, Shiv Niwas Udaipur

I travelled to Udaipur with my mother and we really enjoyed our stay at Shiv Niwas. A beautiful palace property,so enchanting with it's incredible architecture, historic decor and beautiful lake and City Palace views. A great location for taking a lake cruise, lake sunset dinner at the palace restaurant, tour at the attached City Palace or shopping in the nearby markets. The staff were extremely helpful and attentive, especially at the lovely pool and bar. I would highly recommend to stay here

Wonderful to be within the City Palace complex. Very friendly staff. Lacks a lake view from the restaurant although you can eat in sister restaurant, Sunset Terrace, overlooking the lake.

Beautiful old opulent and slightly decadent palace. If you want 5* sterilised luxury in a chain hotel this is not for you. A truly unique experience, the buildings are quirky, furnishings origional, staff wonderful, food great. And it's really quiet.

Royal

My wife and I stayed here for two nights. We felt like royalty being here. The royal family resides at the Palace. The rooms were spacious and clean. Breakfast was just ok. The staff did offer to make us omelets, which was nice. Our room offered a beautiful view of Lake Pichola. Wi-Fi was very fast. We had our own router in the room. We received massages here and had a great time at the spa. You will not regret staying here.

Characterful Hotel

Lacks management, old fashioned, hard beds and breakfast not included.

Palace luxury at an affordable price

The setting by the Lake and within the City Palace are a source of never ending joy. The staff are smiling and to serve you seems to be a genuine pleasure. It was our second visit and I was sure it couldn't be as good as our first but it was even better.

They kindly upgraded us

We were upgraded on our last nice to a palatial suite so over the top that we couldn't believe it! A beautiful hotel, perfectly located.

Palace Experience

We had a nice stay at Shiv Niwas Palace . Though getting into the hotel complex was bit of a challenge since some of the access roads were closed Once inside it was very comfortable The hospitality was excellent and so was the access to the meuseum ,Lake Pichola and the restaurants Overall it was a nice experience

Unfriendly to guests

I had plans to visit Udaipur and stay in this hotel, however, flight troubles prevented me from making the trip last minute. Given the circumstances out of my control I asked if my advanced payment could be refunded, even though Expedia tried to help and negotiate on my behalf the Hotel refused. I also contacted the tour operators in Udaipur and another hotel in Mumbai where I had reservations and they all were understanding of my situation and either refunded my payment or voided penalties, the Shiv Niwas Palace simply refused to do it.

Very nice hotel on the palace grounds.

I had a wonderful short stay at the Shiv Niwas and would recommend it to anyone.

grand and fabulous hotel

the stay was amazing and memorable.

42nd Wedding Anniversary Stay

This Hotel is situated directly on Lake Pichiolla. Our room had a beautiful view of the water. The check-in process is much different from your typical American Hotel. You are greeted in person by Manager of Hotel who provided us with freshly made drinks and a beautiful alcove to sit and rest while his Staff did all the necessary paperwork to check-us into the Hotel. I recommend dinner at the Jag Mandir Palace which is accessible only by private boat supplied by the Hotel. The Room is gorgeously appointed with modern conveniences although the charm and elegance experienced by Royalty and Heads of State are still experienced by today's guests. We were expertly taken care by Ashok, the Hotel's Manager who made sure our every need was immediately attended to by his expert Staff. Highest recommendation is hereby given to this Hotel for a stay you will remember for the rest of your life.

We stayed in a palace with combination of modern & 20th century charm. The history and decor was interesting. It was a short walk to The City where shopping, restaurants and light & sound show awaits. The dinner was terrific and complimentary breakfast was wonderful, including made to order omletes!!

Charming hotel with stunning views

We loved our stay and wouldn't certainly go back. World class views and the service far exceeded our expectations - they anticipated our every need. We were there for my birthday and they even surprised me with a cake and bouquet of flowers! The facilities were in need of a little updating in certain places, but after we got settled in we felt that it simply added to the charm. If you like great views, attentive service, rich history and James Bond movies (many scenes in Octopussy were filmed here), then this is your place

Palace splendour

Architecturally this is a gem. A wonderful pool and bar area. Rooms are comfortable and well furnished if a little dated (e.g. modern hairdrier and shaving mirror needed). Western and Indian food are both unusually good. Staff are pleasant and friendly but in efficiency well short of five-star standards.

The property is wonderful and full of history and culture. Beautiful settings and very well located. We were very happy with the stay overall.

Amazing location but disappointing room

Within part of the City Palace, this hotel enjoys a fantastic location - and you pay for it! However, the standard room was disappointing and breakfast was distinctly average. If you can afford a suite then go for it otherwise I'd suggest that can better value for money elsewhere.

Way too pricey for the amenities. Dinner was lousy, the folks serving didn't know what they were serving and/or were not knowledgeable. Breakfast however was very good. Bathrooms had 18th century pipes and fittings.The king size bed was made using two Twin beds joined together leaving a bump/valley in the middle. It was very painful. TV was never working and had to call room service thrice and they didn't show up once. The adjacent City-Palace and shopping around was great.. The lake Pichola was a disappointment. The water was very dirty and did not feel like dipping my finger into it. The pictures look gorgeous but the reality is very different - I guess that is the sad part of travelling in India.

Love it

It was the perfect location. Great people, great food. We love it

Amazing location

Fantastic location. We didn't have high expectations as had read some bad reviews but if you look beyond the old bed and bath fittings the hotel has great charm and we were glad we chose it as was so different to every other hotel we stayed in on our trip

Royalty all the way

A standard double size room with a separate wardrobe/changing section and big bathroom with marble flooring throughout.Room has a standard double bed,coffee table,fridge,lcd tv with cable connection,2 sofa chairs and a work desk,access to free wifi.The room has a panoramic view of the city due to situation of hotel on a high vantage point. Restaurant food was sumptous with a choice of dining at The Paantya or the terrace with lake view of adjacent Fateh Prakash palace hotel.Breakfast is complimentary.

