Gajlaxmi Palace | Best Heritage Palace Homestay in Odisha

It was one of my best experiences to stay in a place. This place looks serene, the hospitality was amazing. I loved the big room with a huge rest room. The atmosphere of the whole palace was something to remember and the hosts were extremely cordial too. It's a great value for money as they serve very good quality homemade food. We enjoyed everything there

We came to know about Gajlaxmi palace from an online travel group & wanted to casually check out the place.We planned for a trip for 3 days & at the initial stages were contemplating a 1 day stay in Puri assuming that Gajlaxmi palace and Dhenkanal would not have much to offer.All this changed post an initial discussion with Navneeta Singhdeo who convinced us that Gajlaxmi palace had much to offer and 3 days also was not enough.And she was right.We reached Gajlaxmi on 30th March morning and was warmly welcomed by J P Singhdeo. The palace was located at a vantage point in the jungle with a great view in the southern side. In the northern fringe was the beautiful hill Megha with a lake infront of it which was bustling with birds and frequented by wild animals particularly at dawn and evenings- a heaven for nature lovers & bird enthusiasts. The palace itself is tastefully decorated with minimalistic designs,rooms are spacious and has all the amenities. The southern verandahs on ground and first floor as well the huge drawing room are ideal for adda sessions.|What makes this palace special is the warmth and sincere hospitality extended by J P and Navneeta. Navneeta has an eye for detail on almost every aspect of guests requirements - she ensures the food served is of the highest quality (it always had her special touch - a wonderful blend of Rajasthani & Odiya cuisines). JP very nicely planned out our stay, the areas that should be touched - Kapilash Forest safari, meeting Ikkat artists,docra village etc. He ensured we tasted the special chenapora- a delicacy of this region.|Besides all these, it was a privilege meeting Maharaj Ranendra PratapSinghdeo and listen to his marvelous experiences of hunting big game. He was a charming personality who really added very special colour to our stay there. ||S Das

This beautiful art deco palace in the middle of the forest is a paradise full of wild life. It has fabulous views of the forest and calm and beautiful lake. It has all of the grandeur of a palace combined with the friendliness of the amazing hosts JP and Navneeta. The food was excellent at every meal with so many different things to try. In the morning we had a long walk guided by JP to see the area around the palace and the village. There are two beautiful friendly Labrador dogs to make it really feel like home. Our only regret was to only be there for 2 nights. I will be back again I am sure.

This was my third visit to Gajlaxmi Palace in a span of 1 year and I feel at home amidst family here! Again an unplanned one and I was lucky to find a room in this busy season. ||The palace has recently been painted and it looks and feels all the more majestic. ||Set amongst dense forest and shooting place of many movies, Gajlaxmi Palace stands out as a true heritage property.||The winter mornings are always exciting with Jeetendraji taking his guest for a forest walk. For a trigger happy wildlife enthusiast like me it is a heaven and for bird lovers, a paradise. The serene beauty of the place is a lifetime experience!! ||Navneetaji remembers that I liked "kaal mash" and served the dish in dinner. 'Divine' is the least that I can think of the food at Gajlaxmi Palace. It's something to die for. ||This time I visited Tikarpara Tiger Reserve (Satkosia) which is about 2 hours from the Palace. Lovely roads and a day trip from Gajlaxmi Palace is recommended. At Satkosia one will be greeted by the awesome beauty of Mahanadi river bed, & surrounding hills and can easily spend 3-4 hours amidst nature. The boat trip and wildlife is something not to be missed!! The icing on the cake is the 30|Kms drive from the sanctuary gate to the boating facility inside dense forest!! ||It was again a great experience for me at Gajlaxmi Palace and already looking forward to the 4th....!! ||Thank you Navneeta Ji & Jeetendra ji, as always.....

This homestay is located in a magnificent art deco building located in the middle of a forest. The grandfather and father of the present owner have planted hundreds of trees around the property. We stayed in a room on the first floor and being close to the quarters of the owners, we felt really part of their family. The room itself had a lot of character, the adjacent bathroom was espcially notable for the bathtub, hewn from a block of stone. The warm watersupply was an issue, but the owner informed us that they were going to make changes to the bathroom to remedy that soon. The owner took us on a tour around the estate and we recommend you do that one of the first mornings, since we expect that you may go out yourself one or more of the following days you're staying here. The estate also has a watchtower at the lake. Well, it's more of a building where you could also spend a night looking at the animals gathering at the lake. You may even see elephants: the owners are (rightfully) very proud of the fact that these fantastic animals roam their estate. There are also other things to do around here: we enjoyed the Joranda tempels, the Dohkra art village and the weaver village. The Kapilash safari was more of an off-road experience than a safari, as there are hardly any animals. We were slighly underwhelmed, and in particular we had some reservations about our return journey, when we raced over the Indian roads in the dark in an open vehicle without there being seat belts. Nonetheless, it is an experience. The owner will be happy to draw up a schedule for you and assist you in getting to all the places. Do not skip lunch or dinner, though, the food cooked under the supervision of the lady of the house is excellent! The absolute highlight of this place, however, are its owners: J.P., Navneeta and their daughter are all exceptionally friendly and you feel truly at home here. We higly recommend staying here for some days or more!

This is a wonderful place to stay. Beautiful palace in the forest with its own lake and watch tower to see the wildlife. The hosts JP and Navneeta are charming and our room was regal and very comfortable. The food was delicious and there were so many different dishes to try. The palace has its own lovely friendly Labrador dogs which make it feel even more welcoming. I highly recommend a stay.

We went Gajalaxmi palace on 23rd January and came back 26th January. |Our stay is awesome. Mr& Mrs singh Deo are very nice person. Mrs Singh Deo iswas taking care of us very nice and her food is just outstanding. Mr Singh Deo took us to safari.Palace is well maintained. Cum and quite surrounded by hills and jungle. We feel like our home.They have 2 Labrador dogs.I am very scared of dogs.but they always tied the dogs when I come out of room.|All the staffs are very good. I will go again.Thanks Mr & Mrs Singh Deo .

Gajalaxmi Palace is truly a home away from home, nestled in the lap of nature amidst lush orchards and old forests. For city weary folks, there couldn't be a better getaway to wind down, take long forest walks, marvel at the stunning views, gaze at sublime night skies and partake of the gracious hospitality of the royal hosts. There is so much to do if you choose to or you could just sit back and take in the place and just be. Both are as rejuvenating and refreshing as the other! And a special word for the culinary delights, from continental to Indian, each meal from breakfast to dinner is carefully curated and utterly delightful. Go to Gajalaxmi and I am certain, you will keep returning for more!