It’s said that Helen of Troy had a face that launched a thousand ships. For me, it was Savista Retreat that launched (probably less than a thousand, but likely many) trips to India. Savista Retreat had been a vague entry on my dream destination list since about 2015, sparked by a few random photos on the internet and little other information. Every so often, either my sister or I would send the photo of Savista Retreat to each other saying ‘let’s do it’!! Tucked away in the memory for future inspiration, last year we finally decided that the time was right to take the leap and explore – an admittedly tiny, in the scheme of things – part of India together. 

There are decidedly less places in the world these days that allow you to completely unwind. In my own unqualified observations, there seem to be many more tourists (likely spurred on by the post covid desire to see the world, after realising that the opportunity had been taken for granted prior), and of course – the internet. It was for both of these reasons that Savista Retreat was the best kind of anomaly.

Arriving at the start of India’s ‘tourist season’, but by no means in the low season, we were lucky enough to have the entirety of the property to ourselves for a couple of blissful days. Along with this, although we had patchy e-sim reception, don’t expect high speed wifi. In this connected day and age, it was truly refreshing to have the most reliable form of entertainment as a book – selected from the property’s extensive library. 

Upon arrival, it was kindly explained that Savista Retreat’s staff often come from a rural or farming background, meaning that some do not speak English, but that if you communicate via note they will take this and find a colleague to translate. Despite the language barrier, we communicated through smiles and gestures, and felt welcomed by everyone. Others are entirely fluent and very happy to chat with you, and it was lovely to learn a little bit more about life in the countryside of Rajasthan. 

If you haven’t been to India, you may not be aware that in general, the level of hospitality service is ridiculous (in the nicest way). At Savista, the charming and round-the-clock service meant that we did not have to lift a finger, which was lovely but something we were not at all used to! For example, each evening we were walked to and from dinner by a member of the retreat staff – completely unnecessary in the safe and quiet countryside, but also a nice opportunity to get chatting. Some of the employees live great distances from their families and home states in the effort to learn hospitality skills, which is on one hand very sad but on the other hand heartwarming to know that they are offered this employment. Everyone that we spoke to were grateful for the opportunity and excited to have the chance to learn these new skills. Annabel celebrated her birthday while we were staying, and she was surprised at dinner with a birthday cake and a bouquet of flowers – seriously lovely!! 

In terms of ‘activities’ – aside from putting your feet up in a hammock, watching the cheeky resident squirrels run around and cracking open a holiday read –  there are also quite a few options both nearby and further afield. In the town nearby, there is a cow orphanage where roaming cattle that have been orphaned or abandoned are collected, and you can go to feed them bananas as an afternoon treat (!!). Very cute.

The property also helped to arrange a visit the nearby town of Bagru, renowned for its textiles, to take a look at a family property that also has a hand block-printing workshop. Aside from learning about the dyeing and printing process, Annabel and I both had a go (it’s harder than it looks!). There is, of course, a showroom there too where you can peruse the reams of block printed cotton and purchase as much as you’d like to take home. 

We had planned our stay at Savista Retreat to fall at the end of our two-week stay in Rajasthan, anticipating that we may like a few days to chill out at the end of the trip. This was correct. Aside from one day-trip into Jaipur to collect things we’d had made during our few days in the city upon arrival, we passed the time by reading and exploring the property. Each afternoon was spent on the rooftop, watching the sun set over the fields and taking in the ambience of rural Rajasthan. I couldn’t help but to indulge in more than one icy cold Kingfisher, accompanied by tiny little homegrown limes. Bliss. 

A highlight of our stay was meeting Bhanwar, Savista’s kind and interesting owner, who is generous with his time and was always happy to chat. A true character, you can tell that he takes joy from hospitality and from guests who share his love for the property, nature and learning about the local area. Bhanwar explained that his wife (who was away during our stay) was from South India, and as such their joined love of South Indian cuisine had inspired the home-cooked meals from the property’s farm and gardens. Savista Retreat was also the only place we visited in India where we could drink the water, which was sourced from the property itself. All of the produce is organic, and my only criticism of the meals was that we found ourselves so full after multiple courses each night! Everything was abundant and delicious. We enjoyed the most delicious South Indian dishes, from breakfast dosa to fresh fruits, cooling soups and mouthwatering curries. This also meant that despite the cuisine of Rahjastan being vastly different from that in the South, we had the chance to try both – which has actually inspired another trip, to visit the southern states and enjoy a bit more.  

You can find more information about staying at Savista Retreat at their website, www.savista.com.