A palatial residence carved from a Maharani’s wildest dreams, 2024-opened Raffles Jaipur signals a shift towards evermore luxurious hospitality in India’s Pink City. The hotel, which sits on Jaipur’s outskirts and cocoons guests in layers upon layers of Mughal finesse, doubles as a showpiece of all there is to love about Rajasthan’s manifold cultural expressions.
Futile were our efforts to resist the tempting libations that awaited us at Raffles Jaipur’s Writers Bar on the day of our arrival: the Jaipur Sling, a local interpretation of the Godfather of hotel cocktails concocted into tangy existence at Raffles’ Singaporean flagship in 1915, surprised with a foamy top beneath which a mix of orange liqueur, Indian dry gin and pineapple juice awaited our unsuspecting tastebuds. “There’s so much going on”, we found ourselves saying, and immediately thought we might as well be referring to the space itself: rare books, chandeliers, tasseled lampshades (and a little nook stocked with fine wines, up a spiral staircase) would make the Writers Bar an eye-catcher even if it weren’t for its highly ornate, sky-blue walls with white detailing. It’s a room so easy on the eyes, we gravitated towards it again and again… but back to the start.
The arrival is stately, as you might expect from a Raffles property touting itself as a contemporary recreation of a regal palace carved from pure white marble. Impressively moustachioed porters in white uniforms and turbans guide guests through a Shikar tent (a rather chic touch, we thought) and past sandstone columns into the grand hall, where the hotel’s locally made signature fragrance of neroli, orange blossom and saffron casts its oriental spell. Following the scent, we stepped into the heart of Raffles Jaipur, a light-flooded inner courtyard where a golden fountain and near-ceremonial slicing of daily-changing atrium cakes vied for our attention. While grand, the setting elegantly avoids ostentation, bar the somewhat faux-looking palm trees – though perhaps that’s just us.
Of the property’s 50 rooms and suites, no two are identical, and each feels like the inside of an Indian trinket box. Some feature balconies with soaking tubs; though our 76 sqm/818 sqft Princess Suite instead boasted a small private garden and a temperature-controlled pool alongside thoughtful provisions from loose leaf teas and kombucha to a note by our coffee station, asking us to inform our butler of our milk preference: talk about tailor-made luxury. Our suite’s creamy mango walls and dusty blue ceiling paired beautifully, and having seen other accommodations, we found their strawberry and kiwi pastels made just as gorgeous a backdrop for the golden tikri-style wall art, handwoven carpets and kingsize half tester beds that feature prominently.
Smaller details, too, enrich each guest’s stay. There’s a wonderful charm in the slight imperfections of one-off pieces of furniture or decor Raffles Jaipur sourced from the city’s vintage retailers, and inclusions like leopard motif brass coasters or wooden board games and dice make for a homely atmosphere. “We wanted the spaces to feel like someone’s private home; hence you’ll find some asymmetry and mismatched colours”, our butler pointed out, as he showed us into our silvery marble bathroom, where Ayurvedic sugar soap sat on carved bathroom vanities and an alcove across the room framed a clawfoot bathtub to inviting effect. Said tub would later make for quite the surprise, when our butler, upon noticing that we’d been feeling slightly under the weather, ran a turmeric bath for us to return to post dinner – one of the ‘healing rituals’ the hotel has up its experiential sleeve, alongside other treats like specially made elixirs and ointments.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Culturalist | JAI | GMT +5.5 |
| While you’re Out There |
| Good luck trying to visit Jaipur without suddenly realising that the key to happiness lies in redecorating your entire home, and filling it with souvenirs that line the shelves of Rajasthani markets and textile stores. But while it would be sacrilege not to explore these traditional and often chaotic retail environments, it would be equally foolish to miss out on discovering the selection of contemporary Indian goods on offer at The Palace Atelier. The store is the passion project of Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur, and we thought its expertly curated range of products attests to her regal style. |
That Raffles’ legendary butler service is among the hotel’s most unique features shouldn’t surprise the brand’s devotees. But the butlers aren’t the only team members enchanting guests at every opportunity: at Arkaa, we sipped on iced teas as a flautist played an ancient melody from his seat in a royal hideout above our heads, and at the Writers Bar, drinks were served with smiles and not rarely an anecdote or a personal recommendation on what to explore in town. There were a few instances when the above-and-beyond take on service backfired, like when we were short on time one morning and the staff, trained to communicate reassuringly (“we don’t rush at Raffles”), got so many waiters involved in our breakfast, they ended up stumbling over one another’s feet, messing up our order in the process. In those moments, we felt that the team was so eager to represent a sense of generosity, they failed to listen and provide the less rehearsed type of service required when time is of the essence. Some standards, we’d argue, stand in the way of intuition.
Luckily, most of our dining experiences were far more relaxed and enjoyable. Arkaa entices guests with plant-centric cuisine that’s both traditional and progressive, while Safir in the hotel’s atrium is a lively spot for afternoon tea. We loved the rooftop Sehara, which pairs views of the Aravalli Range with Mediterranean classics served en plein air. Raffles Jaipur also has a knack for special tasting journeys and can turn spaces across the hotel into spectacular displays of beauty and abundance. During an experience the team put on for us, we feasted on gram flour dumplings, Rajasthani pappadum curry, spicy dal and a fragrant, jalebi-style rose and pistachio dessert. While we looked for vegan and vegetarian dietary menu markers in vain, the hotel’s chefs certainly showcased their plant-based prowess with originality and flair. Oenophiles, meanwhile, should try the excellent wines (we loved the reds by Fratelli winery in Maharashtra State), or switch things up with the simply divine cocktails and mocktails available across all dining outlets.
With so much on offer in the way of culinary delights, we found ourselves somewhat magically drawn towards the hotel’s fully equipped gym, which is conveniently glass-fronted and ran along the length of a hallway leading down to our Princess Suite – meaning this rajkumari really had no excuse not to go. If you were looking for relaxation instead, the 620 sqm/6,674 sqft Raffles Spa is home to a jacuzzi and a hammam, as well as hot and cold mineral pools perfect for a thermal journey. No stay would be complete without a treatment or two, of course, and a massage we booked to recover from a long and somewhat tiring journey to Jaipur positively melted away our tension and restored pure bliss upon our soul. You could also just laze away a few hours in a cabana by the hotel’s rooftop infinity pool, and, for a touch of magic, schedule a sunset swim: with sepia coloured views, temple-like structures and elevated torches on both ends of the pool.
Given its sumptuous offering, Raffles Jaipur might strike guests as more of a resort than merely a hotel. It’s a place so refined and welcoming, it rewards you generously for spending time on property. But behind the Mughal-meets-Rajput facade, we found a love letter to local arts and culture that enthused us about all there is to discover in glittering Jaipur. In some ways, the hotel’s greatest strength lies in its capacity to encourage guests to get under the skin of Rajasthani craftsmanship and traditions. And if your butler is anything like ours, they’ll jump at the opportunity to arrange private performances or guided tours to family-run workshops. We loved this focus on all things local culture: heritage brands can, at times, rely on time-proven formulae and expand their portfolio with new hotels that, behind their shiny veneer, ultimately don’t serve the destinations they’re in. In contrast, Raffles Jaipur acts as a key to a buzzing, colourful and wonderfully non-conforming city – one that’s waiting to be unlocked.
Photography courtesy of Raffles Hotels & Resorts
