Rajasthan, India: Hugh

Where am I – spending two weeks with my family travelling around Rajasthan, the "Land of Kings,” in northwest India.

This was my second visit (and my families first.) It was such a treat to share this amazing destination with them. At the end of every day, we sat down for dinner and couldn’t believe the ‘once in a lifetime’ moment we’d experienced together, without fail at least once if not twice every single day!

From privately escorted visits - led by the museum curator himself - around an ancient palace. Joining in (unsuccessfully) with the locals celebrating the annual kite festival in the pink city of Jaipur. To an early morning sunrise safari, where we were lucky enough to see a leopard and her cub finishing off their breakfast. The highlights were unforgettable and without count!

Udaipur – My favourite place and just as magical this time around. For this visit we stayed at the beautiful Amet Haveli which sits directly on the shore of Lake Pichola; overlooking the floodlit City Palace complex and right next to a lovely little Hindu temple, where locals gather in the first light of day to bathe and swim. On our first morning a bank of fog rolled in across the city to completely hide it from view (and give the early morning bathers an otherworldly presence.) Something so unique even the staff at breakfast couldn’t stop taking photos and videos!

An early stroll across the bridge took us to the ornately carved Jagdish Temple, through the sprawling Palace complex, then wrapped up with a calm boat ride across the Lake to the floating pleasure gardens of Saheliyon Ki Bari.

Narlai - What a special place! Rawla Narlai is an 17th century hunting lodge (owned by the royal family of Jodhpur) that sits in the shadow of the enormous granite bulk of Elephant Hill. We spent a truly unforgettable evening dining at an 11th century stepwell - feasting on a four-course meal, serenaded by the haunting music of a local Jogi - and the entire scene lit by candles (that take 2hrs to set up!) In the morning, we headed out on a jeep safari to track the local population of leopards - which we were lucky enough to see, backed by the soundtrack in the distance of the melodic call to prayer. Not only is the property gorgeous, and the experiences they offer completely unique, but it was also really great to learn a little more about the support the family and their property here offer the local indigenous community with education and opportunities and a real concerted effort to give back in a meaningful way.

Deogarh - in the heart of this charming village sits the imposing Deogarh Mahal. Still occupied (and run) by the incumbent Rawat - a very generous host who treated us all to a fireside G&T and some entertaining stories. Each room here is completely unique (something often said in our industry, but very much true here!) You’re encouraged to ramble around the 17th century palace at leisure, and I’d definitely recommend listening to the accompanying pre-recorded narration (by world renowned historian Dalrymple) which gives a huge amount of insight into the background of a memorable stay here.

Interesting fact: this area is surrounded by the Aravalli mountain range, one of the oldest in the world. Dating back billions of years, it provided a natural barrier for the Rajput kingdoms against Mughal expansion.

Jodhpur - was our next stop, and my sisters favourite city (and hotel.) We were based at the gorgeous Daspan House, a 1921 home that’s been transformed in to a smart boutique hideaway. The food and friendly service were excellent, as was our invigorating ‘champi’ head massage.

We loved a few walks through the chaotic market (fun at any time of the day, and in the evening zipped through by tuktuk) - heaps of fun! Vast and sprawling don’t really do justice to the Mehrangarh ‘Citadel of the Sun’ - which is a looming presence seen from everywhere. Rudyard Kipling called it “ the work of giants”. Nearby is the contrasting peace and delicate beauty of the Jaswant Thada - a pristine marble mausoleum for the local Maharaja which has been nicknamed the Taj Mahal of Marwar.

While in town I also inspected the 5* RAAS Jodphur (and their sister property, the 4* Stepwell Hotel.) Both fabulously located next to the city stepwell and a short stroll from the bustling market. The RAAS is a refined mix of 18th-century haveli meets contemporary lux (a winning combination, and a nice break in style from a lot of other heritage properties in the region.) But the real selling point here is the unbeatable view, particularly from the Stepwell Rooftop Restaurant, of the Mehrangarh Fort.

Nagaur - now to my favourite stay - Ranvas (meaning abode of the queens) in the town of Nagaur. The accommodation here is situated in the 18th century home of the queens (16 of them) within the gigantic walled complex of the much older Achitgaarh Fort. As part of our stay, we were fortunate enough to meet the palace curator who led us through the ongoing restoration project of the Fort / Palace - in to rooms, gardens and courtyards seldom visited and blocked from public view. What a treat!

