Six Senses, after a long delay, has finally opened its first property in India, Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan.
Details and Location
Originally owned by a Rajasthani Royal Family, Six Senses Fort Barwara incorporates two original palaces and two temples within the walled fort. The 5.5-acre site is surrounded by an imposing thick rock 6-metre high wall.
The resort is a 2.5-hour drive from Jaipur Airport by car, and 6 to 7 hours from Delhi by car. Ranthambore National Park is a 30-minute drive from the resort. The hotel provides ‘Zero-emission’ transfers with Luxury Electric SUVs.
The hotel also provides ‘Arrive Like A Royal’ offer, in which the host will meet the guests at the train station with refreshments and cold towels and
will be driven in a vintage car to the property.
Accommodations
Six Senses Fort Barwara consists of 48 guest suites. Suites in the East Wing overlook the countryside and those in the West Wing offer views to Barwara village and beyond.
Ranging from 753 square feet (70 square meters) to 3,014 square feet (280 square meters), each suite is designed in a contemporary Rajasthani style to complement the historic backdrop of the fort while subtly incorporating state-of-the-art in-room technology along with the Sleep With Six Senses standards. These include handmade mattresses, cotton bedding, and additional sleep amenities.
The names of the different suites are:
- Fort Suite
- Sanctuary Suite
- Aravali View Suite
- Terrace Suite
- Buri Suite
- Thakur Bhagwati Singh Suite
- Rani Rajkumari Suite
- Raja Man Singh Suite
Dining
Led by Matthew Cropp, the resort’s flagship dining destination, Roohani, showcases the power of local produce from the resort’s organic garden and farms in the nearby village in innovative ways. The overarching theme is Rajasthani-inspired fresh, sustainable cuisine highlighting Indian elements and flavors while embracing the Eat With Six Senses approach, while the medieval domes of the fort add a sense of drama to any occasion.
Guests can meet the sommelier in the Viewing Gallery or enjoy signature cocktails before dinner in the Rajawat Room. The magnificent Barwara Royal Ballroom can be transformed to host weddings and other celebrations.
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Facilities
Six Senses Fort Barwara features two swimming pools, a Boutique With select designer casual
clothing and swimwear, local artwork,
accessories, home décor and light furniture, Earth Lab that showcases sustainability efforts to
support communities and ecosystems while
inviting guests to learn some positive life hacks, a Library with a selection of books and magazines
and Indoor and outdoor fun activities for kids at Grow With Six Senses.
Six Senses Fort Barwara is an idyllic destination for weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties, social gatherings and corporate events. For this, it offers a range of indoor event spaces including a 2,045 square foot (190 square meter) ballroom as well as ‘magical’ outdoor settings and event lawns.
Six Senses Spa
The 30,000 square foot (2,800 square meter) Six Senses Spa and fitness center is located within the original women’s palace and both temples. It offers an extensive Ayurvedic “whole body”
healing system, meditation and personalized
wellness programs based on the preventative
principles of Eastern medicine and results-
oriented Western influences. The hotel uses its
own signature range of indigenous essential oils, muds, clays, gels and vegetable oils, all lovingly
blended for their therapeutic energy.
Spa Facilities include:
- One Single Treatment Room
- Three Couples’ Treatment Suites
- Two Ayurveda Treatment Rooms
- Fitness Center and CrossFit outdoor circuit
- Changing Room and Relaxation areas
- Yoga Pavilion
- Meditation temple
- Mail Bar
- Spa Boutique
- Steam, sauna, tepidarium, Swedana, cool pool and still pool
Spa Services include:
- Sunrise and Sunset Yoga
- Meditation
- Visiting Practitioners
- Fitness classes
- Group talks
- Detox and healthy lifestyle programs
- Sleep Upgrade
- Skin Analysis
- Alchemy Bar
Experiences
Six Senses Fort Barwara combines and
customizes activities to suit energetic guests and those who prefer to simply sit back and relax. The experiences at the hotel include:
- Daily fitness classes, group activities and wellness talks with experts
- Alchemy Bar
- Heritage walks within Six Senses Fort Barwara
- Cultural walks to nearby villages (Barwara Village, Shri Chauth Mata Temple, ashiest Village and Shiwar Fort)
- Cooking Classes
- Organic Garden and local market tours with chefs
- Safari to Ranthambore National Park
- Picnic at Banas River
- Cinema Paradiso – outdoor cinema experience
- Water bottling plant at the stables and sustainable tours
Sustainability
The original Barwara Fort was constructed in the 14th century by the Chauhans (Indian Rajput caste). During World War II, Raja Man Singh from the noble family of Barwara along with Jaipur State Armed Forces fought alongside the British. In appreciation of his services, he was bestowed with the title of Rao Bahadur. His grandson, Prithviraj Singh, has restored the fort to its previous glory in tandem with Espire Group.
Panika, under the leadership of the late Nimish Patel and Parul Zaveri, led the architectural design. A team of conservation experts including landscape designer Savita Punde and horticulturist Pradeep Kishen was brought on board to retain the traditional gardens and water features, local native flora, and fauna.
The landscaping team is also working on Barwara Lake’s restoration project, which will remove invasive species of plants that lower the water table and re-introduce endemic plant species to bring back balance. This, alongside working hand in hand with the community on water management, will allow the water table to rise again and the village will have easy access to fresh water.
The energy footprint of importing branded drinking water has been eliminated with the resort having its own reverse osmosis plant to produce top-quality still and sparkling mineralized water, which is provided to guests in reusable glass bottles.
Meanwhile, Six Senses recently announced plans to open a second resort in the Maldives.
Featured image by Six Senses
All the other images by Six Senses
What do you think of Six Senses Fort Barwara? Let me know in the comments section below.
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