Staying in a palace never gets boring. This is especially true for Sawantwadi Palace—a boutique art hotel located in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. Built between 1755 and 1803, during the reign of Khem Sawant III, the palace still exudes the grandeur of the past but with a refreshing ease instilled by the young couple—Yuvrani Shraddha Lakham Sawant Bhonsle and Yuvraj Lakham Sawant Bhonsle—who helmed the palace’s restoration.
“We always had it in mind to convert a part of the palace to a hotel, but the process actually began in 2019 when Lakham and I got married. Since we met at the Culinary Institute of America (in New York), we already had an understanding of the hospitality industry,” says Shraddha. While the couple was closely involved in ensuring guests get to immerse themselves in Sawantwadi’s rich art heritage, they brought to the table their passion for culinary arts to turn the property into India’s first-ever chef-owned palace hotel.
Across most palace stays, the legacy of the reigning family is the axis around which everything revolves. But in Sawantwadi Palace, the royal family has let the region’s legacy in art shine. While one part of the palace continues to be the royal family’s residence, the Taisaheb Wada, built by Raghunath Sawant in the 1800s for the five queens of Sawantwadi, was chosen to be converted into a boutique hotel after being shut for almost 30 years.
When the restoration process of the wada began, Lakham and Shraddha discovered antiques dating back centuries ago that now adorn the six suites and even the pathway leading up to it. For instance, Shraddha says the pillars at the entrance of the wada were restored from the temples in Sawantwadi when they were being cut off to be replaced with marble ones. The pillars, made of Sangwan wood, have the Ramayana inscribed on them.
Meanwhile, the six suites perfectly mirror Sawantwadi’s long-standing association with Ganijfa (Persian card game). “Ganjifa originated in Persia and so the art on it represented the King and his court. When it was brought to India in the 16th century, the art was adapted to depict the story of Vishnu’s many avatars. Taking off from this, each of our six suites uses Ganjifa and lacquerware art to represent the various avatars of Vishnu—Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, and Parshuram,” says Shraddha.
“We want guests to come for the culture and heritage, but we want them to stay for the food,” Shraddha says unapologetically. Though Sawantwadi Palace prides itself on conserving a near-extinct art form, chefs Shraddha and Lakham are equally passionate about ensuring they take guests through a unique culinary journey, so much so that the young royals themselves take to the kitchen.
“We are very emotional about food and so our menu is extensive. From Konkan food to Japanese and Korean-inspired tasting menus, we do everything,” says Shraddha, who draws up a long list when asked about a few must-eats at the palace. “The food journey begins right from breakfast—from freshly baked chocolate croissants hand-rolled by Lakham to fruit platters to Maharashtrian delicacies like misal and thalipeeth, it is a complete range. But a must-try is the Sawantwadi Special eggs benedict (which includes a croissant topped with poached eggs, coconut chilli chutney and dry curry leaves chutney). For lunch, we recommend our Konkan thaali, and for dinner, I have created a five-course tasting menu inspired by Asian flavours, for which I make hand-rolled noodles and even my broth is simmered over 24 hours.”
To end it all, Shraddha recommends going in for Lakham’s creation called “Flavours of Sawantwadi,” which includes a coconut shell made of chocolate, filled with coconut cream, pineapple sorbet and coconut jelly, served on top of cashew soil.
At Sawantwadi Palace, you can opt for a private Ganjifa art workshop where you can learn to create your own playing cards from a skilled artisan—it makes for a perfect souvenir. In addition, you can connect with the royals over tea, go for a private picnic at Amboli Ghat, visit the home of a Sawantwadikar to enjoy a traditional homemade meal, and take an excursion to Chitari (famous for pangara wooden toys) or Pinguli village to discover the Chitrakathi painting tradition and the origin of leather puppetry practised by the Thakkar adivasi community.
Tariff: From INR 15,000 per night
Getting There: Mopa Airport in Goa is the closest airport, and you can easily find a private taxi to drive up to Sawantwadi, which takes approximately 45 minutes. If you are travelling by train, the closest railway junctions are Mumbai, Pune and Mangalore. By road, take the NH4 if you are travelling from Mumbai and NH17 if travelling from Goa.
Book here: https://www.sawantwadipalace.com/home
