The Garden Palace Heritage Hotel at Balasinor the private residence of the Royal family of Balasinor is set amidst lush green fields and gardens and was built in 1883 by HH Nawab Mohammad Munnawar Khanji Babi, the Nawab of Balasinor.
In recent times it has been converted into a Heritage Hotel by the present ruler HH Nawab Mohammad Salabat Khan and his wife, Begum Farhat Sultana and ably run by their daughter Nawabzadi (Princess) Aliya Sultana Babi.The scion of the family, Nawabzada Saheb Sultan Salauddin Khan Babi is at present away in Bombay pursuing his own career.
The Garden Palace welcomes you to a comfortable and memorable stay- a rare experience in these parts. Come and enjoy the warm and personal hospitality of the royal family of Balasinor, relax in well appointed rooms and enjoy one of the finest cuisines. You will relish the hospitality here which will make this palace as your own HOME AWAY FROM HOME - that is exactly what the royal family wants you to feel and experience! The moment you enter into the premises, you can be assured of being pampered with the finest in comfort and cuisine.
FACILITIES:
The drawing room is elegantly furnished with Louis XIV style French chairs, sofas, antique lamps, portraits, a collection of photographs of family and Indian Royals and hunting trophies. The guests can relax here and be entertained by the Babi family.
The Garden Palace has eight beautifully furnished rooms with attached modern bathrooms and a royal atmosphere for guests. Some of these rooms are air conditioned.
The Dining Room has cabinets housing priceless antiques , silver ware and beautiful crystal and souvenirs from various parts of the world collected by the royal family from their trips abroad. Here one can enjoy one of the finest cuisines and relish some of the age old recipies which have been in the family for generations and handed down over the years and The Begum is known for her food, she has had food festivals all over the country and has been featured in many a cookery books and magazines and has even appeared on television. The palace has its own farm where they cultivate wheat and vegetables and the compound also has fruit orchards, cattle dairy and poultry, so one can always be assured of fresh food. The cuisine at Garden Palace is an authentic Mughlai treat with a signature Balasinori flavour. The Royal Dastarkhaan ranges from a variety of chicken and mutton preparations to a spread of kebabs and pasandas and halwas. Cookery classes can be arranged on special request with the Begum herself being your teacher!
Places of Interest in and around Balasinor:
The Garden Palace has an ambience that is royal yet rustic and totally unspoiled. It has beautiful environs which can be explored by foot or by car.Within walking distance from the Garden Palace is the Choti Baadi housing the royal mausoleums,the oldest of which is over 400 years old! Evenings can be utilised with a stroll around the lake or a slight treak to the hill nearby and a visit to the old temples. One can view the breathtaking sunrise and sunset from the hill or the lake
A half day excursion can be arranged to the nearby Dinosaur site which is one of the 2nd largest site in the world where remains of the dinosaur eggs and fossils can be seen in their natural form. A perfect place for student groups from schools and colleges.
Nearby is the Wanakbori Dam built on the river mahi where picnics can be arranged. It offers a spectular view of the reservoir especially during monsoons.
Timba Tuva is another place of great interest. It has natural hot water sulphur springs believed to have miraculous medicinal value and a cure for arthritis and rheumatism. There is an ancient folklore associated with this place too, saying that the Pandavas from Mahabharat spent part of their exile in this region and Bhim is supposed to have married Hadimba in this place and one can view the wedding'manddap'made out of stone at Timba Tuva and also the foot prints of Bhim!
The Garden Palace is an ideal weekend gateaway from the hustle and bustle and of the city as it is conveniently located just 1 and a half hours drive from Ahmedabad on the National Highway 59 - Ahmedabad to Indore via Balasinor and Baroda is also 2 hours away, with good roads.
For bookings and queries please feel free to contact Aliya Sultana Babi at palacebalasinor@gmail.com and 91 2690 267786
4 comments:
If I write that this is a place where you feel at home away from home, and also a place where you truly and genuinely feel royal, then it might seem as a paradox. But the garden palace is definitely an amalgamation of the two absolutely different areas. Never before had I heard of a combination of royalty with humility. Honourable Nawab Sahab of Balasinor and his Begum Sahiba have taken excruciating pains to ensure that their guests leave with cherished memories of wonderful times spent here in the palace. This legacy has truly been carried ahead by their daughter Miss Aliya Babi, who currently manages the heritage hotel.
The ambience, the calm environs, the antique furniture- all of this and much more, lend a beautiful regal aura to this place.
Truly a tourist's haven. A must-see place for everyone who is passionate about travelling. The presence of the world's third largest dinosaur site near Balasinor is like icing on the top of the cake. A mere visit to this place is enough to make us fall in love with the giant beasts. And Miss Aliya's knowledge about the dinosaurs is quite commendable. She herself escorts tourists many a times to the site, which is truly a remarkable experience.
My advise: If you are really passionate about travelling and would want to taste adventure with a tinge of royalty, then this is truly the place that you need to include in your itinerary!! Bon Voyage!!
After having read what Shailee had to say about her experience at this wonderful heritage site, it leaves me with no choice but to make a trip to Belasinor with my family next time when I would visit India. The mere mention of Dinsaur site has sent us in a pre excitement mode and my elder son Atif a grade 8th student never stops talkoing about the proposed visit to the site.
Moin Sattar
Never before had I heard of a combination of royalty with humility. Honourable Nawab Sahab of Balasinor and his Begum Sahiba have taken excruciating pains to ensure that their guests leave with cherished memories of wonderful times spent here in the palace.
If you are really passionate about travelling and would want to taste adventure with a tinge of royalty, then this is truly the place that you need to include in your itinerary.
The mere mention of Dinsaur site has sent us in a pre excitement mode .
Garden Palace Balasinor has nothing very luxurious,or fake display of todays so called diplomacy, but a pure pure royal traditional courtesy and manners which comes right from the heart of the host..Nawab saab and his entire family...today after visiting them once, me and my friends and their families are big fan of the Royal family who take pains to make your stay the most memorable one....Truly enchanting...Cuisine from her kitchen is something, you shall miss lifetime if not tasted.if you love to be treated as life kingsize...Garden Palace balasinor is the Place to be...try it..my gaurantee
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