PUSHKAR ORGANIC FARM

A luxury farm stay in Pushkar

5 min read

The long anticipated trip to India had finally arrived. My husband and I were rather excited!

Our itinerary: fly to Dehli, acclimatise for a few days in Haus Khaz (a surprising trendy location with a beautiful fort, lovely shops and food). Travelling by train we visited Jaipur, Udaipur and Pushkar. No rushing around for us, we wanted to soak in everything India had to offer us so we kept the our schedule simple.

I would love to share a daily run down however to keep this readable I have reserved this piece for our stay in Pushkar, more specifically our stay at Pushkar Organic Farm! Can you imagine my excitement when I discovered this beautiful place? We decided to book this for the end of our amazing trip, a few days of chilling out before returning home.

During the planning stages I was beyond excited to find an organic farm stay in Pushkar. An obsession with all things organic and in with organic food in particular, I was convinced this was fate. I immediately booked us in for 2 nights, before deciding we needed 3 nights

We took the train from Udaipur in the early morning. After a challenging taxi ride from Ajmer train station, Udai, our host and his team greeted us, paid the taxi driver the ‘extra’ fare whilst ushering us into the tranquility of the farm for a cool, refreshing drink. He adeptly washed away the stress of the journey with only one thing in mind…to make us feel welcomed and relaxed.

The hot, sweaty, dusty feeling melted away instantly. Sipping our drink overlooking the stunning pool, I was already in love with this place. To say we felt at home immediately is an understatement. Pushkar Organic Farm was going to be our slice of heaven for a few days.

Udai has created an oasis in the middle of a dry and dusty desert. With only a handful of rooms available this feels very much like an exclusive stay.

Now this is not a ‘tripadvisor review’, this is about the entire experience. Yes, the room was large, polished and very well appointed with a beautiful balcony overlooking the farm. Yes, the room was extremely comfortable but Pushkar Organic Farm is so much more than a wonderful room.

The gentle and relaxed atmosphere during our stay can not be beaten and in some ways is difficult to describe. A mix of simplicity, tranquility and luxury. We felt like Udai’s house guests rather than paying customers.

We had arranged to have dinner at the farm on the first evening and after being served the most delicious food we promptly requested that all of our meals to be taken at the farm. Again simplicity was the order of the day. An offering of rice, dhal, vegetables and chapatti, freshly cooked and beyond yummy! And don’t forget the freshly prepared yoghurt. We had some of our best food experiences here (and trust me….we have tasted a lot of good food!!). I was in my element, the food matched perfectly with how I strived to eat (Ayurvedically). Service is informal and relaxed, you help yourself to food, more chapatti is brought out on request and nothing is too much trouble. Just perfect!

Udai’s hospitality extended to spending the evening chatting to us over a herbal tea, he has typical Indian charm and stories aplenty. No topics were off limits, just grown up and often meaningful talk. He happily spoke to us each evening after dinner about his many projects, including the farm itself. Udai also asked us some searching questions which I still think about today.

My husband and Udai’s joint interest in all things old and peculiar led to some ‘man’ time bonding, Udai kindly showed my husband some of his projects while I relaxed by the pool. I am not sure either of them would ever get bored talking to each other!

After a faster paced trip through Rajasthan we welcomed a relaxing few days. We enjoyed early morning yoga and an in-room massage (well, in-room was actually out on our balcony but still blissful!).

We took a trip to the centre of Pushkar (the farm sits around 5 minutes away by tuk-tuk from the town). It was a fun experience. Filled with temples, shops and of course the sacred lake. We had a stroll around the shops which is always entertaining in India. I’m not sure I needed anymore scarves but at £4 each I was unable to resist buying a few more!

For anyone interested in magical architecture, Hinduism or history then Pushkar is worth a visit. It is home to the Brahma temple as well as 100’s of other beautiful Hindu temples. It is also home to Gurdwara Singh Sabha, the most stunning Sikh temple. The town has a carefree air atmosphere, attracting pilgrims, hippy types and tourists. Pushkar is a great place to explore but and you would not regret visiting here but our stay at Pushkar Organic Farm was the real gem.

We hope to return one day, maybe I will be able to host an Ayurvedic retreat there one day too!