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 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.

It is a fascinating and very comfortable experience to stay at this heritage hotel. We were on a fairly long road trip around South India, and wishing to visit Bellary Fort and Hampi, so the Shivavilas seemed to be the natural choice, well positioned within reach of both locations. It’s hard to know what to expect when booking a hotel online, photos can be deceptive, but this hotel did not disappoint and we were particularly pleased with our choice. The building was constructed by the local princely family around 1940, and transformed into a hotel more recently. There is a very charming, historic atmosphere, with many interesting pictures, books and artefacts in the capacious reception rooms. The inner courtyard, where meals can be taken, is cool and extremely attractive. They probably are mosquitoes, but the hotel is very successful at keeping them at bay. We had a very large, high ceilinged, well appointed bedroom, with a large terrace. The furnishings in the bedroom were original 1940s, very high-quality, including two beautiful old planter chairs. Don’t expect modern fittings - come here if you appreciate good, old furnishings. An outstanding aspect of the hotel is the excellent, very thoughtful manager and his lovely staff. Nothing was too much trouble, and they were all really kind. There is a large swimming pool, with particularly comfortable loungers, and high-quality umbrellas. The pool changing rooms are slightly dated but absolutely fine. I have an allergy to dairy, and as I had notified the hotel previously, they kindly purchased in some soya milk. The food was generally good, and there was a large choice. The kitchen prepared good picnics for us on the days we were going out early to Ballari and Hampi. It was slightly disappointing that the spa was not open, but in fact we really enjoyed reading and relaxing on our balcony and by the pool. Also, the manager kindly showed us the collection of immaculate vintage cars, well worth a look. We would definitely recommend this hotel, there is no other upscale hotel in the Sandur hills at all, and we had a unique, great experience here.

Lovely spot, helpful staff...and lovely room...love the open air courtyard! The grounds are beautiful andvwell maintained with a nice pool and gym area..if you feel the urge! Good dinner menu and a buffet breakfast was all very good...nice alturnative to hampi