Mela Kothi - Chambal Safari Lodge — Hotel in Uttar Pradesh

Where to begin…. Other reviewers have highlighted the sense of family welcome at Mela Kothi and like them, I have struggled a little to put how very real this is into words. ||The accommodation is excellent, comfortable beds, smart bathrooms and real, good quality tea and coffee facilities in the room. The team at Mela Kothi are exceptional.||The food was excellent and whilst at Mela Kothi for a couple of days without other guests, I was spoiled by the team to the point where I felt getting in a boat of any kind might endanger everyone involved because of the extra weight…||My guide for three days, Bacchu, was, as another guest has commented a gentle soul, and his knowledge about the local (and not so local) wildlife as well as local history and legends was incredible. What made this even better was the way in which he wove stories about people, places and nature together to make the whole experience more engaging. I would return just for more long, rambling walks with Bacchu (and some more palak pakoda).||One of the other highlights was the fire pit. This is a great way to meet other travellers and gave me the unique experience of drinking vintage Pomerol around an open fire in Uttar Pradesh with a lovely family from Delhi. It just goes to prove that no matter how well you know India, it will always have the power to surprise…..||Thank you to Ram and Anu for what can only really be described as a top notch experience, real people, real warmth and the closest brush you’re ever likely to have with a marsh crocodile…. so yes, real...

My husband and I spend 2 nights in the chambal Safari lodge almost 2 weeks ago, after staying 2 nights in Delhi. It is an amazing place outside Agra, very peaceful, full of nature with very friendly staff, where you can relax after a busy days in bigger cities. Our room was enormous and very well decorated! Private terrace also! It was very cold in the evenings but heating was provided and 2 hot water bottles were placed in our bed (a very nice surprise prepared every day at dinner time)!!! During our stay, we did some tours that you can book after your arrival and all were amazing! They have their own naturalists that will help you during your stay, and we never felt pressure to do any tour. You will see that time slow down in chambal and everything is very relax! We recommend the "river safari" in the chambal river where you can observed the gharial (a specie of crocodile), crocodiles and a lot of birds; "Bateshwar tour" to observe the medieval temples of Bateshwar and more. More tours are available! We also did the Village and nature walks, where we had opportunity to interact with locals and see how they live! It was a great experience! Food: all food that we had at breakfast, lunch and dinner was amazing! They have their own cook that is always happy to explain everything that is served in the buffet. Food can be served in a dinning room or outside depending of the weather! Great place! Totally...

This charming retreat is the perfect antidote to Agra's urban chaos. We spent 3 wonderfull nights here. The rooms are huge and beautifully decorated with traditional `Indian woodblock prints. The hosts, Ram and Anu are so hospitable and generous, they make you feel so welcome. The staff is very helpful and hard-working. The food is deliciously fresh and a welcome break from the dreaded hotel buffets one so often gets. The bread was freshly baked, and the jams and pickles were all homemade as well. The setting is in a huge garden bordering the forest. Our excellent guide, Bachchu Singh is a very experienced naturalist who can identify birds just by their sone. He knows the flora, fauna and bird life completely. He took us on a safari to find the Sarus bird, the largest flying bird on the planet, which was exciting. We found a small group of these extraordinary birds, a highlight of the trip. We had a lovely excursion on the Chambal River to view more birdlife, crocodiles, gharials, river dolphins, turtles, etc., which was also an exclusive perk of staying...