Hotel Meri Haveli — Hotel in Rajasthan

We loved our stay at Meri Haveli! My husband and I came for a few days and ended up staying two weeks!

Our room was large, bright, and cheerful, with a lovely window seat facing the Jaisalmer Fort and designed in tasteful Rajasthani style. The bed so comfortable I didn’t want to get up in the morning! Good hot water, AC, heater, Wifi, Smart TV with Netflix, kettle, tea/coffee, water, a refrigerator, big towels…and sparkling, sparkling clean!

The hotel itself is built with Indian Rajasthani stone carvings and archways and is just beautiful to look at. The location is good and it’s in a small lane with a few other hotels, so it’s not loud or crowded, and at the end of the lane is the desert so you can take a walk early in the morning…if you like to Gadisar Lake…or anytime, away from the noise and crowds of the city. We looked at all the rooms before choosing ours and every one was really nice, with some having multiple window seats with large windows and good for a family or traveling with friends. Meri Haveli is a new property owned by Om Prakash, otherwise know as Fifu, who is most always onsite and is one of the nicest, most gracious people I’ve ever met. He really goes out of his way to make sure each guest has the best experience possible and will help you with anything you need. His staff is really good and keeps everything spotlessly clean. The fort is just a short stroll and we liked that because it was fun to have a relaxing walk back to the hotel in the evening and see interesting things without tons of tourists about. You can also take a tuktuk, but we ate so much fantastic local food that we needed to walk it all off! We really enjoyed coming home each night to Meri Haveli. We ate breakast at the rooftop restaurant every morning and a few dinners, but we wanted to try the local places as well. There are many great restaurants all within walking distance. KB Lodge for Ker Sangri (a local dish) and Palak Paneer, Desert Boy for lunch in the fort, Desert Boy Dhani on the main road for really good Dal Bati Churma, First Gate for Italian (I like the pasta putinesca, shiraz….and try the chocolate mousse) and Fifu’s at Meri Haveli if you just want to stay home and relax…and there’s so much to do here. Walk around the Fort and visit the old palace museum and the incredible old Jain Temples. There’s a palace and multiple historic Havelis just outside the fort gate down the little lanes full of shops and historic houses. Trips out to the desert to photograph interesting Jain and Hindu temples with incredible architecture, the Royal centataphs at Bada Bagh, Kuldara, and more. Near Fifu’s is also Gadisar Lake which is fun for walking and shopping…and in the evening you can go to the Desert Cultural Center just nearby for Rajasthani music and the puppet show. Of course, other then the fort most people come to Jaisalmer for the desert safaris in the great Thar Desert. We had Fifu arrange one for us because his camp is in a great location where there aren’t many tourists. At 2pm you can go by jeep to see Kuldara, an abandoned, some say, haunted village, then to see a lake oasis and last a small fort…then to the camp where we rode camels into the desert to watch the sunset and back for the cultural show with traditional music, dancing and a buffet dinner. We chose to sleep there in a swiss tent which was really nice…with a king bed, full bathroom with hot water, and all amenities….and then got up early to watch the sunrise, breakfast and drove back to Meri Haveli. I had the best night sleep I’ve had in 10 years! Our driver, camp staff, food, accomodations were all really nice and we will definitely do it again next time we visit. All in all we had the greatest two weeks at Meri Haveli and look forward to coming again....

It's my second time to Jaisalmer and I would love to share my unforgettable experience with Hotel MERI HAVELI . This is a newly built property with big and wide beautiful rooms, a very clean and hygienic place. The interior is also very nicely done in a Rajasthani theme by the owner, Fifu. The most important thing is that the rooms are very beautiful and cozy with big beds and soft mattresses. Bathrooms are also big and well made. Hot and cold water and the shower is separate. You have all the amenities in the room like a 5 star hotel (A/c, Heater, hair dryer, wi-fi, smart tv with Netflix, tea/coffee maker, desk, closet). Upper rooms have balconies and windows with a fort view. If you want room service, it's quick. The restaurant is also very hygienic and clean on thel rooftop. Food was also very delicious and budget friendly with real Rajasthani taste. The Hotel owner Mr. Fifu, is one of the greatest people I've ever met. He is very very polite, humble and helpful and feels like my family. I am a traveler and have travelled a lot but it's hard to meet this kind of person, who really needs full satisfaction and happiness of his guests. He is well known around jaisalmer and has his own desert camp too. Trust me, it's a really great experience with the camel safari, cultural dance show and Rajasthani food and peaceful desert. They arrange a Jeep ride from the hotel to Fifu desert camps and mr. Soda, Fifu's driver drives you out to the desert camp. I avoided going to other camps because they were all too commercial. I stayed in Meri haveli almost 2 weeks with my wife and loved it. I will definitely come back soon. It's a really lovely, heart warming experience for me. Here the staff are also really polite, hardworking, and very well behaved and the atmosphere is very positive. This hotel is located 1.3 k m from the fort, hardly a 5-7 minutes walk, and it's safe and intersting. I avoided staying close to fort area because it's very busy, noisy and crowded. They have airport, railway station pickup/ drop and shuttle service too. And if you have your own vehicle so they have really good parking area. Thanks Mr. Fifu and team for...

My husband and I recently spent 4 days at Meri Haveli. Our stay was honestly one of the highlights of our trip to India. The rooms are beautifully decorated. The mattress was quite comfortable. The bathrooms are modern. Everything was super clean.||The breakfasts are outstanding, with a large breakfast buffet, continental and Indian options, always fruit and the cook and wait-staff are very accomodating. There is plenty of delicious Chai at all times of the day if one wishes. All food is vegetarian.||The sister hotel (Fifu) has a restaurant for lunch and dinner if one wishes. We had one dinner and different night, a dessert , both of which were delicious. ||The hotel is well situated. You can catch a TukTuk easily down the street. There are 3 nice restaurants a stones - throw away. The Fort is 10 minutes away by TukTuk. The nice thing about NOT staying within the Fort is being able to come back to the quieter, less chaotic neighborhood for a rest.||The owner of hotel Meri Haveli , Fifu, is incredibly warm and welcoming. He helps guests to schedule tours of the desert and other adventures. He genuinely wants people to love Jaisalmer and is delighted to make suggestions based on interest. We felt really well cared-for by Mr. Fifu. We had some issues using our US credit card in India, and Mr. Fifu was helpful and generous and trusting. What a huge relief! while I like to think we were ‘special’, I think he gives all guests an equally wonderful experience. But we have made a friend for sure. ||Just an FYI, this is a family hotel, so there are lots of families with children . It can be noisy at times in the dining room and occasionally in the morning when people are getting the day underway. We found it delightful and not intrusive at all. But earplugs are available for those who are light sleepers.||You will not be disappointed by...