Two nights at Hotel Helsinki House in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan || A comfortable and pretty property with an interesting story behind its name
While searching for an accommodation in Jaisalmer, we were in two minds. There were three options. We could stay within the Golden Fort, or we could stay in old Jaisalmer, or we could stay in the newer parts of the city, which would be slightly far from the fort.
Each of these options had its own charm. Staying within the walls of the fort promised to be a unique experience. The Golden fort of Jaisalmer is a living fort, which means that descendants of the people who used to inhabit the fort when Kings and Queens used to rule the state, still continue to live within the premises.
And over the years, several hotels, homestays, and restaurants have opened here that offer you exciting views of the city, authentic Rajasthani cuisine, and also an experience of the quaint streets of the walled city. However, staying inside the fort also had its disadvantage.
You would need to park your car in the parking outside the fort and then drag your luggage up the incline to your hotel. And staying inside the fort is discouraged also because increasing tourism has had a lot of detrimental impact on the Fort Infrastructure. In fact many hotel booking portals don't list properties that are within the fort walls.
Staying outside the fort, but within the old city, had more disadvantages than advantages. You would be staying in a crowded, congested area without proper parking and it would be a noisy area. And if you would stay a little far away, you would find comfortable parking and newer properties in quieter areas, but whenever you wanted to roam around the old city, you would need to take out your car. However, hotels that were at a distance from the fort offered excellent views of the fort and also the surrounding desert.
We chose the third option mostly because we were worried about leaving our car unattended outside the fort, if we were staying inside it. That said, we really did consider the Zostel which is located inside the fort, but then at the last minute finalized Hotel Helsinki House, about two kilometers from the fort.
The photographs of the hotel were really charming and the name was fascinating too. There is an interesting story behind the name. It is a tribute to the city Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is here, where the owner Ali Khan got the break that would transform his life. He was born in a small village, 30kilometers outside of Jaisalmer, and came to Jaisalmer at the age of 7 to work for an uncle. From here he got an opportunity to travel to Finland, work there, and amass enough fortune to start and sustain a successful business. Hence the name.
The hotel itself is located in a street that is full of hotels. The street is slightly narrow, so if you are driving an SUV, you need to be careful of the sharp edges jutting out of the porches of the other hotels. There is ample parking but you need to take care while trying to reach it.
The hotel itself is quite nice. From our room at least, though, the view wasn't great. It was overlooking the other hotels and we kept the curtain shut most of the times. Tea kettle and other facilities were good. Bathroom was clean and the staff was helpful.
We did spend time on the terrace on our first night there and the view of the fort at night was quite good. We did not try any food here so cannot comment on it. Overall our stay was satisfactory and comfortable, though we spent very little time inside the hotel.
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