Agra – Jaipur – Shahpura – Udaipur – Jodhpur:

After having gone into an 9-day itinerary how to travel the beautiful Indian state of Rajasthan in my last blogpost, I would like to point out where to stay and dine in style when being on the road in the land of the kings with its stunning palaces and forts. While I always appreciate the finer things in life, I consider the aspect of appropriate lodging and dining in India all the more important in India given the living conditions in this amazing yet multi-facetted country.

General

5 of the best hotels for staying in style

We started our trip in Delhi and ended it in Mumbai. There will be a separate blogpost of these two cities later on, now I will only go into the hotels being part of our tour in Rajasthan. Whereas we also dined outside of our hotels in these two metropolises, we decided not to do this when being on route in the land of the maharajas. There are three reasons for this course of action. First, you can assume that the quality of restaurants in high-end hotels is normally quite high. Second, alternatives I found are mostly located in other similar hotels. Third, as you certainly are aware of, you have to be concerned about food safety in India. Consequently, we did not venture out to explore the restaurant scene outside of hotels as we usually do on vacation.

While be booked our hotels in Delhi and Mumbai ourselves, we did not this for the accommodation of our road trip in Rajasthan as it was part of our booking arrangements as outlined in my last blogpost. As mentioned there, we stayed at luxury hotels only with one exception (non-touristy Shahpura), and this on a bed and breakfast basis. As far as hotel brands are concerned, we had six nights at Oberoi hotels, two at a Taj hotel and one – the above-mentioned exception – at a place not being part of a hotel chain. Everywhere we stayed two nights except in Shaphura where we had only one night. As to the room category in the chain hotels, we were booked in the lowest one as this is common when booking via a travel agency without requesting differently, which we did not.

Generally, it could be said about all the hotels of our Rajasthan trip, from which you will find individual reviews in the following, that the level of service was consistently good to very good. It is apparent that the Oberoi & Taj group put a heavy focus on this aspect.

1. Agra: The Oberoi Amarvilas

The biggest asset of this property is by any means its location just 600 metres (650 yards) from the iconic Taj Mahal and the fact that all the rooms offer uninterrupted views of this monument.

But do let yourself to be fooled, it is not really close (picture taken using a telephoto lens). Nonetheless, it is a great thing to soak up the magical view whenever you want.

The hotel’s construction pays homage to the Taj Mahal’s Mughal architecture with an array of reflection pools, pavilions, fountains and terraced lawns,

which is very nice to look at. Also our room featured Mughal design as well as other India-specific details (beds, rugs).

The bathroom was quite classy with some marble and granite. It had a bathtub and a separate shower but was a bit cramped.

Negative as far as room was concerned, was the fact that you could not open the window (for taking pictures of the Taj Mahal) and that the room showed some signs of an older propriety.

When it comes to restaurants, we enjoyed our breakfasts at the Bellevue (good buffet selection) but decided not to have dinner here because it had the feel of a workplace canteen, although a rather stylish one.

We dined twice at the Esphahan, the Indian specialty restaurant, instead, which clearly was intended as a more upmarket dining experience. While we liked the pleasant atmosphere, we found the food so so. Some dishes were quite good, but others were bland and not very inspired. It was also inconvenient that you had to book for specific sittings.

2. Jaipur: The Oberoi Rajvilas

The bungalow buildings where many rooms are located, look similar to the well-known pink houses in Jaipur’s old town, besides they show many Mughal characteristics. They are laid out in clusters with a courtyard in the middle. Our room was spacious, with a seating area where you can look out across the grounds. It was nicely decorated with natural materials in neutral colors.

The large bathroom had double sinks, a sunken bathtub as well as a separate shower with views of a private walled garden.

We felt very comfortable in here.

As mentioned, we very much liked the food in this hotel. The breakfast was great with a well-assorted buffet and a good selection of hot dishes from an à la carte menu. We had two fabulous dinners here. Once we enjoyed a tasty meal

in the international restaurant Surya Mahal where we were seated in the picturesque courtyard.

The other time we had a delicious Indian dinner at the Raj Mahal, which serves local food, sometimes also unusual dishes from everywhere in India.

The al fresco setting of this dining-spot is also magnificent.

On balance, our stay here at the Oberoi Rajvilas was one of the two highlights of our Rajasthan tour in terms of lodging and dining. We were very impressed by the hotel’s performance in all important areas. The one thing that was a bit annoying, a tour group, was perfectly handled by the staff in order to not let it impact too much on other guests, my congrats!

3. Shahpura: Shahpura Bagh Hotel

Here, in this working farm estate in a rural area midway between Jaipur and Udaipur, we had the most relaxing and peaceful stay of our trip. The 18-hectare (45-acre) property with 9 suites set in gardens and pasture is surrounded by two lakes and still owned by the family that once ruled the town. Maya, the lady of the house, is a great host and does everything to make you feel at ease. Recommended activities include sunbathing by the lovely pool

and visiting the colorful village of Shahpura just outside the hotel’s gate. It was so interesting to walk in one of the mains streets and to get a glimpse of local life. Another good thing to do is take a trip to the family owned Dhikhola Fort for having a look at it and enjoying a sundowner at the top of the building.