Not worth the price

The staff were friendly and the hotel was in a great location, but overall the room and the hotel seemed run down and in desperate need of a facelift. The bathrooms were from the 1970s the tiles were cracked and dingy. The hotel walls as well were quite dingy and moldy.

Stylish but outdated

We enjoyed staying in the palace but the rooms were run down. Staff was friendly and helpful though

A damp squib

We stayed for 2 nights in a palace room and I would not recommend this hotel. Room quality: Room was tiny and not 90 sq. meters (expedia). Hardly any space to move there. No lake-view from it and bathroom fittings, tiles, room furniture looks very old and does not contain the quality of a high-level hotel, which you expect in a similar price bracket. Room rent: We got a deal of around Rupees 6000/- per night and the room-rent for the palace room was way too higher for the room quality and services they offer, even for Rs 5000/- per night. Room location: The building of palace rooms is much away other parts of the building and the building looks like a separate building made for servant in older times. This creates a nuisance if it is raining or sun is beating outside. No elevators in the building of course. Room services: Cleaners do not replace used soaps and shampoo bottles everyday. Hidden charges: Basically, these guys can charge you for anything you ask them after you check-in, say bottled water, some eatable already put in the room and which seems complementary. I ended up in paying much extra money at the time of check out. Rude reception: The reception is all male staff and don't know how to talk politely and courteously. Services: The pool is very small in size i.e a baby pool. The hotel restaurant is very pricey with the given the food quality. Tip hungry waiters: Waiters will wait endlessly to be tipped all the time.

Very good staff!

Incredible experience -- really appreciate the staff who were very friendly!

OK, not great.

Hotel is nice, but the vibe isn't great. There are better options nearby to my mind. That said, the rooms are lovely, with fantastic air conditioning that doesn't make a racket.

Amazing experience

Shiv Niwas overlooking lake Pichola is truly a wonderful place for a luxurious holiday with you family ... living in a real Indian Palace .... loads of history. They have a great set of staff, always eager to help with a smile. The restaurants were very good & bar was very good with a beautiful view & a quiet.

Good hotel within City Palace grounds.

The Shiv Niwas is within the grounds of the City Palace. Staying here is a nice experience as you feel part of the palace itself. The hotel gives you a pass to show to the guards at the gates to the city palace to facilitate entry to the hotel. You must have this pass with you otherwise you can't get in. The city palace gates close at 11.00pm so effectively there is a curfew, but that didn't impact on me. The hotel grounds are splendid and the room was large and well appointed. When I stayed there were not many guests so the much acclaimed buffet breakfast was not on offer. Anyway, guests ordered from the menu which was included in the room rate. I had dinner at the Restautant one night and it was of a high standard. However, I did feel that hotel staff were always waiting for tips. This is a general comment from other reviewers too and it is very evident. There is a tip box at reception which is a much better way to go. I felt there was a definite expectation for tips. The cleaning man even waited outside my room when I checked out and reminded me he had cleaned my room every day. This is a minor issue but it can be irritating. I would stay at this hotel again.

Well locate Hotwl with lots of character

Great location in the City Palace good for site seeing

Memorable atmosphere and ambiance

We had a room upstairs (we might have been upgraded but i am not sure). It was spacious, overlooked a lovely expanse of trees where green parrots and numerous birds lived. The mattress and pillows were very comfortable - we have bad backs so were very grateful for the comfort. The bathroom functioned, plenty of amenities and all well stocked.

Dirty white towels are now beige!

Huge room! But the bathroom needs renovations! Will not recommend it to no open. Maximum 2 star hotel located in a luxury sroundings!

Worth every penny!

Fabulous hotel with beautiful pool, amazing food, great service and nice spa on premises. Located in the best part of the town right on the lake, which makes rooms quiet and cozy.

Amazing experience, Heritage stay

The property is still owned by the Royal Family, which stays in a portion of this Palace and rest is available for guests. The Royal suite, is very spacious and right on the lake pichola. The view from the suite is mesmerizing, and early morning and late evening view is worth the cost. Everything is in walking distance.

Real Palace Charm

We booked Shiv Niwas as highlight of our India trip and to celebrate the birthday of our little daughter. Originally we booked a terrace suite which turned out to be a little small for a family. It is advertised at Expedia with 80sqm of space and can accommodate up to 4Pax. But most of the space is actually the terrace. It is a wonderful terrace but the remaining space inside of the room is rather cramped for a family. A short while after having addressed our disappointment about the room space to the manager at the reception we have been offered to move into a bigger imperial suite. The imperial suite is really majestic and turned our disappointment into enjoyment. Our birthday girl felt like a princess at her birthday not only due to the fantastic room but also due to the flower bouquet and chocolate cake provided by the hotel staff. Big thx to the hotel manager for turning this situation around.

Would Stay Here Again I

Stay at the Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel was excellent: Friendly, helpful staff; clean and tasteful room; beautiful views; easy convenience to sightseeing; Just be careful in the shower as the hot water suddenly became scalding.

Best thing about this hotel is that it's on the Palace grounds. Secluded and separate from the city. Quite, clean rooms with an actual wifi router in the room. Great connection and speed. Small patio attached. No view for the price I paid but that was fine as you've only a 3 min walk to the lakeside. Very good breakfast bar, eggs made to order.

Wonderful

Wonderful staff and service. Superb location