WelcomHeritage Shivavilas Palace, Hampi

First, I would like to advise people to go to this area during the monsoon or winter. It is wonderfully pleasant, and the scenery is a blaze of green on the hills. The summer months, I'm told, are unbearably hot (March - June). We stayed at Shivavilas Palace Hotel on a 3-night package to visit the Sandur and Hampi areas. I can safely say it was the best trip my wife and I have had in India, and it was mainly due to the comfort of the palace and the attentiveness of the staff at the Shivavilas Palace. The service is superlative. The Palace itself was beautifully and thoughtfully constructed in the early 1940s. It has been built for comfort (think high ceilings, spacious rooms and bathrooms, large room balcony and sitouts, aged wooden floors inside rooms and cool-looking black stone-flagged floors outside). It is not as ornate as large palaces in the north and, therefore, gives you what you are seeking: a relaxed, unthreatening atmosphere. The staff are available at your beck and call owing to its compact nature. Attention to small details in the rooms and around the palace is a strong feature of this palace; Something palace builders of the past knew, as service to the royals was of paramount importance. Little details such as strategically placed washbasin sinks, a cosy indoor bar, a Billiards table, and a beautiful verandah seating in the backyard portico, offer lovely evening get-togethers. As a compact palace, it has a dozen rooms at peak occupancy. The verandah and balcony behind each room are larger than the rooms themselves. They are nicely netted to prevent flies and mosquitoes. The indoors are optimally cooled with AC. Large trees and flower bushes adorn the palace compound. We spent a lot of time enjoying the diversity of flowers in this compound. You can hear several types of birds and peacocks in the quiet mornings Interesting memorabilia is visible (on walls, side tables, and photos), and the history of the royals is tucked into corners with numerous photographs of the area and its wildlife. The previous Maharajah (MV Ghorpade) was a celebrity photographer and author. I remembered reading his photo-documentary book "Sunlight and Shadows" from my teenage years, which now adorns one of the elephant-themed side tables in the palace. The key attraction of this palace is its beautiful gardens with trees and flower bushes, a 0.6 km walking path within its compound, a spa & gym, and a large lake behind the palace with a walking path for joggers and walkers. The palace dining rooms are clean, and the dining areas are spacious and airy (backyard), with really delicious meals served. We found their traditional (northern Karnataka) vegetarian fare excellent and didn't try the non-vegetarian dishes. You can bring your liquor and dine with it. A friendly and attentive staff, a diverse and well-appointed kitchen, an excellent morning breakfast that's included, and gorgeous surroundings make this palace hotel a highly attractive option t

We had an amazing 3-day stay at WelcomHeritage Shivavilas Palace Hotel. Right from the start, the staff made us feel very welcome. Special thanks to Mr. Praveen, Mr. Lokesh and Ms. Tejaswini at the reception for being so kind and helpful during our visit. They truly followed the spirit of “Atithi Devo Bhava” The housekeeping team kept everything very clean, and the beautiful gardens around the palace added to the peaceful and royal feel of the place. The food at the hotel restaurant was always tasty. Mr. Nitesh took great care of us during our meals and made every dining experience special. We are very thankful to the whole team for their excellent service. I highly recommend this palace hotel to anyone who wants a luxurious and culturally rich experience.

We stayed at the Welcome Heritage Shiva Vilas Palace this September. A group of 10 friends, we booked the hotel online on the recommendation of a family member. We were sceptical at first before going. But the moment we landed there, we knew we had made the perfect choice. The ambience, rooms, food, service, privacy, safety - everything was exemplary.. we felt like royalty while we were there.. Thanks to the management and staff, we had a memorable time. Wish we had stayed longer..

We loved this hotel which was more like a palace. The staff was exceptionally good and treatwd us like royalty. Exxellent facilities and beautiful surroundings and garden. It has all rhe facilities you associate with a 5 star accommodation plus it has very authentic indian touch. Waking up in the palace to the sounds of bird calls and seeing beautiful green hills from the room was so calming. The place also has a HUGE billiards room and a library intact as it was when the royalty lived here. Overall I felt pampered and completely relaxed.