For our one night stay we resided in a Royal Suite, the best room category. It was located in the main building where visiting British regents were put up in colonial times. It was expansive, with high ceilings and decorated in a colonial style.

The bathroom was large and well-appointed.

The only thing that was a bit annoying was the air-condition that only cooled down a part of the suite.

As to our meals, we enjoyed a delightful breakfast outdoor in the garden.

The Indian dinner (set meal) took place here too and was decent albeit not one of the best of our Rajasthan trip. Food was served by local staff, which were friendly although not as trained as in your typical luxury hotel.

On the whole, we had a good time at this rural retreat. It was a stunning place to unwind from touring in busy cities and made a pleasant change from the chain hotels we otherwise stayed at. Shahpura was an interesting place to visit as is a real working town and not a tourist spot as all the other destinations of our tour.

4. Udaipur: The Oberoi Udaivilas

and the setting appealing,

we were a bit underwhelmed by the dinner experience in the international restaurant (Chandni) where we were seated outside

and judged the cuisine as rather mediocre.

When it comes to the staff, the service level is generally high as this was the case for all Oberoi properties of our Rajasthan trip. Having said this, we had one or two issues that did not fit the picture. First, as our room was not ready upon our arrival (we were early), we decided to have a light lunch in the meantime. To our astonishment, an employee of the reception desk accompanied us and stayed with us – he was talking while we were eating – until our room was ready. Another thing that puzzled me was the fact that there was an attendant present by the pool, but he did not offer to cover the sunbed with a towel but watched me doing this myself. Other guests arriving after me faced the same situation but decided to use the sunbeds as they were.

The best thing about the Oberoi Udaivilas is certainly the property itself, which spreads over 20 hectares (50 acres) including a wildlife sanctuary with deer and wild boar. The building complex consists of interconnected domes and walkways as well as of a variety of canals and pools, which is a feast for the eyes.

In addition, you always have splendid views of the gardens and/or the Lake Pichola with the other famous landmarks – the Lake Palace Hotel and the City Palace.

Speaking of latter, this monument was clearly the model for the construction of the hotel.

We were booked into a Premier Room with Pool View – we were given (a small) upgrade because our room was not ready when we arrived. The room was spacious, with a nice bay window seating,

the large bathroom was bright with view to a private courtyard, a free-standing bathtub and a separate shower.

While we liked the accommodation, we had an issue with the air-condition – at the foot of the beds and directed to them –, but the staff managed to fix it after the first night.

In sum, this is a fantastic property with generously laid out rooms, wonderful gardens and views. As to dining, it has to be said that only the Indian restaurant offered a good enough performance. Also the service was not faultless. Nonetheless, I would return I was delighted by the beauty of the hotel complex.

5. Jodhpur: Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace

This hotel was not only one of the two highlights of our Rajasthan trip when it comes to lodging, but by no doubt one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed at. In contrast to most accommodations mentioned so far, it is a historic building or more explicitly, a heritage palace,

where tourists come to view it although they may only visit the small hotel museum and the vintage car collection unless they are willing to pay the somewhat prohibitive cover charge to have a drink in the Trophy Bar and to catch a glimpse of the unbelievably beautiful central dome, which is the second largest in India after the one at Taj Mahal.

The Umaid Bhawan Palace is perched on a hill, the highest point in town, spreading over 10 hectares (26 acres). It was constructed by the Jodhpur royal family in order to provide employment for the famine-stricken local farmers. The palace, built in the so-called Beaux Arts style, is one of the world’s largest private residences. Nowadays, it is divided into three parts, the mentioned museum, the hotel managed by the Taj group and the residence of the royal family.

The hotel has 64 Art Deco style rooms amongst them also the Maharaja Suite, originally designed for the king with a masculine touch, and a Maharani Suite for the queen in a feminine décor. We were booked into a Palace Room but were upgraded to one of the Historical Suites, which were once the accommodations for royal visitors. What a privilege to reside like royalty in a large room with all modern comforts,

 complete with an immense bathroom

and a spacious balcony,

we loved it!

We were treated like royal visitors too, with a glass of Champagne upon arrival, daily afternoon teas, various tours through the estate if desired and the best breakfasts ever. Both our evening meals were exquisite as well. You can either dine in the beautiful restaurant

that used to be the banquet hall or outside with views of the lawn.There are two menus to choose from, an international one and an Indian one.

I had my share of awesome hotel stays, but never before in such an out of this world setting! It was so good to linger in the hotel’s public halls, especially in the area of the spectacular central dome where the atmosphere was always so serene, to stroll through the beautifully landscaped gardens or to go around the subterranean zodiac pool.

 I was just awestruck by so much beauty around me!

Overall

Date of stay: April 2018

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