Gaj Kesri, Bikaner

Bikaner gets skipped on the standard Jaipur–Jodhpur–Udaipur circuit, which is exactly why it rewards the detour. Gaj Kesri, run under the 7 Apple Resorts flag, sits in the desert landscape on the city's edge and leans into it: Rajasthani decor indoors, sand and big skies out of the window, and camels on the premises rather than in a brochure.

Built for the house-party crowd

There are 45 rooms and suites across four categories (Premium and Deluxe rooms, Signature and Tropical suites), and the place is organised for numbers in the old house-party sense. The Signature Suite takes Rajasthani decor and points it at the desert; every room carries high-speed Wi-Fi, an electronic safe, tea and coffee kit and packaged water with biscuits and snacks.

The activity roster suits a multi-generation group better than most city hotels: camel rides around the premises, jeep safaris, cycling, kite flying, a cricket area and an outdoor badminton court, with a game zone of table tennis, billiards and board games for the hot hours and an outdoor pool and wellness area for the cooler ones. Sunset camel safaris and desert camping are on the menu for the full Thar evening.

Pure vegetarian, and unapologetically so.

Eating is pure vegetarian. Polki, the lobby-level restaurant with outdoor seating, runs 7am to 10.30pm with Indian and Rajasthani specialities alongside international dishes. There is also a 150-seat venue, Applause, plus indoor and outdoor venues for weddings and gatherings, which tells you the scale the place can absorb.

The Bikaner run

When you do want the city: the Rampuria havelis are 2.5 km away, Junagarh Fort 3.2 km, Lalgarh Palace 6.5 km and the camel breeding farm 9.8 km. Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary sits 25 km out, and the rat temple of Karni Mata at Deshnoke, Bikaner's strangest excursion, is a 30 km run. Parking is free, and accessible rooms are available on request.