You’re also free to explore in your own time, so I spent the afternoon happily rambling along the fort walls - looking across the city that surrounds the fort on all sides, checking out the local kite flying expertise (seemingly everyone gets involved from about 4pm on their own roofs - quite a sight.) Our own queens home here was made up of three charming bedrooms centred around a peaceful private courtyard. And outside our walls, a short to the open sided restaurant and the very inviting pool (though a little chilly in January to venture in for a dip!)

Samode - featured as one of the best hotels in the world in this years Conde Nast ‘Gold List’ - we’ve sent many travellers to Samode Palace over the years (incl Ceri who stayed a while back) so I was very happy to finally visit, and my goodness it didn’t disappoint! We loved exploring the ornate Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) and the amazing frescoes in the Durbar Hall. You can walk in to the friendly village and up to the old hilltop fort which sits above the palace, along the way to a local temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god.) And of course we spent some quality r&r by one of the two pools (cleverly one is positioned for daytime use and the other catching the best of sunset.)

Our rooms were glorious, featuring huge canopied beds and large living areas that give over to lovely little balconies looking out across the valley, the arrival courtyard, and each night a rather fun fireworks display (though be sure to close the door when not in use - or you’ll be sharing your room with a local monkey or two!)

We also made time to visit their sister property, just 10mins drive down the road, Samode Bagh. It’s the 250-year-old garden retreat of the Samode family and claims the title of Rajasthan’s oldest operational Mughal garden. The bulk of the rooms here are set up in a glamping style to take maximum advantage of the lush green surrounds. We enjoyed a nice al fresco lunch (and even a spot of croquet!) before heading back to the Palace.

Jaipur - relatively nearby (around an hour from Samode) is the cosmopolitan capital of Jaipur, certainly the busiest of the Rajasthani cities and nicknamed the ‘Pink City’ for it's pink hued (truthfully more like terracotta) old town. Our visit here happily coincided with the Kite Festival - we gave it a red hot go (and failed spectacularly.) It was fun though to see the sky full of fluttering kites, and in the evening lit up by fireworks and lanterns.

The main attraction here is the Amber Fort, another impressive and imposing hilltop fortification with an ornate internal palace compound - situated a short drive from town. Surrounded on all sides by a defensive ring of outer walls which bear a striking resemblance to the Great Wall in China.

Back in the city we visited the City Palace, parts of which are still a functioning home of the local royal family and the other half given over to some very engaging museums on costume and royal Rajasthani life. As well as the Jantar Mantar which is right next door and a Unesco World Heritage 18th century astronomical observatory, the largest of five which were built by the reigning Maharajah (and still function to this day!)

We had perhaps our finest meal during our time here, at The Johri - an exquisitely decorated jewelbox of a restaurant which has featured as a CN Traveller Top Restaurant for 2023,24 & 25! We loved the modern spin they put on all the delicious Indian cuisine here.

Agra - it goes without saying that the main draw card here is the Taj: and there is just nothing that comes close to the sense of awe you get by having the chance to see it in person…truly a wonder of the world. Even though we dropped in for perhaps their busiest afternoon of the year (the anniversary of Shah Jahan, the founder) it leaves you speechless. You must combine this with an exploration of nearby Agra Fort, the Red Fort where Shah Jahan was kept prisoner by his own son Aurangzeb - imprisoned in a palace of marble, with a view to the Taj he created in memory of his favourite wife.

For a future visit, I’d also really love to see nearby Fatehpur Sikri, which we drove by on the way in. I didn’t realize it was quite so close - would love to see this fabled city which was built in grandeur for the Mughals but completely deserted within the space of just a few years.

Delhi - we wrapped up our time in India with a stay at the majestic Imperial Hotel. Part of the exclusive ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ collection, and surely on a par with historic Raffles in Singapore and the Peninsula in Hong Kong for heritage wow. You could spend hours here just wandering the corridors and admiring their collection of prints and artwork (apparently there are over 5,500 of them!) I had an amazing treatment in the spa complex (perfect preparation for the journey home.) And we dined in fine style at the Spice Route Restaurant - where the interiors were something straight out of the ‘White Lotus’, and the meal exceptional.

There is history around every corner here, we were eating lunch on the terrace when our waiter casually mentioned the massive stone table we were sitting at was exactly where Gandhi sat in 1947 to discuss the Partition of India!