Suryagarh, a new fort of yellow stone on the road to the dunes

A fort that was never besieged

• Not historic: Suryagarh was built in the early years of this century on open desert beside the road to Sam, and opened around 2010. It doesn't pretend otherwise.
• The name: the fort of the sun, which feels exactly right in a place where the sun rules every hour.
• The same stone: the yellow sandstone the Bhatis quarried, with the same carved brackets.
• The same jharokhas: overhanging screened balconies that let women and breezes into a room without the glare.
• The same plan: rooms turned inward around courtyards.
• Not the crowding: inside Jaisalmer's walls the lanes are narrow, and the fort's foundations have suffered as water use has grown. That is why we ask guests not to stay inside the fort.
• The best of both: the look, materials and craft of Jaisalmer, with the space, plumbing and silence of a new building.
• A sister in Bikaner: the Suryagarh Collection also runs Narendra Bhawan. One is a fort imagined from scratch, the other a maharaja's real home, both with a taste for storytelling and theatre at dinner.

Between the old fort and the dunes

• Why that matters: in a desert town the sightseeing hours are early and late, and midday belongs to shade and rest.
• The land: the classic western Thar. Flat, stony, scattered with thorn scrub and the odd khejri, whose pods, sangri, go into the region's most famous dish.
• Winter light: so clear that the fort on its ridge is visible on the horizon from the road.
• Wind turbines: they turn slowly on the plateaus beyond. Some guests dislike them, and we have learned to accept them.
• Dark and still: the hotel stands on its own ground, outside the town's lights and noise, and the stars come out in numbers you never see in a city.
• For truly dark skies: you still need to drive further out, which we arrange, but Suryagarh is far quieter than anywhere in town.

What a day at Suryagarh feels like

• Verandas and turrets: some rooms have verandas, some look out from the turrets.
• How rooms are given: the hotel allocates them on the day, so we never promise one. We tell the hotel what matters: a ground floor for an older parent, connecting rooms for a family, a desert view for a honeymoon.
• The central courtyard: the heart of the place, cool and shaded by day between the rooms and pools, full of lamplight and music in the evening.
• A castle to explore: children love it, and adults find the corners and terraces where nobody else is sitting.
• Room to spread out: lawns, gardens and terraces mean the hotel rarely feels busy, even when full.
• The singers: our page on the Manganiyar singers explains who they are and why their music matters.

Dining, from the courtyard thali to dinner on the dunes

• The courtyard thali: on many evenings, the hotel's signature, a long procession of small bowls.
• Ker sangri: the berries and beans of desert shrubs, cooked with spices and dried mango. The taste of this land.
• Bajra rotis: flatbreads of pearl millet, with white butter in winter.
• Home cooking: gatte, gram-flour dumplings in a yoghurt curry, and panchkuta, a mix of five desert ingredients.
• For meat-eaters: laal maas, mutton in a fierce red chilli gravy, and the slower, milder safed maas.
• Every dish explained: our Jaisalmer food guide.
• Meals outside: dinners on the dunes and picnics at desert oases. A jeep across the scrub, a fire, low cushions on a carpet, musicians and a sky full of stars.
• Dietary needs: tell us about Jain, vegan or allergies before you arrive. The kitchen is used to planning around them.

The spa, the pools and the long afternoon

• Cold weeks: in December and January the water is cooler and the sun more welcome on a terrace.
• The spa: massage and therapies drawn from Indian traditions. Menus change, so we don't list treatments.
• Yoga: can be arranged.
• What to look for: our page on spas and Ayurveda explains a good treatment.
• For families: the pools and lawns are the hotel's great gift. Children who climbed through the fort's gates all morning can run, swim and nap, and parents get an afternoon off.
• Why we choose it: that simple rhythm is why Suryagarh is our pick for most families in Jaisalmer.

Days out from Suryagarh

When to come to Suryagarh

• February: soft light and comfortable days, and in most years the Jaisalmer Desert Festival, held around the full moon of the Hindu month of Magh. We confirm dates each year and book early for festival week.
• March and April: March warms up quickly, and by April the afternoons are hot.
• May to the monsoon: fierce, often well over forty degrees. We plan Jaisalmer then only for travellers who understand what that means.
• The monsoon: July and August can bring dramatic skies and a brief greening of the scrub, but rain is never guaranteed.
• Christmas and New Year: the busiest weeks of all. The hotel books out well ahead.
• Month by month: our best time to visit Jaisalmer guide has the detail.

Who will love Suryagarh, and who should look elsewhere

How Suryagarh fits our journeys

• With Bikaner: on the desert triangle, it pairs naturally with Narendra Bhawan.
• Festival time: on the Jaisalmer Desert Festival journey, it is the place to come back to after long days of music and camels.
• Families and couples: our family adventure routes and Rajasthan for Two use it too, often with a final night in a desert camp.
• Every option: our guide to luxury hotels in Jaisalmer compares them.

Before you go

• Proper shoes: for the fort's stone ramps and the sand, where sandals fill quickly.
• Lip balm and moisturiser: the dry desert air is harder on skin than most guests expect.
• Small notes: for chai on the road, tips for musicians and camel handlers, and offerings at the Jain temples.
• Patience for the drive: the roads are long and straight. Download music or a book for the hours across the Thar.

Getting to Suryagarh

• By train: overnight and day trains come from Jodhpur, Jaipur and Delhi. An adventure rather than a luxury, so we usually prefer the road.
• From Bikaner: about five to six hours, through some of the emptiest country in the state.
• From the hotel: the fort is about fifteen to twenty minutes by car and the Sam dunes a little longer. Our drivers wait at every stop, so you never need a taxi.

What we tell friends before they check in

• Layers in winter: the courtyards are warm at noon and cold at ten at night.
• Music one evening: ask for the Manganiyar musicians in the courtyard, and tip them directly.
• Order the desert dishes: the ker sangri and bajra roti are why you came.
• Respect the town: Jaisalmer Fort is a living neighbourhood. Dress modestly, ask before photographing people and don't climb on walls. Our etiquette guide has more.