Nilambag Palace Hotel

Nilambag Palace Hotel is a heritage hotel in a former Maharaja's palace in Bhavnagar, on the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, India. The palace was built in the late 19th century for the rulers of the princely state of Bhavnagar and later converted into a hotel, and it stands in landscaped gardens on the edge of the city. Bhavnagar itself is a port and commercial town, with the Gandhi Smriti museum, the Takhteshwar Temple hill and the Barton Museum among its sights. The hotel is also a useful base for Palitana, about 50 km south-west, where the Shatrunjaya hill holds more than 800 Jain temples reached by a climb of roughly 3,000 steps. Velavadar Blackbuck National Park lies roughly 65 km north, and the beach town of Diu is a longer drive. Bhavnagar has its own airport and railway station, both a short drive from the palace. The architecture is European-influenced Indo-Saracenic in style, with high ceilings, verandahs and period furniture, and the atmosphere is stately, quiet and old-fashioned rather than modern. Rooms are offered as Heritage Rooms and Suites, and amenities include a restaurant, gardens, wifi and the heritage architecture itself. Dining is generally Gujarati, North Indian and continental, served in the palace dining room, often with vegetarian emphasis. There is no large pool or spa listed. Service is personal and heritage-oriented, suiting leisure travellers and couples. Rates commonly run from INR 7,000 to 13,000 per night. The hotel suits visitors who value character over modern facilities, and who plan to climb Shatrunjaya early and return to a peaceful setting.